Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXII

[Heliomance]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef LXII. Here in Optimization Colosseum, contestants will endeavor to create an optimized and flavorful character using a specified D&D3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

Contestants: You will need to present a write-up of your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20-level build in the table below. Feel free to present as many of these as you like, and please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability at all of the levels you didn't show. The rules are as follows:

Menu: The "special ingredient" can be drawn from any legal source. Originally, the plan was to mostly use Core and Completes, but that was 60 threads ago, and we've started running out of interesting classes to use if we restrict ourselves to those.

32 point-buy is the presumed creation method, but we have generally allowed other levels of point-buy.
If you do use a different point-buy, please make your case for its necessity in your entry. Keep in mind that for using exceptionally large or small point-buys may warrant deductions in elegance and/or power.

Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt or Generic Classes are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em. Please refrain from using Taint unless it's necessary for the Secret Ingredient.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 07:59 GMT on Sunday, October 26th, 2014 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, Heliomance. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 07:59 GMT on Sunday, November 9th, 2014 to judge the builds and submit their scores. If no judges have scored by that point, only the scores of the first judge to submit will be counted.

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient.

Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.
Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is considered in poor taste, and judges are asked to take a dim view of this option, taking it into account while grading. Other things that will cause penalties here are excessive multi-classing, and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, will lose you points.Please note the following change: a legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Elegance, excepting the aforementioned issues with Unearthed Arcana. Using too many sources may result in a penalty to Elegance at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not. In that same vein, drawing solely from the Core 3 (and the d20 SRD) should not be punished for lacking Originality.
Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!

Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their entry.NAME OF ENTRY


Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities



Code immediately below (spoiler).

Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities



For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)Spells per Day/Spells Known
Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Code immediately below (spoiler)Spells per Day/Spells Known
Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-



For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.
Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until the "reveal," in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.

FOR THIS CHALLENGE ONLY: Leadership is not banned. However, it only grants followers, not a cohort.

So! Who wants to sign up as a contestant, and who wants to sign up as a judge? Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing!

So, I'm trying an experiment this time. For the first time that I know of, the Secret Ingredient has less than 10 levels. It's been traditionally believed that fewer than 10 levels means that it's very hard to focus a build around a class, but I think that in this case the SI is unique enough that it will work. A suggestion for judges: the Use of the Secret Ingredient category should probably take more account than usual of the other classes used, why they were chosen, and how they complement the SI. It's a very delicate flavour this time, so everyone should do their best to enhance it, and not overpower it. So without further ado, it is my pleasure to announce the sixty-second Secret Ingredient is:
Dungeonscape's Dungeon Lord!

We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM.

Allez, optimiser!

Contestants

Judges

The Builds

Past Competitions

Iron Chef I: Entropomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142470)
Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146583)
Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148584)
Iron Chef IV: Stonelord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150595)
Iron Chef V: War Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152543)
Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156876)
Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158633)
Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160266)
Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162702)
Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164381)
Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166539)
Iron Chef XII: War Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9426386)
Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172233)
Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174434)
Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176049)
Iron Chef XVI: Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178202)
Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182492)
Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186097)
Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190607)
Iron Chef XX: Incandescent Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10976416)
Iron Chef XXI: Ghostwalker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198921)
Iron Chef XXII: Dervish (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206576)
Iron Chef XXIII: Divine Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210071)
Iron Chef XXIV: Tactical Soldier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214198)
Iron Chef XXV: Scion of Tem-Et-Nu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217441)
Iron Chef XXVI: Shadowdancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220956)
Iron Chef XXVII: Mindbender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224008)
Iron Chef XXVIII: Cryokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227304)
Iron Chef XXIX: Consecrated Harrier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229688)
Iron Chef XXX: Initiate of Pistis Sophia (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233346)
Iron Chef XXXI: Shadow Sentinel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236908)
Iron Chef XXXII: Temple Raider of Olidammara (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239786)
Iron Chef XXXIII: Drow Judicator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243052)
Iron Chef XXXIV: Dragon Disciple (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246072)
Iron Chef XXXV: Death Delver (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249542)
Iron Chef XXXVI: Acolyte of the Skin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252923)
Iron Chef XXXVII: Justiciar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13865473)
Iron Chef XXXVIII: Hand of the Winged Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255215)
Iron Chef XXXIX: Renegade Mastermaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260333)
Iron Chef XL: Nightsong Infiltrator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263173)
Iron Chef XLI: Geomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266709)
Iron Chef XLII: Shadowblade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270196)
Iron Chef XLIII: Bladesinger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274122)
Iron Chef XLIV: Urban Soul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279116)
Iron Chef XLV: Talon of Tiamat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15216595)
Iron Chef XLVI: Cipher Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287314)
Iron Chef XLVII: Cold Iron Warrior (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291294)
Iron Chef XLVIII: Shadow Sun Ninja (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297327)
Iron Chef XLIX: Thrall to Orcus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302487)
Iron Chef L: Corrupt Avenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307823)
Iron Chef LI: Black Flame Zealot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312773)
Iron Chef LII: Anointed Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317934)
Iron Chef LIII: Zerth Cenobite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325164)
Iron Chef LIV: Osteomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330890)
Iron Chef LV: Mountebank (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?336373-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LV)
Iron Chef LVI: Dwarven Defender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342807-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVI)
Iron Chef LVII: Darkrunner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?349040-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVII)
Iron Chef LVIII: Spellsword (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?357412-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVIII)
Iron Chef LIX: Fleet Runner of Ehlonna (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?364667-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LIX)
Iron Chef LX: Lasher (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371835-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Iron Chef LX(II): Acolyte of the Ego (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?372145-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)

[Heliomance]

FAQ:
What's this even about? I'm glad you asked, actually... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15415117&postcount=1)

Is Dragon Compendium Allowed? Yes (as well as its Errata), but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

What about 3.0 materials? 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition.

Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources? The Dragonlance Campaign Setting is allowed, but the subsequent books for Dragonlance are considered 3rd party, and are therefore not eligible, despite the "WotC approved" status of those books. The same holds for Oriental Adventures (1st party) and the subsequent Rokugan books (3rd party). Materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.

What about online sources in general? If the online source is a) published by WotC, and b) not replaced by an updated version at a later time, it is eligible. Use it, link it.

Where's the line drawn with "acceptable/unacceptable" for Unearthed Arcana? This will likely vary a bit from Chairman to Chairman. Item Familiars and Gestalt have always been verboten, since before IC migrated to GitP; don't expect that to change. Flaws have similarly always been noted as warranting a deduction; while I am Chairman, I'm extending that to Traits, though they warrant 1/2 the penalty in Elegance that a Flaw would because they're roughly 1/2 as useful. Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. Bloodlines and the Retraining options presented in the PHB2 are ripe for abuse, and will be strongly discouraged as long as I am Chairman. Note that judges are allowed to look askance at any use of Unearthed Arcana not specifically mentioned above, at their discretion, and otherwise penalize Elegance according to their preference.

What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? FOR THIS CONTEST ONLY: Leadership, Undead Leadership, and any other abilities that use the same mechanics are allowed, however they do not grant a cohort. No other similar ability may be taken. Feats and abilities that enhance your followers MAY be taken.

What's the minimum score in a category? Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is mechanically illegal by the RAW, the judge may give the build a score of 0 in Elegance, and proceed to judge the entry as if the offending material was not included. Failing to meet a special requirements for a prestige class does not merit a 0, but may qualify for a penalty, at the judge's discretion. Because this contest focuses on Player Characters, an entry that is not technically allowed for a PC, but is viable as an NPC, counts as a legal entry, but may receive a minimum score at the judges' discretion.

Ruling on Generic Classes? It's now tucked away in the OP -

Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt or Generic Classes are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em. Please refrain from using Taint unless it's necessary for the Secret Ingredient.

How is "dungeon" defined for the purposes of the class? Dungeon is defined as any enclosed complex that could be host to an adventure whose primary goal is exploring it.

[Venger]

So this round is... special.

I'm down to clown.

[Deadasadoor]

Well this is certainly an interesting ingredient! Should we include a write-up/map of our dungeon with the character?

[Heliomance]

Well this is certainly an interesting ingredient! Should we include a write-up/map of our dungeon with the character?

Some sort of precis would be good, especially if you're doing something particularly interesting. I'll leave the amount of detail up to you though.

[Venger]

do we have to build our followers?

[Fax Celestis]

Oh yeeeeees. Mwee hee hee.

[Heliomance]

do we have to build our followers?

No, but a general idea of what sort of followers you want is good.

[zyggythorn]

Before I sign up all proper- I would like to know if a prison can fulfill the entry requirements.

[WhamBamSam]

That's a question that might be better posed directly to the chair in a PM, since it sort of falls in the realm of speculation. However, the answer is probably yes.

Anyhow, I'm potentially in. There's some interesting stuff here. I don't know how I feel about dropping the 10 level PrC restriction though.

[Venger]

That's a question that might be better posed directly to the chair in a PM, since it sort of falls in the realm of speculation. However, the answer is probably yes.

Anyhow, I'm potentially in. There's some interesting stuff here. I don't know how I feel about dropping the 10 level PrC restriction though.

personally, I'm for it. the well of 10 lvl prcs is running ever drier, and this would give us more variety.

[Heliomance]

Oh, I'm planning on mostly sticking to 10 level classes still - though, two rounds' time is going to be another experimental one. I've wanted to see Dungeon Lord used for ages though, so now I'm chair again I'm taking advantage! :P

[Heliomance]

*blink*

Um. So. I've had the first entry in already. Surely that's some kind of record?

[Venger]

*blink*

Um. So. I've had the first entry in already. Surely that's some kind of record?

I'll have to check, but I think either tactical soldier or acolyte of the skin had an entry in in about 90 minutes.

perhaps this is something our esteemed archivist has in his notes?

[ranagrande]

It's past the deadline for judging. Who won?

[Venger]

It's past the deadline for judging. Who won?

our chair posted results (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18246821&postcount=214) a few hours ago.

[ranagrande]

No, I meant for this one.

[Amphetryon]

I'll try to compete again this round, health and time permitting.

[OMG PONIES]

I'll have to check, but I think either tactical soldier or acolyte of the skin had an entry in in about 90 minutes.

perhaps this is something our esteemed archivist has in his notes?

I don't know if the esteemed archivist has anything, this unesteemed archivist hasn't been tracking submission time since they're not all posted publicly. I vaguely recall a rash of quick submissions in the Acolyte of the Skin round since folks had been clamoring for it to be selected for a while.

Unrelated, a few things from the OP and FAQ:


Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef LIX.
Think the Roman numerals need some Vpdating :smalltongue:.


Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 09:59 GMT on Sunday, September 28th, 2014 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, Heliomance. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 09:59 GMT on Sunday, October 12th, 2014 to judge the builds and submit their scores. If no judges have scored by that point, only the scores of the first judge to submit will be counted.
As pointed out by ranagrande, this needs to be updated with accurate dates. I'm guessing that we're looking at October 26th for cooking and November 9th for judging?


Iron Chef LI: Black Flame Zealot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312773)
Iron Chef LII: Anointed Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317934)
Iron Chef LIII: Zerth Cenobite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325164)
Iron Chef LIV: Osteomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330890)
Iron Chef LV: Mountebank (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?336373-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LV)
Iron Chef LVI: Dwarven Defender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342807-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVI)
Iron Chef LVII: Darkrunner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?349040-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVII)
Iron Chef LVIII: Spellsword (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?357412-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVIII)
Iron Chef LIX: Fleet Runner of Ehlonna (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?364667-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LIX)
Iron Chef LX: Lasher (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371835-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Can this be updated with a link to the last round?


What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? FOR THIS CONTEST ONLY: Leadership is allowed, however it does not grant a cohort. No other similar ability may be taken. Feats and abilities that enhance your followers MAY be taken.
Does this mean Leadership is in but Undead Leadership is out?

[Heliomance]

Edits made. Times are still AM.



Does this mean Leadership is in but Undead Leadership is out?

Having looked up Undead Leadership, no, you can take that. It still doesn't grant a cohort though.

[Yael]

WOW I LOVE that prestige class (even when I don't consider it that powerful), if possible, I'll compete here :O

[AvatarVecna]

As should be the case, the first thing i thought when looking at the PrC was "dragonwrought kobold cheese time!" Thankfully, I thought of some less likely to get me matching goose eggs in Originality and Elegance.

[Sian]

how would retuning the class (as per adaptation) from being strictly underground dungeon, into being more freely based around a contained lair be taken by the chair, say a castle ruin or a large shipwreck?

[Heliomance]

I will say this:
Dungeon is defined as any enclosed complex that could be host to an adventure whose primary goal is exploring it. FAQs so updated.

[Sian]

Having looked up Undead Leadership, no, you can take that. It still doesn't grant a cohort though.

How would Undead Leadership work with Leadership from the prestige class through? ... simulataniously having both Undead Leadership and Leadership for a metric crapton of followers, or gaining the +4 on Undead Leadership instead?

[Heliomance]

How would Undead Leadership work with Leadership from the prestige class through? ... simulataniously having both Undead Leadership and Leadership for a metric crapton of followers, or gaining the +4 on Undead Leadership instead?

I... have no idea. You know what? For the sake of simplicity, I'll say no to Undead Leadership after all.

Sorry, I misunderstood. If you have Undead Leadership, the capstone gives you a +4 as normal.

[dysprosium]

I'm not sure what I would do with this ingredient.

My work in real life is also preventing me from getting to actively pursue the contests lately. I'll see what I can do.

[Venger]

How would Undead Leadership work with Leadership from the prestige class through? ... simulataniously having both Undead Leadership and Leadership for a metric crapton of followers, or gaining the +4 on Undead Leadership instead?


I... have no idea. You know what? For the sake of simplicity, I'll say no to Undead Leadership after all.

I don't really see where the conflict is here, chair. Am I missing something?

Wouldn't it be simpler to just say that undead leadership doesn't give a cohort?

Then its normal bonus and penalty would apply (+2 for attracting undead followers, -4 for attracting living followers) and then the SI's capstone, since it applies to the root leadership score, would boost it by +4 for the dish to have +6 to attracting undead followers and +0 to attracting living ones.

[Heliomance]

I don't really see where the conflict is here, chair. Am I missing something?

Wouldn't it be simpler to just say that undead leadership doesn't give a cohort?

Then its normal bonus and penalty would apply (+2 for attracting undead followers, -4 for attracting living followers) and then the SI's capstone, since it applies to the root leadership score, would boost it by +4 for the dish to have +6 to attracting undead followers and +0 to attracting living ones.

Yes, that makes sense. The conflict is that I didn't really understand the question and, being AFB, forgot the clause on the capstone about "If you already have Leadership..."

So yes, Venger is absolutely right - if you have Undead Leadership, the SI capstone gives you a +4 to your Leadership score as normal, giving you +6 to attract undead followers, and +0 to attract living ones.

[Sian]

freely admit that i'm sometimes not the best to explain what i mean so no sweat ...

That said, I think i have a workable idea, lets see if it actually pan out working.

You might want to edit the FAQ so Undead Leadership is allowed

[Heliomance]

Huh, I've just noticed that one of the really famous Bad PrCs has never been used. Going to have to do something about that one of these contests...

[Venger]

Huh, I've just noticed that one of the really famous Bad PrCs has never been used. Going to have to do something about that one of these contests...

Oh, dear.

Shining Blade of Heironious? (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/16/Hieronymus_Bosch_056.jpg)

[WhamBamSam]

I actually have the basic idea for a Shining Blade of Heironeous build tucked away for the inevitable day when we get it as an SI.

I still want Slime Lord most though. I have like 5 builds stubbed out for it at this point, and it's going to be a painful choosing just two.

[Venger]

I actually have the basic idea for a Shining Blade of Heironeous build tucked away for the inevitable day when we get it as an SI.

I still want Slime Lord most though. I have like 5 builds stubbed out for it at this point, and it's going to be a painful choosing just two.

I also want slime lord. I want it so bad. I too have zillions of slime lords having low-rent real estate wars with each other, vying for dominance when the time comes for iron chef.

[Sian]

Blighter is the most triumphant failure of a prestige class.

[Venger]

Blighter is the most triumphant failure of a prestige class.

it's no good for iron chef tho, since there's only 2 methods of entry. It has always driven me bonkers how there's no mechanic to swap out druid levels for blighter levels so your horrible spell selection doesn't lag behind so much, like you can do with blackguard and ronin

[Sian]

it's no good for iron chef tho, since there's only 2 methods of entry.

that haven't quite stopped other classes before. Zenth Cenobyte needed Still Mind which is Monk 3 or Archivist 4

[Venger]

that haven't quite stopped other classes before. Zenth Cenobyte needed Still Mind which is Monk 3 or Archivist 4

I know, but that made it a poor ingredient in my mind, which was why I chose not to cook. I like ingredients like this one that offer maximum latitude for entry so our originality scores aren't all in the toilet. case in point: initiate of pistis sophia, which also offered only two ways of entry.

[Heliomance]

What's so bad about Slime Lord? With that paralysis, you could do a hilarious natural attack build, maybe based off Totemist or something.

[Venger]

What's so bad about Slime Lord? With that paralysis, you could do a hilarious natural attack build, maybe based off Totemist or something.

No speculating pls :smalltongue:

disguise makes it super awkward to enter, its rogue chassis is super gross since there's no synergy for an entrant to be a skillmonkey and enter due to its downright strange skill list.

its class features inspire a hearty "meh" and you could maybe kludge together some nat attack stuff if your pseudopods had the decency to be passive instead of a couple times a day.

totemist is a terrible idea though, since your pseudopods don't work as natural attacks. it's a standard to blop with one and a full atk to doubleblop. the damage flat-out sucks too.

[WhamBamSam]

No speculating pls :smalltongue:

disguise makes it super awkward to enter, its rogue chassis is super gross since there's no synergy for an entrant to be a skillmonkey and enter due to its downright strange skill list.

its class features inspire a hearty "meh" and you could maybe kludge together some nat attack stuff if your pseudopods had the decency to be passive instead of a couple times a day.

totemist is a terrible idea though, since your pseudopods don't work as natural attacks. it's a standard to blop with one and a full atk to doubleblop. the damage flat-out sucks too.The Paralytic Slime does work for all your natural attacks, and it's Con based, so Totemist (which my various potential Slime Lord builds may or may not actually use) works fine if you can get around the qualification problem. Also, Alter Self at will is a nice thing.

The Pseudopods are mostly there for morale support. And for [redacted].

I agree that the other abilities don't synergize well out of the box, though Charming Gaze might have a corner case usefulness for convincing you all to forget this speculation ever happened.

[Venger]

The Paralytic Slime does work for all your natural attacks, and it's Con based, so Totemist (which my various potential Slime Lord builds may or may not actually use) works fine if you can get around the qualification problem. Also, Alter Self at will is a nice thing.

The Pseudopods are mostly there for morale support. And for [redacted].

I agree that the other abilities don't synergize well out of the box, though Charming Gaze might have a corner case usefulness for convincing you all to forget this speculation ever happened.

I see now that the paralytic slime ability never actually says it only applies to pseudopods and actually says it applies to all your nat atks. that first line is just fluff then.

yeah, think the cat's a bit out of the bag there.

[Fax Celestis]

Aaaaaaand entered.

[The Viscount]

This gives me a chance to use an idea I've had knocking around, so I'm in.

[Deadline]

Blighter is the most triumphant failure of a prestige class.

I think I used it reasonably well in the Thrall of Orcus round on Dr. Dellamorte. That said, yeah, it's pretty awful.

I'm not a fan of jumping into a 5-level SI (isn't that what we are using for the various spin-off competitions? Why step on their toes?).

[Heliomance]

I think I used it reasonably well in the Thrall of Orcus round on Dr. Dellamorte. That said, yeah, it's pretty awful.

I'm not a fan of jumping into a 5-level SI (isn't that what we are using for the various spin-off competitions? Why step on their toes?).

It's not going to be a regular thing. I'm just very fond of Dungeon Lord and wanted to see it used.

[Deadline]

It's not going to be a regular thing. I'm just very fond of Dungeon Lord and wanted to see it used.

I get really liking the PrC, it just seems like we already have a venue for non 10-level PrC's, and this just steps all over that. But it's good to know it won't be a regular thing. Will you be submitting a build in this round?

[Silva Stormrage]

Is thrallherd allowed with leadership allowed? (No cohort obviously)

And are we supposed to stat out the followers as well? Should we stat out a dungeon as well?

[Heliomance]

Is thrallherd allowed with leadership allowed? (No cohort obviously)

And are we supposed to stat out the followers as well? Should we stat out a dungeon as well?

I'm going to say Thrallherd is allowed, but as it explicitly doesn't work with Leadership - Thrallherds with the Leadership feat lose all benefit from it - I'm not sure why you'd want it. Dungeon Lord's capstone does not grant +4 to your Thrallherd score.

Statting out followers and dungeon is not required, but a broad strokes overview is recommended - what sort of followers would you like, what flavour is your dungeon, are you doing anything special with it, that sort of thing. Of course, if anyone wants to go to the effort of statting out everything, I'm not stopping you.


I get really liking the PrC, it just seems like we already have a venue for non 10-level PrC's, and this just steps all over that. But it's good to know it won't be a regular thing. Will you be submitting a build in this round?

The various spinoffs all have their own gimmicks, I don't think this really steps on it. And no, unless inspiration suddenly strikes, I probably won't enter a build this time. I don't have any particularly special ideas.

[ranagrande]

Would we be using the Leadership rules from Power of Faerun?

[Heliomance]

Would we be using the Leadership rules from Power of Faerun?

Which rules are they? I was sort of assuming the Leadership rules from the PHB/DMG...

[Venger]

Which rules are they? I was sort of assuming the Leadership rules from the PHB/DMG...

They are the same, but they involve making a ton of checks to do stuff like attract followers and there are dozens of modifiers for stuff that affects your score.

I'm not really sure why we would? I'm pretty sure primary trumps secondary would activate, so we'd default to the SRD as per normal when there's a discrepancy.

[ranagrande]

The big thing is that in Power of Faerun it differentiates between Base Leadership Score and Effective Leadership Score, where Base is level + charisma modifier and Effective includes any other modifiers. Then it says that only the Base Leadership score is capped at 25 as per the DMG and that the Effective score can go higher, allowing epic numbers of followers without Epic Leadership.

[Troacctid]

I think that sounds like something to put in your "adaptations" section if it ends up being relevant.

[RFLS]

We message the builds to the chairman, correct?

Edit: Nevermind, stupid question.

[Zipding]

I'm returning to the Optimization Challenge, and I think I actually have an idea that could work.

I'm in.

[Gemini476]

The big thing is that in Power of Faerun it differentiates between Base Leadership Score and Effective Leadership Score, where Base is level + charisma modifier and Effective includes any other modifiers. Then it says that only the Base Leadership score is capped at 25 as per the DMG and that the Effective score can go higher, allowing epic numbers of followers without Epic Leadership.

Power of Faerun actually reprints Epic Leadership and specifically calls out the uncapped leadership scores as being a variant that they use in the book - presumably because you don't get particularly large armies from Leadership itself or something along those lines.

I'd recommend you to just list it in the adaptions section, and assume that that isn't the case for your build proper.

[Zipding]

Heliomance, I can't submit my build because your PM inbox is full. Is there another way to submit the build in the interim?

On an unrelated note, I'm looking forward to seeing the variety in all the builds.

[TheG]

Sorry guys, first time here "cooking", just a question: items are banned/bad taste/low elegance in this competition?

[Venger]

Sorry guys, first time here "cooking", just a question: items are banned/bad taste/low elegance in this competition?

no problem. it's how we learn:

you aren't expected to provide an exhaustive list of everything your guy is wearing, but it isn't assumed your character has to go naked. it's understood that unless you're VoP, you'll have some Necessary Magic Items.

when elegance penalties come in is where basically all your dish's tricks come from equipment and not from actual class levels, since if they're item dependent, they're really something anyone could do.

I find a good compromise is if something will enhance your dish (e.g. your character has a very high coolness score and the bracers of cool offer +x to your coolness score) then go ahead and mention it, but think twice if that's basically all your dish seems to do.

the only items that are banned are item familiars, which fall under variant rules and are called out in the OP.

[Troacctid]

Items are usually not included unless they are very important to the build. It's assumed that all characters have generic good items appropriate to their wealth by level. If a build relies heavily on items to function, it usually earns a penalty, unless it's like an Artificer or Spinemeld Warrior or something and can get them with class features.

I believe the intent of this is to make it easier to cook, as item selection takes a long time on a 20-level build and is probably the least interesting part.

[Venger]

Items are usually not included unless they are very important to the build. It's assumed that all characters have generic good items appropriate to their wealth by level. If a build relies heavily on items to function, it usually earns a penalty, unless it's like an Artificer or Spinemeld Warrior or something and can get them with class features.

I believe the intent of this is to make it easier to cook, as item selection takes a long time on a 20-level build and is probably the least interesting part.

^this pretty much.

item selection in iron chef has sort of a fascinating history, as you'll look back at the oldest rounds. as time wore on, it became more formally recognized to not list all the items your dish had, because it made it really hard to evaluate baseline ability sometimes, since if someone had a +5 inherent ability book, a +6 enhancement ability item, and other stuff, and it wasn't properly noted, it became difficult to figure out how much of their mojo was coming from class levels proper. plus, gear is something anyone can buy, so it's not something unique to your dish in most scenarios.

[Zipding]

There's only one instance where I've had to specify my items, and that's because the character needed a Ring of Freedom of Movement because they lived in a river (this was for Scion of Tem-Et-Nu).

I still like Khefra the best out of my builds. Tiesa was just bad, and Domovoi was lacking in backstory and a better build. He worked better with Dervish than Shadowdancer.

[Venger]

There's only one instance where I've had to specify my items, and that's because the character needed a Ring of Freedom of Movement because they lived in a river (this was for Scion of Tem-Et-Nu).

I still like Khefra the best out of my builds. Tiesa was just bad, and Domovoi was lacking in backstory and a better build. He worked better with Dervish than Shadowdancer.

the only instance where I recall mentioning one specific item was with monty took back in mindbender. he was based on getting bottomless luck rerolls, so I mentioned tossing on a pair of bands of fortune to give him some more options with his luck pool. not 100% necessary to make him work, just something to give him a few more options.

[Zipding]

It's been so long since I was involved with these competitions (about 2 years). I want to submit a build every once in a while now, it gives me something to relax with when my schoolwork starts going insane. Hooray for midterms.

[The Viscount]

To answer the above question, this is an acceptable way of doing so (provided you clip the end). Usually in builds with this there is simply 1HD per level in the rows. Also I would recommend you edit your post to protect your anonymity.

[Heliomance]

Apologies to those trying to send me PMs, I forgot how fast your inbox fills up when chairing these things! I now have space, so message away!

[Zipding]

And submitted.

How's everyone's builds coming along? I want it to be next week already so I can see what there is.

[Venger]

I submitted mine. did you receive them, chair?

mine're done. I'm excited. I have some ideas about what we'll see. can't wait to see how close I am.

[RFLS]

Aaaaand submitted. Phew. That was nerve wracking.

[Heliomance]

All received fine. Why nerve wracking, RFLS?

[Zipding]

All received fine. Why nerve wracking, RFLS?

I guess it was just from not knowing what other people created. I'm nervous as well because I'm not sure how mine will be received even though I like it quite a bit.

[Deadline]

I'm tentatively in to judge this round.

[TheG]

Thx for the tips on the use of items! Last question: Followers from Leadership and other kind minions could be designed with Character classes/Prestige classes or only with NPC classes (Adept Aristocrat Commoner Expert Warrior) ?

[Gemini476]

Thx for the tips on the use of items! Last question: Followers from Leadership and other kind minions could be designed with Character classes/Prestige classes or only with NPC classes (Adept Aristocrat Commoner Expert Warrior) ?


do we have to build our followers?


No, but a general idea of what sort of followers you want is good.

Personally I'd suggest keeping the followers pretty vague. Especially since you can easily get a rather ludicrous amount of them.
The judges aren't necessarily interested in reading through your fifty minibuilds in addition to your big one.

[RFLS]

All received fine. Why nerve wracking, RFLS?

This is my first Iron Chef. I have no idea how it'll stand up to judging.

[Venger]

This is my first Iron Chef. I have no idea how it'll stand up to judging.

we've had first-timers place before.

[Tragak]

It's my first time too! I just submitted my idea today. :smallbiggrin:

[Amphetryon]

we've had first-timers place before.

A first-timer even won Iron Chef I.

[Tragak]

A first-timer even won Iron Chef I. :smallcool:

[Zipding]

This is my third competition. Maybe I'll do decent, although with Fax Celestis and Amph competing, that's going to be difficult.

[Amphetryon]

This is my third competition. Maybe I'll do decent, although with Fax Celestis and Amph competing, that's going to be difficult.

Meh. I've come in first, last, and everywhere in between. My participation is far from a certain run at the gold. You've got good odds.

[Fax Celestis]

This is my third competition. Maybe I'll do decent, although with Fax Celestis and Amph competing, that's going to be difficult.

I've never placed higher than fourth. I dunno why you're worried about me.

[Zipding]

I've never placed higher than fourth. I dunno why you're worried about me.

It's the amount of work you've put into homebrewing 3.5 that has me worried. No hard feelings though, it's a lot of great work. It shows that you have a lot of knowledge of the system.

[Fax Celestis]

It's the amount of work you've put into homebrewing 3.5 that has me worried. No hard feelings though, it's a lot of great work. It shows that you have a lot of knowledge of the system.

I like to think so. Working on getting published now.

[TheG]

Build submitted to Heliomance!!

[Deadasadoor]

Submitted. I really need to work on my efficiency for formatting these things :smallannoyed:.

[Venger]

Submitted. I really need to work on my efficiency for formatting these things :smallannoyed:.

While I'm not crazy about how the new table displays sometimes when an entry's too wide, the new table is a lot easier to fill out.

[Zipding]

If my count is correct, we have 8 submitted builds now. That's not too bad considering what's required to get into the class.

[Troacctid]

The requirements aren't actually that steep. Any class can get +5 BAB and a spell-like or supernatural ability.

[Fax Celestis]

Gnome Fighter 5 waltzes right in. I doubt very highly anyone will use that though.

[WhamBamSam]

It fails on the typing prereq. Also, easy on the speculation.

[Fax Celestis]

It fails on the typing prereq. Also, easy on the speculation.

Oh, true. But there's ways to fix that.

[Gemini476]

I can think of some ways to get in as a Commoner 10 without racial spell-like abilities or feats.

This is a pretty easy ingredient to qualify for - the issue is actually utilizing the class features without overshadowing it. Which I'm finding pretty hard to do.

[TheG]

Rebuilding rules are permitted? Rebuild 1 level for new level gained??

[Venger]

Rebuilding rules are permitted? Rebuild 1 level for new level gained??


Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. Bloodlines and the Retraining options presented in the PHB2 are ripe for abuse, and will be strongly discouraged as long as I am Chairman.

No retraining.

[Biotroll]

Aaand, build is sent. I just hope people will enjoy it as I had to rush it. :/ I can't wait to see the reveal, I want to know if someone had the same idea.

[The Viscount]

I know that feeling. There's all sorts of ideas I discarded because they seemed too obvious. It feels good to do a proper build after the last rounds off.

[Zipding]

I want to know what kind of stories people come up with.

This SI gives a lot of opportunity for creative backstories and characters.

[RFLS]

I can't wait to see all the builds - lots of ways to go. This should be a really fun contest.

How many builds submitted?

[Zipding]

I can't wait to see all the builds - lots of ways to go. This should be a really fun contest.

How many builds submitted?

If my count's correct, we have nine builds submitted, mine included.

[WhamBamSam]

If my count's correct, we have nine builds submitted, mine included.At least 10. I sent one in the other day as well.

[Heliomance]

And that's time! Sorry to people who sent me questions, I've had a long week - involving a car crash - and haven't been checking my inbox. There are a lot of builds coming though, so stay tuned!

[Heliomance]

Shadowlands...




The King in the Mountain

Fluff

There once was a mountain
That sat over...there.
It leaked smoke and shadows
Like an old child's nightmare.

Deep in the rock
That spewed out the dark,
Dwelled a fairy king
That killed for a lark.

It made men of shadows
And hatred and cold
And sent them to butcher
The great kingdoms of old.

As death did spread
And emit from that rock
Even the old knights
Would jeer and mock!

"You'd have to be be brain-dead!
Or just gone in the head!
To go and assault that rock!"

Those who were brave enough,
To enter that rock,
When they saw The King's palace,
Were in for a shock.

The king was no fool
to be killed with ease,
And he had shaped that rock's innards
To look like a forest! With lakes! And trees!

But alluring as it was,
This forest in the dark,
It was as trapped as any dungeon
And again, would intruders for a lark.

The lakes were poisoned,
The animals were insane,
The fey-like guardians were murderous,
And the king fed on hate and pain.

Eventually a plea was made,
To an angel up on high!
And they polished their armor and sharpened their blade,
Three days later, the angel would die.

At last the king's glee was blunted
"Bored of the death...", he supposedly said!
So he and his mountain did shuffle away
Leaving bloodied fields of red.

So heed this warning, dear one,
Or you'll be dead and your lands undone
If you see the mountain approaching,
For gods sake, don't stare.
Just run.


Stats
CE Male Shaedling LA 3/HD 4/Duskblade 3/Earth Dreamer 5/Dungeon Lord 5
Before Racial Stat Boosts: Str 8, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 10
After Racial Stat Boosts: Str 8, Dex 23, Con 22, Int 14, Wis 14, Cha 10
First Stat Boost due to HD/Levels goes to Dex, rest goes to Con.
Build

Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Skills Feats Class Features 1st Shaedling LA - - - - - - - 2nd Shaedling LA - - - - - - - 3rd Shaedling LA - - - - - - - 4th Shaedling HD +0 +0 +2 +2 Bluff +4, Craft (weaponsmithing) +4, Escape Artist +4, Hide +4, Intimidate +4, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Spot +4 Education Shaedling Racial Abilities 5th Shaedling HD +1 +0 +3 +3 Bluff +5, Craft (weaponsmithing) +5, Escape Artist +5, Hide +5, Intimidate +5, Listen +5, Move Silently +5, Spot +5 - 6th Shaedling HD +1 +1 +3 +3 Bluff +6, Craft (weaponsmithing) +6, Escape Artist +6, Hide +6, Intimidate +6, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6 Earth Sense - 7th Shaedling HD +2 +1 +4 +4 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spot +7 - 8th Duskblade 1 +3 +3 +4 +6 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 4, Spot +7 Arcane attunement, armored mage (light), Spellcasting 9th Duskblade 2 +4 +4 +4 +7 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 8, Spot +7 Combat Casting, Leadership Bonus Feat 10th Duskblade 3 +5 +4 +5 +7 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Nature) 5 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 2 Ranks Arcane Channeling 11th Earth Dreamer 1 +5 +6 +5 +9 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 4 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 2 Ranks Earth Friend 12th Earth Dreamer 2 +6 +7 +5 +10 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 8 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 2 Ranks Weapon Finesse Earth Dream 13th Earth Dreamer 3 +6 +7 +6 +10 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 12 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 2 Ranks Lesser Tremorsense 14th Earth Dreamer 4 +7 +8 +6 +11 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 14 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 3 Ranks Earth Sight 15th Earth Dreamer 5 +7 +8 +6 +12 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +7, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 4.5 Ranks Practiced Spellcaster (Duskblade) Earth Glide 16th Dungeon Lord 1 +7 +8 +8 +14 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +11, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 4.5 Ranks Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1 17th Dungeon Lord 2 +8 +8 +9 +15 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +15, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 4.5 Ranks Dungeon Step 18th Dungeon Lord 3 +9 +9 +9 +15 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 5 Ranks Skill Focus (Use Magic Device) Complete awareness, dungeon minions 19th Dungeon Lord 4 +10 +9 +10 +16 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +18, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 7 Ranks Animate Objects 20th Dungeon Lord 5 +10 +9 +10 +16 Bluff +7, Craft (weaponsmithing) +7, Escape Artist +7, Hide +7, Intimidate +20, Knowledge (Dungoneering) 15 Ranks, Listen +7, Move Silently +7, Spellcraft 10, Spot +7, Use Magic Device 8 Ranks Dungeon defender, horde lord +2, Leadership

Spells per Day


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


8th
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
4
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
5
4
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
6
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
6
5
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
6
6
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
6
6
5
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th and onwards
6
7
6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Spells Known:
0th: Acid Splash, Disrupt Undead, Ray of Frost, Touch of Fatigue
1st: Blade of Blood, Burning Hands, Chill Touch, Shocking Grasp, True Strike
2nd: Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Ghoul Touch, Touch of Idiocy


Level Breakdown
Er.....yeah. The cool thing about The King in the Mountain is that he gets his wonky/broken/amusing/etc. Shadow Gossamer ability from the get-go. Also, I'm taking a very liberal reading of said ability, if you hadn't already guessed. What it does mean is that I can't point to a direct "Look, this is where it gets good!", so this level breakdown is going to be a bit more informal than the usual fare.
ECL 7 - 10: The King in the Mountain is just a Shaedling who's good at hitting things, casting spells and making artifacts as a swift action. Duskblade is taken to qualify for Earth Dreamer, gain a bevy of proficiencies to make using all the items it'll weave easier to use, and because gishes are cool. When Leadership it taken, all the followers are Elf Warlocks and Sorcerers of varyling levels. The upper classes are made up of artificers (to make traps and poisons to repel intruders) and Earth Dreamers (to move about the mountain like their King).
ECL 11 - 15: Earth Dreamer was chosen because, even with the pockets of forest, most of the mountain is...mountain.
Earth Dreamer lets The King take advantage of this fact, and by the end of the class move about his mountain freely and continuously.
ECL 16 - 20: Dungeon Lord marks the point when the King in the Mountain takes his job "seriously". The King has lived in his mountain long enough to know every nook, every cranny, every artificial glade full of murderous fey and warlocks. He knows his mountain. He sees his mountain. He is his mountain.
Sources

The Core Three (DMG, MM, PHB)
Player's Handbook II
Monster Manual V
Races of Stone
Complete Arcane
Eberron Campaign Setting

[Heliomance]

Troubleshooters. They find trouble, and they shoot it.



Eyes-Of-Night
Killoren Planar Ferocity Barbarian 3/Hit-and-Run Fighter 1/Jaunter 4/Dungeon Lord 5/Telflammar Shadowlord 6
Str 10/Dex 18/Con 12/Int 14/Wis 10/Cha 10

http://leonelcaldela.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/elf1.jpg



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Ferocity (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) Barbarian 1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Intimidate +4, Jump +4, Knowledge (The Planes) +2, Listen +4, Survival +4, Swim +4
Expeditious Dodge
Ferocity (1/d), Illiteracy, Fast Movement (+10')


2nd
Ferocity Barbarian 2
+2
+3
+0
+0
Intimidate +5, Jump +5, Knowledge (The Planes) +2.5, Listen +5, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Uncanny Dodge


3rd
Planar1 Ferocity Barbarian 3
+3
+3
+1
+1
Intimidate +6, Jump +6, Knowledge (The Planes) +6, Listen +6, Survival +5, Swim +5
Mobility
Portal Sense


4th
Hit-And-Run2 Fighter 1
+4
+5
+1
+1
Intimidate +7, Jump +7, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Survival +5, Swim +5
Spring Attack
Lose (Medium, Heavy armor proficiency), +2 Initiative, Dex-to-damage vs. Flat-Footed Opponents, Shadow Walker Template, Light Blindness, Darkvision, Spell-Like Abilities


5th
Jaunter3 1
+4
+5
+3
+1
Hide +3, Intimidate +7, Jump +7, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +3, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Travel Power, Benign Transposition


6th
Jaunter 2
+5
+5
+4
+1
Hide +6, Intimidate +7, Jump +7, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Survival +5, Swim +5
Blind-Fight
Baleful Transposition, Fast Movement (+10')


7th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+5
+6
+3
Hide +8, Intimidate +7, Jump +7, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +8, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Dungeon Mastery, Horde Lord +1


8th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6
+5
+7
+4
Hide +10, Intimidate +7, Jump +7, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +10, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Dungeon Step


9th
Swordsage 1
+6
+5
+9
+6
Hide +12, Intimidate +7, Jump +11, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +12, Survival +5, Swim +5
Leadership
Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Shadow Hand), Maneuvers


10th
Telflammar Shadowlord4 1
+6
+5
+11
+6
Hide +13, Intimidate +7, Jump +11, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +10, Move Silently +13, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Shadowsight, Shadow Jump


11th
Telflammar Shadowlord 2
+7
+5
+12
+6
Hide +14, Intimidate +7, Jump +11, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +14, Move Silently +14, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Shadow Blur


12th
Telflammar Shadowlord 3
+8
+6
+12
+7
Hide +15, Intimidate +7, Jump +14, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +15, Move Silently +15, Survival +5, Swim +5
Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Baleful Transposition)
Shadow Walk


13th
Telflammar Shadowlord 4
+9
+6
+13
+7
Hide +16, Intimidate +7, Jump +16, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +16, Move Silently +16, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Shadow Pounce


14th
Dungeon Lord 3
+10
+7
+13
+7
Hide +17, Intimidate +7, Jump +17, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +17, Move Silently +17, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


15th
Dungeon Lord 4
+11
+7
+14
+8
Hide +18, Intimidate +7, Jump +18, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +18, Move Silently +18, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +5
Darkstalker
Animate Objects


16th
Dungeon Lord 5
+11
+7
+14
+8
Hide +19, Intimidate +7, Jump +19, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +19, Move Silently +19, Spot +1, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Dungeon Defender, Horde Lord +2, Leadership (+4)


17th
Jaunter 3
+12
+8
+14
+9
Hide +20, Intimidate +7, Jump +19, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +20, Move Silently +20, Spot +4, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Dimension Door, Teleport


18th
Jaunter 4
+12
+8
+15
+9
Hide +21, Intimidate +7, Jump +19, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +21, Move Silently +21, Spot +7, Survival +5, Swim +5
Quicken Spell-Like Ability (Dimension Door)
Freedom of Movement, Plane Shift


19th
Telflammar Shadowlord 5
+13
+8
+15
+9
Hide +22, Intimidate +7, Jump +22, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +22, Move Silently +22, Spot +7, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Shadow Discorporation


20th
Telflammar Shadowlord 6
+13
+9
+16
+10
Hide +23, Intimidate +7, Jump +23, Knowledge (The Planes) +7, Listen +23, Move Silently +23, Spot +9, Survival +5, Swim +5
-
Death Attack


1Planar Handbook Substitution Level
2Drow of the Underdark alternate class feature
3Expedition to the Demonweb Pits prestige class
4Unapproachable East prestige class

Spells per Day and Other Features


Level
1st
2nd
3rd
Maneuvers Known
Maneuvers Readied
Shadow Walker SLAs
Travel Power Charges
Leadership Score1


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
3/day - shadow mask; 1/day - dimension door
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
3/day - darkness, shadow mask; 1/day - dimension door
6
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
3/day - darkness, shadow mask; 1/day - dimension door
7
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
3/day - darkness, shadow mask; 2/day - dimension door
7
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
3/day - darkness, shadow mask; 2/day - dimension door
8
-


9th
-
-
-
Cloak of Deception, Distracting Ember, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Shadow Blade Technique, Shadow Jaunt, Sudden Leap, Assassin's Stance
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door
8
11


10th
invisibility
-
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door
8
12


11th
invisibility x2
-
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door; 1/day - shadow walk
8
13


12th
invisibility x2
haste
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door; 1/day - shadow walk
8
14


13th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door, displacement; 1/day - shadow walk
8
15


14th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - dimension door, displacement; 1/day - shadow walk
8
16


15th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - shadow walk
8
17


16th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - shadow walk
9
22


17th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - Evard's black tentacles, shadow walk
10
23


18th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - Evard's black tentacles, shadow walk
11
24


19th
invisibility x3
haste, nondetection
-
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray, shadow walk; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - Evard's black tentacles, shadow walk
11
25


20th
invisibility x3
greater invisibility, haste, nondetection
mislead
-
4
3/day - darkness, dimension door, shadow mask, shadow spray, shadow walk; 2/day - displacement; 1/day - Evard's black tentacles, shadow walk
11
26


1Includes +2 bonus for owning a stronghold

4th Level: Eyes-of-Night is, at this level, primarily a combatant who attempts to catch enemies off-guard. She makes use of ranged weapons, though her primary focus is melee combat. For most of the time, Eyes-of-Night remains in the Aspect of the Hunter. She works primarily for the Church of Mask as a "problem-solver", though she has risen quickly through the ranks for her unique capabilities and has been earmarked to be eligible for the Ritual of Shadow Walking.

8th level: Eyes-of-Night has received the Ritual of Shadow Walking and started to come into her superior mobility powers. She has been tasked with guarding a Temple of Mask in a highly contested area, and as a result she has made herself impeccably familiar with the extensive temple grounds. Her familiarity extends itself to the ability to move through it without seeing at no penalty and to open doors and secret passages--as the temple has many--with but a thought. The ritual has not only allowed Eyes-of-Night some of the standard benefits of the ritual, but has also conferred upon her the ability to switch places with others up to six times per day, to transport anywhere within a short distance three times per day, and to transport nigh-instantaneously anywhere within the temple grounds twice per day. Eyes-of-Night has no issue seeing in natural darkness, as all true believers of Mask should, and as such keeps the temple in pitch blackness at all times. She has begun attracting attention, but has not started gathering her own followers yet.

13th level: Eyes-of-Night, through practice with her ability to teleport about, has learned to perform a rapid succession of attacks after teleporting, and also learned how to quicken a few of her teleportative abilities. Her Ritual of Shadow Walking has evolved and matured over time: Eyes-of-Night now can see even in magical darkness without issue, and has gone so far as to pay out of pocket and through the temple's funds to have deeper darkness permanencied throughout the temple. This darkness comes with a fringe blessing for her: while she is within it, she is considered blurred, and can teleport from shadow to shadow a maximum of 120' per day. She can now teleport practically at will with Shadow Jaunt, but also may use baleful transposition as a swift action up to three times per day: she couples all of her teleportation abilities to unleash a rapid succession of attacks from unexpected angles and with surprise, including using her Dungeon Step ability to transport anywhere in the dungeon instantaneously and unleash a flurry of attacks upon arrival. Eyes-of-Night has a small set of acolytes under her command that administrate the temple. Some of them are combat-capable, but for the most part they are better suited to menial tasks than actual defensive action. Still, if pressed, they take heart from Eyes-of-Night's very presence.

16th level: Eyes-of-Night has come into her own at this point, attracting multitudes of followers from all across the world to serve in the Temple of Mask. Both she and her followers know the ins and outs of the temple impeccably, and are capable of opening and closing secret passages with but a thought. Her acute awareness of the temple grounds allows her to remotely view areas of the temple and to be wholly aware whenever anyone enters the temple grounds. She often makes use of her clairvoyant powers to view incoming trespassers, then uses Dungeon Step coupled with quickened baleful transposition to dispatch would-be thieves and ransackers quickly. Her adaptation to the Ritual of Shadow Walking has afforded her the ability to be nearly invisible to sensory perception when she so desires.

20th level: Eyes-of-Night, nearly a demigod at this stage, is a very difficult opponent to pin down. She has a multitude of teleportation abilities (Dungeon Step, dimension door from multiple sources, which she can now quicken, teleport, plane shift, Shadow Jump, and Shadow Jaunt (among others)), and if she is slain within the temple's darkness, she has a chance to instead discorporate, melding into the darkness, and reforming, unharmed, at the next sunset.

Suggested equipment: Aside from standby items (of which gloves of dexterity, a circlet of intellect, and manuals of dexterity and tomes of clear thought would be most immediately useful), Eyes-of-Night can make good use of a ring of counterspells, charged against dimensional anchor. An anklet of translocation would provide her yet another means of nonstandard transportation. Items that augment or amplify her limited sneak attack abilities might be worthwhile, but for the most part she shouldn't need them. A blindfold of true darkness would mitigate her light blindness drawback. Items that augment her leadership score or grant her access to new maneuvers would also be welcome.

As a villain: Eyes-of-Night works best when used as a hit-and-run, skirmisher-type villain as early as 7th level, especially when given several subordinates with similar capabilities. 13th level is a big boost in power for Eyes-of-Night, as she gains the ability to make multiple full-attacks per turn. If she does so as part of a surprise round, all of her attacks are sneak attacks (as she is in Assassin's Stance at all times) and she adds her Dexterity modifier to each attack's damage.

Eyes-of-Night's Expeditious Dodge feat, due to how it is worded, activates when she teleports further than 40', so if she uses any of her longer-range teleportation abilities she gains a bonus to her Armor Class in addition to other benefits.

In a dangerous situation, Eyes-of-Night may teleport in with Dungeon Step or dimension door, full attack, and then use quickened dimension door or quickened baleful teleport to escape. At higher levels, she can use shadow walk offensively, though her poor save DCs for it will likely not make it successful. Eyes-of-Night also can use her baleful teleport ability in conjunction with her Dungeon Mastery ability: she begins her turn on the trigger for a trap, but does not trip it due to Dungeon Mastery, then uses baleful teleport to switch spaces with her opponent, who would then trigger the trap.

Eyes-of-Night should make liberal use of her teleportation abilities to retreat to safety and recoup before attacking anew. She, and her minions, should engage in a war of attrition on the PCs rather than a stand-up fight. Her minions should be similarly built: levels in jaunter, swordsage, and telflammar shadowlord, or given the shadow-walker or phantom templates are probably best for these purposes. Corrupted blink dogs, phase spiders, barghests, and creatures with spellcasting that includes teleportation are also likely inhabitants for the Temple of Mask.

[Heliomance]

Better the devil you know?


Ariyne, Duchess of the Blood Keep
LE Dwarven Half-Fiend Binder 5/Warblade 3/Dungeon Lord 5/Jaunter 3

The Crunch:

Class Progression:



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Half-Fiend Level Adjustment
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A


2nd
Half-Fiend Level Adjustment
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A


3rd
Half-Fiend Level Adjustment
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A


4th
Half-Fiend Level Adjustment
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A


5th
Binder 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Concentration +4, Knowledge (the planes) +4, Knowledge (religion) +4, Knowledge (arcana)+4, Knowledge (history) +4, Bluff +4
Dodge
Soul Binding (1 Vestige)


6th
Binder 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Concentration +5, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (history) +5, Bluff +5
N/A
Suppress Sign, Pact Augmentation (1 Ability)


7th
Warblade 1
+2
+3
+1
+4
Concentration +6, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (history) +5, Bluff +5, Jump +4, Tumble +3
Mobility
Battle Clarity (reflex saves), Weapon Aptitude


8th
Warblade 2
+3
+4
+1
+4
Concentration +7, Knowledge (the planes) +5, Knowledge (religion) +5, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (history) +6, Bluff +5, Jump +7, Tumble +7
N/A
Uncanny Dodge


9th
Binder 3
+4
+4
+2
+4
Concentration +8, Knowledge (the planes) +6, Knowledge (religion) +6, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +6, Jump +7, Tumble +7
N/A
N/A


10th
Binder 4
+5
+5
+2
+5
Concentration +9, Knowledge (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +7, Tumble +7
Improved Binding, Spring Attack
N/A


11th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+5
+4
+7
Concentration +9, Knowledge (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +10, Tumble +7, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +4
N/A
Dungeon Mastery, Horde Lord +1


12th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6
+5
+5
+8
Concentration +9, Knowledge (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +11, Tumble +7, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +10
N/A
Dungeon Step


13th
Dungeon Lord 3
+7
+6
+5
+8
Concentration +12, Knowledge (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +12, Tumble +8, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +12
Adaptive Style
Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


14th
Dungeon Lord 4
+8
+6
+6
+9
Concentration +13, Knowledge (the planes) +8, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +13, Tumble +12, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +13
N/A
Animate Objects


15th
Dungeon Lord 5
+8
+6
+6
+9
Concentration +14, Knowledge (the planes) +10, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +8, Bluff +7, Jump +14, Tumble +14, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14
Leadership
Dungeon Defender, Horde Lord +2


16th
Warblade 3
+9
+7
+7
+10
Concentration +15, Knowledge (the planes) +10, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +14, Bluff +7, Jump +15, Tumble +15, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14
Vital Recovery
Battle Ardor (Critical Confirmation)


17th
Jaunter 1
+9
+7
+9
+10
Concentration +16, Knowledge (the planes) +16, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +14, Bluff +7, Jump +16, Tumble +16, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14
N/A
Travel Power (5/day), Benign Transportation


18th
Jaunter 2
+10
+7
+10
+10
Concentration +17, Knowledge (the planes) +17, Knowledge (religion)+7, Knowledge (arcana)+7, Knowledge (history) +14, Bluff +7, Jump +16, Tumble +17, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14, Balance +5
N/A
Baleful Transportation, Fast Movement


19th
Jaunter 3
+11
+8
+10
+11
Concentration +18, Knowledge (the planes) +18, Knowledge (religion) +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (history) +14, Bluff +7, Jump +16, Tumble +18, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14, Balance +10
Improved Flight
Dimension Door, Teleport


20th
Binder 5
+11
+8
+10
+11
Concentration +19, Knowledge (the planes) +19, Knowledge (religion) +8, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (history) +15, Bluff +9, Jump +16, Tumble +18, Knowledge (architecture and engineering) +14, Balance +10
N/A
Pact Augmentation (2 Abilities)




Ability Scores:

Initial Ability Scores (Before any modifiers)
Str: 14 Dex: 14 Con: 14 Int: 15 Wis: 8 Cha: 14
After Dwarven Racial Modifiers:
Str: 14 Dex: 14 Con: 16 Int: 15 Wis: 8 Cha: 12
After Half-Fiend Modifiers:
Str: 18 Dex: 18 Con: 18 Int: 19 Wis: 8 Cha: 14
Ability Score Increases by level:
Level 4: Int +1, Level 8: Str +1, Level 12: Str +1, Level 16, Con +1

Half-Fiend Abilities:

Spell-Like Abilities Caster Level=HD, Save DC is Cha based :
The list is inclusive, so at 3 HD, Ariyne has Desecrate and Darkness 3/day.
HD 1-2: Darkness 3/day
HD 3-4:Desecrate
HD 5-6:Unholy Blight
HD 7-8: Poison 3/day
HD 9-10: Contagion
HD 11-12: Blasphemy
HD 13-14: Unholy Aura 3/day, Unhallow
HD 15-16: Horrid Wilting

Other abilities granted by Half-Fiend:
Smite Good 1/day
Darkvision 60ft
Resistance to Fire 10, Cold 10, Acid 10, and Electric 10
Damage Reduction 5/magic (10/magic when HD is greater than 10)
Natural Bite and Claw attacks (Bite deals 1d6, Claw 1d4), Natural attacks count as magical
Spell Resistance equal to 10+HD.

Vestiges, Maneuvers, and Stances:

Vestiges Bound:
ECL 5-8: Aym
ECL 9: Malphas
ECL 10-19: Paimon
ECL 20: Tenebrous

Maneuvers:
Warblade 1:Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Emerald Razor, Claw at the Moon
Warblade 2: Leading the Attack
Warblade 3: Ruby Nightmare Blade

Stance: Bolstering Voice

Equipment

Loosely based off of WBL:
ECL 5:
+1 Longspear, +1 Studded Leather Armour, Ring of Protection +1, Heward's Handy Haversack

ECL 10:
+3 Mithril Breastplate, +3 Greatsword, Ring of Protection +2, Headband of Intellect +2, Cloak of Resistance +2, Gauntlets of Ogre Power

ECL 15:
+6 Mithril Breastplate, +5 Greatsword, Headband of Intellect +4, Belt of Giant Strength +4, Cloak of Resistance +4, Ring of Protection +4, Gloves of Dexterity +4

ECL 20:
+10 Mithril Breastplate, +4 Animated Heavy Steel Shield, +8 Greatsword, Headband of Intellect +6, Belt of Giant Strength +6, Gloves of Dexterity +6, Cloak of Resistance +5, Ring of Protection +5, Manual of Gainful Exercise +5, Manual of Quickness in Action +5



The Strats:

ECL 5:

At this point, Ariyne is at her weakest, only having 1 character level and access to the worst equipment that she will have. The primary focus towards her abilities is defence at this point. By binding Aym to herself, she can benefit from the Halo of Flame to protect her from melee damage and she can attempt to destroy her opponent's weapons. It is quite likely that Ariyne will have difficulties against multiple opponents, and that's where she uses her flight to her advantage. Using it, she can keep out of melee range, and at this level, wizards are just getting access to fly. Unfortunately, her health suffers immensely, only having around 12 at most at this level. If she gets overwhelmed, she can use her Darkness spell-like ability on her opponents and fly away to recover.


ECL 10:

At this level, Ariyne gets a much needed boost to strength. At this level, she gains access to Warblade maneuvers (and greatsword proficiency), and Level 3 Vestiges. While taking Diamond Mind maneuvers, Ariyne's saves are good enough to not need the Moment of Perfect Mind and similar maneuvers. Starting at this level, she binds Paimon, which will greatly help her speed and combat abilities, able to close in on more fragile opponents faster and deal with them with stronger attacks, ie Claw at the Moon. Whenever she binds Paimon, her stock augmentation is the +2 insight bonus to Initiative, to help her act earlier in combat and get the drop on her opponents. She also gains the Bolstering Voice stance, which won't help her now, but will later when she gets the Leadership feat and minions from Dungeon Lord. She also gains more spell-like abilities from Half-Fiend that she can use, with Unholy Blight being quite useful, especially against good-aligned opponents. For the most part, though, she doesn't need to rely on her spell-like abilities in combat. Her primary focus in combat is to hit and run, keeping away from opponents using Spring Attack and Dance of Death. If she is on the losing end of combat, she can still use her Darkness ability and fly away to heal and fight another day.


ECL 15:

Between ECL 11 and 15, Ariyne's pure focus is on the Dungeon Lord prestige class. The first few levels don't add much to her effectiveness immediately, but they come into play later. The Horde Lord will not affect her power until later when she starts gaining followers (her total will be 40 at ECL 20, at this point, it's 11). This is the point where her stance comes into effect more, providing a static bonus to attacks and Will saves (quite useful, especially against mind-controlling and similar effects). Ariyne's main focus in combat is still hit and run, but she provides more bonuses to her allies. She utilizes the Dungeon Step ability combined with Complete Mastery to investigate intruders upon her lair and to approach them early if they happen to pose a threat. With her Intelligence modifier (around +7 at this point), she has multiple uses for her Dungeon Step ability, to get in a better position to flank, to surprise opponents before combat, or to flee if she has to. The Animate Objects spell is a last resort spell, in which she will animate larger objects like tables, chairs, etc to distract opponents and gain the upper hand. Upon reaching 5th level of Dungeon Lord, many of her abilities open up to her. Her Horde Lord, Dungeon Minions and Dungeon Defender provide her a small force to act as a meat shield or similar role. At this level, Ariyne gains a fair number of static bonuses to combat that she can confer to her minions while in combat. If she runs out of uses of her Dungeon Step, she still has her final backup plan of using Darkness and flying away should she start to get overwhelmed.


ECL 20

I would say around ECL 17 is where Ariyne has the most use of her abilities. She took her last level in Warblade and has just entered the Jaunter prestige class. These two classes boost her combat ability and mobility greatly by providing her with more teleportation abilities to confound her enemies and move into a more advantageous position. She also starts gaining more followers, capping at 40 at ECL 20.

Alternate options (if cohorts are used): She will get a cohort of a wizard/sorcerer to write Permanency scrolls to cast on the Animated Objects she creates using her ability from Dungeon Lord until every object in the dungeon is animated.

The levels in Jaunter are only gained to increase her mobility by giving her more Dimension Door uses (90ft total). The Benign Transportation ability is also useful to put Ariyne into a more advantageous position to use her maneuvers and other abilities to use. The Baleful Transportation can also be useful to pull enemies out of position and get her closer to the softer targets they have. The Fast Movement ability isn't overly useful, but still helps with her mobility.
The last level of Binder is to bind Tenebrous to her, so she can get the boosted damage from Touch of the Void, start building up an undead army using Rebuke Undead from those raised from her cleric followers. As a final resort, should she run out of all her Travel Power uses, her Dungeon Step, she can use the Deeper Darkness to escape using flight. She can also use Deeper Darkness to reduce her enemies visibility, while being able to see them perfectly and strike without any issue.



The Fluff:

Ariyne was born to a Bearded Devil father and a dwarven mother. Her father was only present during the pregnancy to prevent her mother from committing suicide or killing the child. When Ariyne was born, the devil left and returned to the 9 Hells of Baator. At a young age, her mother disowned her, and exiled her from their home. During this time, Ariyne tried to find those who would help her, to no luck. Her fiendish heritage prevented her from finding anyone who would accept her. It was while she was travelling, that she stumbled across a portal to the city of Sigil.

She spent most of her time living in Sigil, working for one of the minor gangs in the city before deciding that she needed to do something else. She first visited the Library of the Lady to do some reading. After several days reading through the vast collection of books, scrolls, reports, and the like, she stumbled across a tome with information on the vestiges of the world. Intrigued, she looked into the subject more, learning how to summon them and bind them to herself, gaining powers from them that she could use for herself. She first bound Aym to herself, figuring that the dwarf vestige could help her take the first steps towards power.

She searched through Sigil more now that she didn't have to rely on others for protection. In her search, found a portal to the 9 Hells, although she wasn't sure which layer it led to. She waited for a week, training her mind and body for what could be on the other side. After Ariyne felt she was ready, she entered the portal and stepped into the city of Dis. Here, she felt like she fit in more than she did on the Material Plane, or in Sigil. However, despite her efforts, many of the devils rejected her for only being a Half-Fiend. Frustrated at being pushed aside once more, she left the Hells, and travelled back to the Material Plane, looking to build herself there, where she didn't have to work under others or be alienated.

Ariyne wandered the landscape for years before encountering an abandoned keep. There were no flags or standards flying above, and no banners to denote who owned it before she arrived. Out of curiosity, she entered the old building and investigated the many rooms and hallways. Over the course of a year, she mapped out the entire keep in her head, living within the chambers of the old tower.

In the following years, she repelled travellers looking for rest and adventurers looking to find treasure locked away in the keep. She took delight in surprising those who entered and killing the weaker members, and driving them out of her new home. Ariyne learned easily how to move anywhere she wanted in the keep, which started gaining the title of Blood Keep as more adventurers began exploring her home and she fought to repel them. She did however, like the name her home had been given by the locals and took up the title of Duchess. Her influence spread not long after proclaiming herself Duchess of the Blood Keep, and random people started to approach her asking her to lead them.

She revelled in her new followers and set them to work cleaning up and rebuilding the keep. Ariyne had her minions install several traps at key points in the Blood Keep to help deter adventurers, much to her dismay. She also discovered the secrets of the Jaunter, using this to benefit her in combat, teleporting herself and her minions, and eventually, her enemies. Feeling that Paimon had helped her enough, she decided to bind Tenebrous to her, as to make her keep more ominous, by sending her clerics out to raise the dead and build not only a living army, but one of the dead as well to populate her fortress.

She has remained the Duchess of the Blood Keep since, with no adventuring party successful in unseating her or any militia bands making it past the front doors. The bodies of her enemies join her in her keep as a warning to those who are foolish enough to try and unseat her.


The Books:

Half-Fiend - Monster Manual
Improved Flight - Races of the Wild
Binder, Improved Binding - Tome of Magic
Warblade, Adaptive Style, Vital Recovery - Tome of Battle
Jaunter - Expedition to the Demonweb Pits
Dungeon Lord - Dungeonscape

[Heliomance]

And the award for most audacious impersonation goes to...


Gashlycrumb
http://crpp0001.uqtr.ca/w4/campagne/images/wotc_art_galleries/Serpent_Kingdoms/Muckdweller%20by%20Dennis%20Crabapple%20McClain.jp g






“Fools! Idiots! Savages! Idiots! Idiots!” screamed the most high supreme pontiff of Merrshaulk.

She let loose some kind of spell on the most recent band of interlopers that had infiltrated the hidden yuan-ti city of the sleeping serpent.

Gashlycrumb was only able to glimpse bits and pieces, peering up through the grate in the sewer, and as such, he didn’t exactly have a front row seat to the action proper.

However, from his current vantage point, some several feet beneath the most high supreme etc’s gilded coils, he was able to see one member of the mammalian scourge rising from beneath a flagstone.

Gashlycrumb hissed out a warning to his better, but his voice was too small and too far away for her to hear it in time. Before he could try again, the cleric up above was slit open breast to belly, all her very important parts spilling out onto the floor, her juices sluicing down into Gashlycrumb’s grate.

He made himself scarce and pressed his tiny body into a crack in the sewer he tended when the damned warmblood thief came to press his face to the grate, despite Gashlycrumb’s instinct to dive for him and try at the very least to come away with big, fat round eye.

“Anything?”

“Nah, nothin’ shiny down here, just snake crap,” the thief said.

“Figures. Let’s bag and tag goldy here and we can go home. Looks like all the good stuff got pinched already,” said what was presumably the thief’s commander.

Gashlycrumb resumed his duties in the sewers, tending to the eggs he’d hidden there, in case of another invasion, while the warmbloods up top helped themselves to anything that wasn’t nailed down.

That was the problem with this place, he told himself as he swatted an ant that was crawling too close to his clutch.

Everything was too out in the open. Too big and too noisy and too easy to see. He picked up an egg in his claws and saw the ants had bored a hole in its leathery shell while he’d been watching the show, pouring invisibly in to get at the precious cargo within.

Despite his urge to hurl it into the muck with contempt, he set it gently down on the ground away from the others, lest he alert the warmbloods upstairs.

If the cleric had been dispatched, Gashlycrumb knew who was next in the hierarchy. He crawled over to the byzantine chart he’d been keeping of who was in charge of who and who was next in line for what, and drew a line through the cleric’s overly elaborate title.

He tapped a claw on the stone, reminding himself where her successor was squirreled away in their vast city. Gashlycrumb had quite a walk in store, especially with his short little legs, if he was going to get word to him in time to stop the damn warmbloods from getting away without proper punishment.


Eventually, he got where he needed to be. He’d lit the way with his small, quiet, subtle magic.

When he got to the underlord of the underbelly of the city, he barely had any lead left on the warmbloods.

After giving the mandatory obligatory long-winded greeting, he had less time still.

“O, most scaled one, I bring ill tidings,” Gashlycrumb croaked out, the florid language of courtly speech never had felt at home in his tiny mouth.

“What is it, muck dweller?” his new superior said to him with condescention.

“There-“

Before he could give another word of warning, the door to the chamber began to click and whir, as though being opened from the outside.

“Away with you, it seems I have intruders to deal with,” he said, dismissing Gashlycrumb with a wave of his right snake-arm.

Gashlycrumb slunk away, a silent exertion of will crushing his minuscule body down so he could fit in a crack in the wall.

The warmblood mage threw down a cloud of smoke, the skulk moved into position behind the underlord, and the brute occupied his attention so he could be stabbed in the back. Being a mere half-blood, he went down faster still than the cleric before him.

So there was a pattern to their behavior, Gashlycrumb thought.

There was but one way they could have entered this part of the city. If he could close it off before they got to it, they would be stuck here for weeks looking for another way out, since they had gone around caved-in passageways on their way here rather than blasting or tunneling through.

That would give him enough time to put his plan in action.

With a few deliberate scrapes of his tiny claws on the inside of the wall and a few well-placed false lights, Gashlycrumb was able to lead the warmbloods to the city’s third-in-command.

As he’d heard the invaders before these, and the ones before them say now and again: one didn’t make an omelette without breaking eggs.


As surmised, the warmbloods were kept running round in circles by the breadcrumb trail Gashlycrumb left for them, crushing the last of the half-bloods and even working their way into the vile, two-legged abominations by the time his clutch was ready to hatch.

They grew quickly. Their kind had to. He showed them the maps he’d made of their city, and the city beneath it, where their betters neither tread nor slithered.

He had his crews constantly rotate the piles of rubble and the doors that were and weren’t blockaded to keep the warmbloods traveling in circles. Their maps, from what Gashlycrumb had been able to observe, were woefully inaccurate, and he wanted to keep them that way.

His intelligence told him the next of the big yuan-ti in line was growing panicked, in desperate search of direction. Perfect time for Gashlycrumb to intervene.

As the weeks had worn on, his clutch had grown and grown. As was his duty, he didn’t only hatch fellow muck dwellers, but also yuan-ti of all stripes, and he did, as he was supposed to, instill them where it was safe.

In the sewers.

Not being used to the ridiculously ornate social order of old, they hardly had it in their heads to complain.

Gashlycrumb found the next heir to the throne without any trouble. He was right where he was supposed to be.

As time had worn on, Gashlycrumb had found ways to make himself even smaller, even quieter. Having no strength of his own, he drew on the departed souls of the monsters that had once stalked this city before his former masters had moved in. He flitted over the heir apparent’s scaled head on borrowed wings, too small by far to be seen by his slitted, unblinking eyes.

Gashlycrumb reached out not with his voice, but with his mind, something he’d long-since learned, alongside the value of keeping quiet.

“Evil is coming, my child” Gashlycrumb thought at his new puppet dictator.

“Who’s there?” he said out loud.

“Who would take an interest in one so lowly as you?”

“M-m-merrshaulk? Ssssssir?” he hiss-stuttered.

Gashlycrumb grinned an unseeable grin and laughed an undetectable laugh.

“Who else? Now listen closely to what I want you to do…”



Once Gashlycrumb had the big yuan-ti upstairs behind the reconstruction effort, things moved much more quickly.

They didn’t question flooding some of the lower chambers, nor did they question putting in doors so small, a gnat could barely have passed between its hinges.

Once everything was done, Gashlycrumb felt an affinity with the city—his city—he never had before. He could tell where the warmbloods were whenever he liked, and no longer needed to consult his maps to know where he was going.

All he ever needed do to check in on any part of the city, no matter how far away, was will it, and he saw and heard all, the spirits of dead monsters boosting his perspicacity when he so desired.

The last holdovers from the old regime, mammoth statues of snakes left here and there, Gashlycrumb allowed to remain standing for what he planned as the final confrontation between his brethren and the warmbloods.

The doors were mere fingers and toes to him now, ones that his subjects could control with a thought. The (ostensible) new ruler of the city gave the edict at Gashlycrumb’s behest, and doors all throughout the city opened, giving the warmbloods a clear path to him.

Gashlycrumb had warned him of their preferred combat strategy: gas, distraction, backstab, and was satisfied his advice would go heeded, especially since he’d masqueraded as the yuan-ti’s holiest of holies.

But when the time came, Gashlycrumb was disappointed to find his underling falling back into old habits.

Gashlycrumb blew the mage’s gas aside with an exertion of mental force to control the very winds of his underground city. As planned, the warmbloods thought it a mere gust of wind from a nearby vent or corridor.

He threw strands of ectoplasmic slime at their brute before he could provide a distraction and amplified their skulk’s footsteps when he moved into position.

The yuan-ti ruler in name cast the rogue aside and began a speech exulting…

…his own cleverness.

In setting up the traps.

Directing the warmbloods toward those ahead of him in line for the throne.

And leading them here for the final showdown.

His words stuck in Gashlycrumb’s craw as he peppered the warmbloods with manticore spines, unseen from above, directing the howling winds beneath him to keep them off balance and cover the tiny flaps of his wingbeats.

He did all the work, and his underling, this parasite, took all his credit? Not just with the warmbloods, but with everyone in the city. No one who’d been hatched since before the scourging of the city knew the truth about who controlled it.

It just wasn’t right, Gashlycrumb thought.

The warmbloods had his puppet on the ropes now, and he was begging for his life, in Common, of all things.

“No! Don’t kill me. I’ve lied! It’s not me, none of it, it’s—“

Gashlycrumb had heard enough.

He exerted his will into the huge stone snake sitting coiled behind the throne. It sprung to life, leapt toward the coward and ate him.

Despite his every urge to reveal himself, to cast off the magics making him smaller than a fly and coalesce into his unimpressive, lizard like form in front of these warmbloods so they could see who had truly beaten them, he kept his baser desires in check.

Without a word or a gesture, but a mere thought, he opened the floodgates to the chamber while the warmbloods did battle with his stone snake, his big flashy distraction while the scummy water from the sewers pooled around their feet.

By the time it reached the low ceiling, it was far too late. The warmbloods thrashed and choked and drowned without ever knowing who had killed them.

Gashlycrumb swum through the room, the rubbery heart of the kraken opening his vestigial gill slits into something useful as he waited for the chamber to drain.

He told the snake statue to return to its perch, and it did. The next heir to the throne wasn’t far away.

Gashlycrumb hopped through hundreds of feet of stone and corridors and hallways to the yuan-ti, curled up and sunning himself in a patch of light.

“Wake up. There is work to do”

“Who is that?” he said.

Gashlycrumb broke into a grin he knew no one could see. “Who else?”


LE Yuan-ti Muckdweller psychic rogue 5/totemist 2/soul manifester 2/dungeon lord 5/ soul manifester 8




Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Psychic Rogue 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
balance 4, hide 4, jump 4, know (psionics) 4, listen 4, ms 4, spot 4, tumble 4, UPD 4
Darkstalker, Weapon Finesse (racial bonus)
Sneak attack +1d6, trapfinding


2nd
Psychic Rogue 2
+1
+0
+3
+0
balance 1 (5), hide 1 (5), jump 1 (5), know (psionics) 1 (5), listen 1 (5), ms 1 (5), spot 1 (5), tumble 1 (5), UPD 1 (5)

Evasion


3rd
Psychic Rogue 3
+2
+1
+3
+1
climb 2, hide 1 (6), know (psionics) 1 (6), listen 1 (6), ms 1 (6), spot 1 (6), tumble 1 (6), UPD 1 (6)
Azure Talent



4th
Psychic Rogue 4
+3
+1
+4
+1
climb 2 (4), hide 1 (7), know (psionics) 1 (7), listen 1 (7), ms 1 (7), spot 1 (7), tumble 1 (7), UPD 1 (7)

Sneak attack +2d6


5th
Psychic Rogue 5
+3
+1
+4
+1
climb 2 (6), hide 1 (8), know (psionics) 1 (8), listen 1 (8), ms 1 (8), spot 1 (8), tumble 1 (8), UPD 1 (8)

Danger sense


6th
Totemist 1
+3
+3
+6
+1
concentration 5, listen 1 (9), spot 1 (9)
Leadership
Wild empathy


7th
Totemist 2
+4
+4
+7
+1
concentration 5 (10), listen 1 (10), spot 1 (10)

Totem chakra bind (+1 capacity)


8th
Soul Manifester 1
+4
+4
+7
+3
autohypnosis 5

Psionic investment 1


9th
Soul Manifester 2
+5
+4
+7
+4
concentration 1 (11), hide 4 (12)
Martial Study: Cloak of Deception



10th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+4
+9
+6
hide 1 (13), ms 4 (12)

Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1


11th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6/+1
+4
+10
+7
hide 1 (14), ms 2 (14), spot 1 (11), listen 1 (11)

Dungeon step


12th
Dungeon Lord 3
+7/+2
+5
+10
+7
hide 1 (15), ms 1(15), spot 12 (13), listen 1 (12
Open Lesser Chakra (shoulder)
Complete awareness, dungeon minions


13th
Dungeon Lord 4
+8/+3
+5
+11
+8
hide 1 (16), ms 1 (16), spot 1 (14), listen 2 (14)

Animate objects


14th
Dungeon Lord 5
+8/+3
+5
+11
+8
hide 1 (17), ms 1 (17), spot 2 (16), listen 1 (15)

Dungeon defender, horde lord +2, Leadership


15th
Soul Manifester 3
+8/+3
+6
+12
+8
autohypnosis 4 (9), hide 1 (18)
Flyby Attack
Chakra binds (crown, feet, hands)


16th
Soul Manifester 4
+9/+5
+6
+12
+9
concentration 4 (15), hide 1 (19)




17th
Soul Manifester 5
+9/+5
+6
+12
+9
autohypnosis 4 (13), hide 1 (20)




18th
Soul Manifester 6
+10/+5
+7
+13
+10
autohypnosis 4 (17), hide 1 (21)
Extra Followers



19th
Soul Manifester 7
+10/+5
+7
+13
+10
autohypnosis 4 (21), hide 1 (22)

Psionic investment 2


20th
Soul Manifester 8
+11/+6/+1
+7
+13
+11
concentration 4 (19), hide 1 (23)

Chakra binds (arms, brow, shoulder)






you are a psyrog, so play accordingly. Your preference should (obviously) be ranged combat due to your size. However, should circumstances force you into melee, you helpfully have weapon finesse as a racial bonus feat. this is especially handy later on if someone puts your back up against the wall.

for now, enjoy compression to get down to diminutive. it boosts your hide check by 12 points. it’s essentially impossible for enemies to actually see you:

+5 dex
+1 size bonus dex (compression)
+8 ranks
+12 size (compression)
+10 circumstance (camouflage)
+10 enhancement (chameleon)
35 mod

at lvl 5. on top of darkstalker, that’s pretty good naked. dex is your most important ability score for your entire career, so focus on boosting it first. it helps you with attacks, ref saves, init, AC, and most importantly, your hide checks. your UPD mod is pretty solid. RAW allows transparency, so try to snare a wand of chameleon for a +10 circumstance to hide. it helps bolster your check for later levels when you start running into monsters with sneaky racial spot bonuses.

use your sneak attack to your advantage. due to how hard you are to lay eyes on, almost all your attacks should catch enemies flat-footed. plink with a crossbow, entangle to slow down enemies, and enjoy your ace in the hole:

control light (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/controlLight.htm) can really help you skulk around and throw a wrench into enemies who are trying to catch you. your imagination’s the limit with this power. it’s very handy when it comes to getting into position or making a quick escape.

your mod is more than enough to reliably allow sniping, (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/hide.htm) so take full advantage.



You’re in the secret ingredient and now things are starting to get really interesting. Your hide checks have gotten even better:

+5 dex
+2 size bonus to dex (compression)
+13 ranks
+16 size (compression)
+10 circumstance (camouflage)
+10 enhancement (chameleon)
+8 competence (kruthik claws)
64 mod

soul manifester has continued to progress your powers, adding feat leech and control sound to your repertoire. your ML is now also sufficient for you to augment compression and get down two size categories to fine, increasing your hide bonus and to-hit.

leadership is up and running, so you’ve begun to recruit yuan-ti.

feat leech’s presence here can give you any psionic feat you’d like, just pull it from one of your followers. there’s no point in listing an exhaustive list of what’s useful, but one you may enjoy is pulling “expanded knowledge” from followers, letting you borrow new psionic powers as they’re needed, bolstering your repertoire.

your totemist levels are online now and you’ve begun to bolster your abilities with its repertoire of melds.

while totemist, like all meld shapers, has its entire list of melds available from lvl 1, you’ll likely focus on a couple in particular right now:

manticore belt: this lets you shoot a volley of spines for 1d6 damage. you blast off a number of spines equal to the essentia invested. normally it’d be 2, but totemist lets you boost that to 3 since manticore belt will usually be bound to your totem chakra to give you its spines attack. you’ll get sneak attack damage on the first attack in each volley, but you’ll make it up in volume.

it allows you to fire in range increments of 30 feet with a max range of 150 feet. normally, when enemies are this far away, people don’t bother, but your to-hit is so good, it’s often worth it to plink enemies from this distance:

+5 dex
+2 size bonus to dex (compression)
+5 BA
+8 size
20 total

not too shabby, especially considering you’ll often be targeting flat-footed foes.

control sound (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/controlSound.htm) is up and running, and the sky’s basically the limit with this. it’s a very fun power that you can use to help muffle the slithering of your yuan-ti brethren, amplify the footsteps of intruders, or help yourself sneak around. not that you need it, since between your huge dex and the bonus from the kruthik claws (they help with move silently too) alongside darkstalker , no one should be able to hear you.

Take advantage of your dungeon mastery by making sure there is plenty of difficult terrain at choke points in narrow halls and/or tunnels. You want to force intruders to squeeze (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/movementPositionAndDistance.htm#squeezing) as often as possible since it forces all kinds of penalties on them, including making them lose their dex bonus, which means more sneak attack for you.

Martial study is also online now. Its purpose is twofold. Firstly, it gives hide as a class skill from now on, letting you continue to have it maxed for your entire career. It also gives you a panic button that allows you to turn invisible as greater invisibility until the end of your turn as a swift action.

being invisible (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/hide.htm) gives you a +20 bonus to your hide checks while moving (for an 84) and a +40 bonus while stationary, giving you a bonus of +104 to your hide checks. this on top of darkstalker makes you almost impossible to detect. Have fun.


you’ve wrapped up the secret ingredient and acquired all its cool abilities. you’ve got your shoulder chakra open alongside another bind and your crown, foot, and hand chakras are unlocked for meld stuff.

the bind opened up via open chakra (shoulder) will probably be occupied by the pegasus cloak most of the time, giving you a fly speed to help further improve your mobility on top of the secret ingredient’s dungeon step.

once you run out of daily uses, you can easily supplement them with the blink shirt, which also allows you to dim door, albeit on a shorter scale.

your essentia cap has moved up again to 3, letting you further juice the kruthik claws and pushing your hide mod even higher:

+5 dex
+2 size bonus to dex (compression)
+18 ranks
+16 size (compression)
+10 circumstance (camouflage)
+10 enhancement (chameleon)
+10 competence (kruthik claws)
71 mod

with cloak of deception there for emergencies to push it truly sky-high.

while you’re an extremely capable sneak, the totemist list, as spoken about many times, has a ton of melds to boost spot checks. with minimal effort, you can get a spot mod nearly as high as your hide. why do I bring this up?

dungeon lord’s complete awareness gives clairaudience/clairvoyance as a su, allowing you to do it as a standard instead of the spell’s annoying 10 minute casting time. so far so good. what’s the issue?

the problem is, no super senses, like basilisk mask’s dark vision, can be shot through the sensor. bummer. but mundane spot checks can. when you’re in the recon stage of killing some enemies, before they’re in your dungeon deep enough to attack, have your spot melds shaped (bloodtalons, great raptor mask, manticore belt, and threefold mask of the chimera) and when the intruders are further along in your city the next day, swap out to some more combat-oriented melds of your choice.

continue to kick ass and take names. animate object’s up and running, so seed the city with big mean monsters (probably snakes to scare any leathery middle-aged men in leather fedoras that come in uninvited) made of stone or metal or whatever your followers can whip up for you.

dungeon minions lets your followers open doors for you, so make sure to coordinate with them so they can let you in and out of tight spots, making use of holes and passages through the dungeon big enough for you in Fine form to move through, but too small for enemies to follow (think the tunnel for the pancake train in IHOPs)

but how to coordinate with your followers to ensure they can take their actions when you say so and those pesky adventurers can’t hear?

say hello to the shedu crown. bind it to your crown chakra and get telepathy. real simple. communicate with your followers to open and shut doors to give enemies the runaround. best of all: this lets you communicate during a combat with your followers without opening your mouth. this in tandem with your mondo hide check will let you function without enemies knowing you even exist at all.

Your capstone boosts your leadership score another +4, giving a respectable score and letting you reach the cap of 25 before the end of your career.


it’s all gravy from here.

soul manifester progresses your melds and powers, and unblocks your arm, brow, and shoulder chakras, giving you some more wiggle room.

your 3rd and 4th lvl powers are up now, giving you access to hustle (more move actions = yes), greater concealing amorpha (total concealment. what’s not to love? handy dandy panic button on top of cloak of deception), control air (which I’ll explain in a minute) and wall of ectoplasm (make walls in your dungeon. I don’t need to explain how to use this one.)

control air (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/powers/controlAir.htm) is a very interesting power requiring knowledge of the wind (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/weather.htm#winds) rules. the long and short of it is you can make winds up to 60mph stronger (or weaker) in the affected area. this inflicts all kinds of crazy penalties as demonstrated on the chart and imposes heavy penalties on enemy listen checks or makes them impossible in case enemies were trying to hear rather than see you.

it’s very effective at throwing down a distraction while you readjust if you think enemies are zeroing in on you (fat chance) and also a good way to toss enemies around, engage in a little BFC, and make them easier for your followers to kill. for maximum lulz, coordinate with a follower manifesting the same power and create tornadoes to really wreak some havoc.

extra followers is up and running, doubling your number of followers, nabbing you more higher level ones that’ll have useful feats for you to borrow to learn more powers and other cool stuff.

your hide mod:

+6 dex
+2 size bonus to dex (compression)
+23 ranks
+16 size (compression)
+10 circumstance (camouflage)
+10 enhancement (chameleon)
+12 competence (kruthik claws)
79 mod

enjoy more skulking, plinking, blasting enemies with tornados, teleporting, and all around haunting your enemies and not letting them know you’re even there


before mods:
str 8 dex 14 con 14 int 16 wis 12 cha 14
after mods
str 2 dex 20 con 14 int 16 wis 10 cha 12

increases from lvling: first 2 into con, second 2 into cha


powers
three 1s
compression
entangling ectoplasm
control light
three 2s
chameleon
feat leach
control sound
three 3s
hustle
concealing amorpha greater
control air
one 4
wall of ectoplasm


lvl/melds/binds/chakras
6/2/0/none
7/3/1/totem
8/3/1
9/4/1
10/4/1
11/4/1
12/4/1/totem, shoulder
13/4/1
14/4/1
15/4/1/totem, shoulder, crown, foot, hand
16/4/2
17/5/2
18/5/2
19/5/2
20/6/3 totem, crown, foot, hand, arm, brow, shoulder


Psychic rogue: mind’s eye (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040723b)
lords of madness: darkstalker
magic of incarnum: totemist, azure talent, soul manifester, open lesser chakra
core: leadership
tome of battle: martial study, flyby attack
heroes of battle: extra followers
serpent kingdoms: yuan-ti muckdweller

[Heliomance]

Boo! Boo to the Queen of Slime! The Queen of Garbage! The Queen of Putrescence! Booooooo!



Queen of Slime (http://31.media.tumblr.com/d4a07d0f102dc89eca7f33ba2cd1d2b7/tumblr_n17a62aEmu1qedf7ko5_r1_500.gif)
https://s3.amazonaws.com/ksr/assets/000/504/987/e00013d90530e0cb67f5c2e66d3d73dc_large.JPG?1365566 282


Once upon a time
She took a stranger’s candy
and became a rat

It had been years since she’d been transformed. Long, oh so very long, since she’d crossed paths with a disagreeable mage, or one inclined toward playing the most overelaborate of practical jokes.

She knew no longer her home or her name, having long since wandered beyond the former confines of her home town and its sundry protections.

A rat knows only its own survival, after all.

Survive she did, on bits of offal: refuse the slimes and jellies and oozes jiggling through the tunnels refused even to touch.

One day, a man-creature with fire in his eyes and magic on his breath came to the tunnel, companions in tow to do battle with the denizens of the deep.

The rat followed along. No matter who won in these little feuds, there were always some choice morsels left over to chew on.

Some strange magics beyond her understanding flew overhead. The magic man, wizling? wizzart? Something like that—threw some imperceptible bolt over her head at the slime near her, and at once everything changed:

No, it didn’t change, it un-changed. Changed back. Back the way things had once been.

She no longer craned her neck up to look at the man—the wizard—she now remembered. She in fact, looked down upon him, a full foot shorter than her, and that was being generous.

He became distracted, seeing this full grown woman—goliath—that’s what she was called, once, she now remembered—blossom into being. But she wasn’t.

Years of quiet observation from the sidelines had taught her to always pay close attention. She recognized him, though he had been changed over the years. He stood there, older, uglier, and with nothing approaching recognition on his face.

Her first instinct was to dive on him with the claws and teeth she no longer possessed.

While she thought things out, the wizard boiled the slime with fire surging from his fingertips.

He asked if she was all right. Something like that. She’d never had much of an ear for Common.

She rolled her thick, goliath tongue around in her mouth, struggling to make it work, but elected to nod instead when it proved uncooperative.

He offered to bring her back somewhere safe. She caught the word “temple.” A place of healing. It might crush together the parts of her mind that had been made un-whole by the experience, so she agreed.

Over the course of their journey, he didn’t seem to recognize her, or if he did, he gave no outward sign.

The words he spoke swam over her, only the odd piece or letter catching in her mind. Once she had made camp with him, she sat by the fire, a stone in her hand, scratching at the floor of the cave, letters tumbling in her mind.

She remembered little of magic, but knew it was to do with what was spoken. Word magic. With some difficulty, she tried to divine whether, in the end, her tormenter would be punished. For now, she knew she was impotent to do it herself, now robbed of her survival instinct as a rodent, no longer able to squeeze into tight spaces and disappear in the hulking body she now occupied.

RAT INTO GIRL she scratched on the floor. A few moments later, she had her answer:

LIAR ROTTING.

So he would be punished after all. Satisfied, she was able to sleep.

They arrived at the temple some time later, bedecked with ornate statues of cats, the architecture dimly familiar to her, speaking of the peoples of the east. How could she know that? She must have had dealings with them in her old life. Or her current one, she reminded herself, now that she knew she hadn’t been born a rat.

Her companion told her it was a temple to a goddess whose name she couldn’t quite pronounce. He asked her if she understood.

“Feline mosque,” she replied hesitantly.

He seemed satisfied and they entered, offered food and drink. After a meager appraisal by the clerics there, she was told the only thing to heal her mind was time, a word she still remembered.

A few feet away, one of the priestesses spoke words of magic on a rat, transforming it into a young girl.

This didn’t make the goliath feel better. When asked what was wrong, she struggled and pointed out the girl, still unsteady on her feet.

“Sequel of mine,” she said. The priestess merely nodded, uncomprehending.

She left a few days later, having gotten what assistance she could. The wizard was long gone, but it made no difference. She hardly could have pulled off his head in front of all these nice women. She needed to hibernate. Think things over and come out ready to face the world.

Without having to ask anyone or anything, she knew her body wasn’t capable of this, so she would have to do things the hard way.

She began her trek through the tunnels, trying to find the place where their paths had crossed, the task more difficult due to her new vantage point so many feet off the ground. Now and again, she needed to trap and kill something for food. Lacking a knife, and missing her old shape, despite herself, she was able to file her teeth so she could eat more easily.

Slimes followed in her wake, eating her leavings. Bones and skins and teeth. But besides that they didn’t bother her. Nice and quiet.

The longer her trek went, the more at home she was here, able to find her way just-so, able to see and hear things far away without even needing to spell them out or write them down. Could get from here to there, even, without walking the space in between.

The deeper she went it seemed sometimes like she was following the slimes, not them following her. She let herself be led, and found the remains of her tormentor, the flesh long-stripped from his bones by the acidic slimes. Still, she recognized him.

She sat on a low rock and examined his remains.

They’d done this for her, without her speaking ever to them a word. Known somehow.

She wanted to thank them but knew not to do it with words. Words had tried to warn her, caution her, prepare her, but even then she hadn’t known:

Feline mosque.
Sequel of mine.

They all pointed to one thing, her. She knew her name now:

Queen of slime.

The connection with them complete, she reached out a hand, pet one on its top like a dog and pulled away when her skin sloughed off. She needed a more pliable shape and took one, a jellylike slime of her own to fit in amongst her subjects and without either of them saying a word she knew she belonged.


str 18 dex 14 con 14 int 10 wis 10 cha 8

after racial:
str 22 dex 12 con 16 int 10 wis 10 cha 8

increases to con


CE goliath lion totem barbarian 1/dungeon crasher fighter 4/dungeon lord 5/thrall of juiblex 9




Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Barbarian 1
+1
+2
+0
+0
escape artist 2, intimidate 4, jump 4, tumble 4
thrall to demon (juiblex)
Pounce, illiteracy, mountain rage 1/day


2nd
Fighter 1
+2
+4
+0
+0
jump 1 (5), tumble 1 (5)

power attack


3rd
Fighter 2
+2
+5
+0
+0
jump 1 (6), tumble 1 (6)
willing deformity
dungeon crash


4th
Fighter 3
+4
+5
+1
+1
jump 1 (7), tumble 1 (7)




5th
Fighter 4
+5
+6
+1
+1
jump 1 (8), tumble 1 (8)

improved bull rush


6th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+6
+3
+3
escape artist 1 (2.5), jump 1 (9)
shock trooper
Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1


7th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6/+1
+6
+4
+4
escape artist 1 (3), jump 1 (10)

dungeon step


8th
Dungeon Lord 3
+7/+2
+7
+4
+4
escape artist 1 (3.5), jump 1 (11)

complete awareness, dungeon minions


9th
Dungeon Lord 4
+8/+3
+7
+5
+5
escape artist 1 (4), jump 1 (12)
leap attack
animate objects


10th
Dungeon Lord 5
+8/+3
+7
+5
+5
escape artist 2 (5)

dungeon defender, horde lorde +2, leadership


11th
Thrall of Juiblex 1
+9/+4
+9
+7
+7
jump 2 (14)

Sickening slime


12th
Thrall of Juiblex 2
+10/+5
+10
+8
+8
disguise 1, jump 1 (15)
knockback
Corrosive touch


13th
Thrall of Juiblex 3
+11/+6/+1
+10
+8
+8
disguise 1 (2), jump 1 (16)

Summon Ooze


14th
Thrall of Juiblex 4
+12/+7/+2
+11
+9
+9
disguise 1 (3), jump 1 (17)

Contagion, alter self


15th
Thrall of Juiblex 5
+13/+8/+3
+11
+9
+9
disguise 1 (4), jump 1 (18)
deformity (madness)
Summon minor demon


16th
Thrall of Juiblex 6
+14/+9/+4
+12
+10
+10
disguise 1 (5), jump 1 (19)

Corrosive spew


17th
Thrall of Juiblex 7
+15/+10/+5
+12
+10
+10
disguise 1 (6), jump 1 (20)

Summon pudding


18th
Thrall of Juiblex 8
+16/+11/+6/+1
+13
+11
+11
disguise 1 (7), jump 1 (21)
abominable form
Polymorph self


19th
Thrall of Juiblex 9
+17/+12/+7/+2
+13
+11
+11
disguise 1 (8), jump 1 (22)

Summon major demon





You’re a relatively straightforward brute at this point. Pounce, power attack, and knock enemies into walls with your dungeon crash ability. Exploit mountain rage to get big and push enemies around. There is much joy in the simplicity of squashing things smaller than you are, so take advantage by pushing some punes up against the wall to make pune-juice.


shock trooper’s up and running. Nothing complicated about it at all, just point and shoot. Charge at enemies, tank AC, boost damage. Use in tandem with leap attack to bypass the difficult terrain of your dungeon, the underdark, which has all kinds of weird perils about, including traps left (unwittingly) by oozes, such as pits or similar. You can easily reinforce them yourself with punji sticks or similar and exploit your ability to not set off traps to lure enemies in.

One thing that will prove very handy is small doors that your amorphous friends can bloop through, but wandering adventurers will have a much more difficult time. After all, the fabled DC 80 escape artist check isn’t something just anyone can do…

combat at this level looks much th same, plus now you’ve got leadership to give you some clout, as befits a true queen.

while slimes, oozes, jellies, puddings, and other similar tasty treats make up the bulk of your followers, there’s no reason why you wouldn’t attract other similar unsavory elements, such as hairy spiders (invaluable scouts)

due to the pressures of natural selection, many of your oozes will likely be sentry oozes, letting them do fun things like have skills and feats to help them creep up more ably on tender morsels. possessing an int score also allows them to benefit from heroes of battle’s commander auras.

you can only pick one, and the one that’s most well-suited to your needs is “runt-squasher commander” for obvious reasons.

all your oozes (and assorted pals) within 30ft of you gain a +2 morale bonus on attacks vs enemies at least 1 size smaller than them. since oozes are big, you’ll get plenty of mileage out of this, even if (for now) it’ll only apply when you’re mountain raging to get large proper.


now things are getting good and weird.

you’ve properly abased yourself before the faceless lord, and now you’ve got something to show for it (boy do you have something to show for it)

knockback’s online, and it explicitly allows goliaths to take it, so enjoy added BFC on top of shock trooper, bull rush, and dungeon crasher to push your enemies around wherever you like (to be eaten by goops, probably)

the protections of true madness have graced you and gifted you with immunity from mind affecting effects, making you more like the oozes you so admire.

speaking of the ever-shifting nature of primordial soup, you’ve got the kickin’ alter self ability up and running. goliaths, as everyone always forgets, are monstrous humanoids, which give you a variety of fun and useful shapes to assume for scouting, utility, natural armor, movement modes, etc. such as feral gargun (a feral goliath), or thri-kreen for bonus to jump checks to use leap attacks, groundling for burrow speed.

you can summon some more oozes to hep yourself out in a tight spot, in case you get cornered without backup and aren’t in a good place to use your dungeon step ability. you can also throw demons at your enemies to help slow them down so you can melt them with your corrosive touch.

sickening slime is a useful debuff, and something you’ll never regret having on.


and now it’s here

abominable form scares anyone who even comes near you (regardless of what shape you take)

speaking of which, your faceless lord has given you some more cool powers to help take down those darn skeleton-havers out there who’d pollute your dungeon.

corrosive spew’s a fun panic button, especially useful in your dungeon’s myriad hallways. remember: rogues and roguish types can’t use evasion when squeezing.

you can throw down a black pudding to help yourself out in a jam (though he’s really more of a jelly) and can now summon a bigger, meaner demon to take some of the weight off your back (if you have one at the time)

that leads me to my next point: your polymorph ability is up and running, and you can turn into stuff up to 8HD. sky’s the limit. turn into stuff that’s large to enjoy your commander bonuses with your friends. turn into stuff with racial bonuses to hide/ms to sneak up on prey, etc.

your “default” form will probably be some kind of ooze to blend in. needle in a haystack and all. after all, enemies won’t know who the boss is if you look like everybody else.

skitter around, hang out with your slime friends, talk about slime stuff, and eat some adventurers. pretty sweet deal.


cityscape web enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)-skilled city dweller
barbarian, fighter, power attack, improved bull rush-srd
thrall of juiblex, thrall to demon, willing deformity-book of vile darkness
leap attack-complete adventurer
shock trooper- complete warrior
goliath, mountain rage, knockback-races of stone
deformity (madness), abominable form-elder evils
lion totem barbarian- complete champion

[Heliomance]

May the odds be ever in your favour.


Czar Hail
Air Goblin, LN, Artificer 15/ Dungeon lord 5

Abilities:
-2 4
Strength Dexterity Constitution Intelligence Wisdom Charisma Reason
10 13 12 17 10 14 32-point buy
8 17 10 17 10 14 Racial mods
8 17 10 18 10 14 4th
8 18 10 18 10 14 8th
8 18 10 19 10 14 12th
8 18 10 20 10 14 16th
8 18 10 21 10 14 20th


A small forewarning: While normally in IC we make it a point to grab the class as early as possible, this class is not really meant for such an endeavor. To me, this class is about what the player wishes to do when his character has retired. There is almost no change in tactics whether you become a dungeon lord at 5-10-15 or 20 and the tactics presented can be toned down or turned up based on the level you choose to grab dungeon lord. I will be presenting the following under the assumption that the character must live till level 15 and thus he will be playable as a normal character till then. Once he enters dungeon lord his tactics will change slightly, mostly because he no longer needs to fight. Additionally, as an artificer, it is bound to come up that his XP will be behind that of his party members, this has been shown to actually be a non-issue, also, there are a number of ways to alleviate the costs to Czar Hail which will be further discussed in the advanced tactics/cheese area.

Build:


Level Class BAB Fort Ref Will Skills* Feats Features
1 Artificer [ECS] 0 0 0 2 - Apprentice (craftsman) [DMGII] Artificer knowledge, artisan bonus, disable trap, item creation, Scribe Scroll
2 Artificer 1 0 0 3 - - Brew Potion
3 Artificer 2 1 1 3 - Improved Aid [OA] Craft Wondrous Item
4 Artificer 3 1 1 4 - Fell Drain [LM] Craft homunculus, bonus feat
5 Artificer 3 1 1 4 - (Apprentice changes to mentor) [DMGII] Craft Magic Arms and Armor, retain essence
6 Artificer 4 2 2 5 - Leadership [PHB] Craft Wand
7 Artificer 5 2 2 5 - - Metamagic spell trigger
8 Artificer 6 2 2 6 - Bind elemental [ECS] Bonus feat
9 Artificer 6 3 3 6 - Twin spell [PGtF] Craft rod
10 Artificer 7 3 3 7 - - -
11 Artificer 8 3 3 7 - - Metamagic spell completion
12 Artificer 9 4 4 8 - Improved homunculus [MoE], Craft construct [MMIV] Craft staff, Bonus feat
13 Artificer 9 4 4 8 - - Skill mastery
14 Artificer 10 4 4 9 - - Forge ring
15 Artificer 11 5 5 9 - Great Captain [SW] -
16 Dungeon Lord [DS] 11 5 7 11 - - Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1
17 Dungeon Lord 12 5 8 12 - - Dungeon step
18 Dungeon Lord 13 6 8 12 - Extra followers [HB] Complete awareness, dungeon minions
19 Dungeon Lord 14 6 9 13 - - Animate objects
20 Dungeon Lord 14 6 9 13 - - Dungeon defender, horde lord +2, Leadership


*Skills were not a requisite for PrC, so I opted to just give a list of skills and their ranks at level 20. All feat prerequisites can easily be met, since hail focuses on int and has 2 bonus skill points/level
Craft (sculpting) 10
Craft (pottery) 10
Craft (metalworking) 10
Craft (Trapmaking) 10
Craft (weaponsmithing) 10
Craft (Alchemy) 10
Decipher Script (CC) 5
Disable Device 24
Knowledge (arcana) 5
Knowledge (architecture and engineering) 5
Knowledge (the planes) 5
Knowledge (Geography) 24
Open Lock 24
Profession (Sailor) 7
Search 24
Spellcraft 7
Use Magic Device 24


Fluff:
He awoke suddenly. Realization swept through him as he found himself hanging from the ceiling by chains, his feet barely touching the floor. His arms strained with the effort of holding his body up. It was hard to think and his head felt stuffed with cotton. He was in a small room perhaps 5x5, the walls and ceiling were solid stone, there were no exits that he could see and panic began to swell in him, after years of adventuring he would die in a cell, hung from a ceiling like some common criminal. He could hear stone sliding on stone as a small cubby appeared to his left, about halfway up the wall. Inside the cubby was a small pack, a holy symbol, 2 potions and a dagger.
Suddenly and without warning the chains holding him released and he fell to the ground hard, his legs not ready to hold his weight.

From all around him he hears a loud gong and then “Welcome Heroes!” A loud roar erupts and the ground shakes with the voices of hundreds of people all cheering at once. After a few moments the crowd quiets and the voice continues. “You have been chosen to compete in the Hero Games, a great honor I assure you. Should you survive, you will be showered with gifts and allowed to live out your life as you see fit.” More cheering but the voice continues unhindered. “The rules are simple, you must complete the labyrinth before you, using only that which you find along the way. Welcome to the 74th annual Hero Games!” The ground shakes again with the countless voices cheering before the sound finally cuts out, and only a slight vibration can be felt.

Pulling himself to standing he approaches the cubby, the potions conveniently are labeled in common “healing”, the bag is empty but has enough string to be looped over his shoulder. Chugging the first potion, he places the second in the bag. Before him the wall slides away revealing a wilderness area and bright light. Wavering for a moment he hears the wall begin to slide back into place and rushes through the opening before his opportunity is lost.

Another loud gong erupts, startling him and at the same time drawing his attention to the sky. A pale goblin with hair the color of fresh snow appears to be floating in the air, an Illusion clearly as only the creatures upper body is visible and much larger than life.
It opens it mouth and speaks, “Welcome! Heroes, we welcome you. We salute your courage and your sacrifice, and we wish you Happy Hero Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor.” The loud gong sounds again and he turns his attention back to the world around him. Four others stand around, their clothing as disheveled as his, their gear the same. He approaches the nearest one, his arm outstretched in greeting, “You look like a trustworthy soul, perhaps you would like to accompany me on this venture?”



Tactics:

Levels 1-5:
An artificer through and through. Craft every item you need while trying not to eat too much into your xp. Pass around items to your friends and let everyone enjoy having you in the party. Your mentor is an 5th-10th level Wizard giving you any one knowledge skill and UMD as class skills, as well as 2 bonus skill points/level to spend on these skills ensuring that UMD will always be maxed. Additionally we are counted 2 levels higher for crafting purposes which means we are 2 levels ahead of the wizard for spells that we can “cast” and at 3rd level will be able to cast a fireball (not the best spell I know but often desired by blasters) while the wizard is waiting until 5th to do so. At 4th level we gain craft homunculus which sets our path for the rest of our career. The first that we craft is of course a dedicated wright, so that we can pump out much better items while maintaining a full adventuring day. Followed by an Arbalest for damage, and then lastly a packmate for clutch healing or if you’re the primary scout, grab an Expeditious Messenger. Depending on the game some of these may take more than 1 level to complete. At 5th level we have become a mentor ourselves while retaining the bonuses from our apprentice feat it was traded in for. This gives us our own apprentice to help us with our crafting needs. (see advanced tactics for possible exploit). Once you get retain essence, abuse the crap out of it by promising party members things later on. Make sure to use up that craft reserve since it resets every level. Spell storing infusion is probably the most useful and will be used even into epic, every non-living thing is an object and therefore can be a target of this ability, “in effect it becomes a wand with a single charge”.

In combat - At the early levels we grab a crossbow and sit back as much as possible in combat, we are mostly a utility class at these levels. As soon as we can get arbalesters we start abusing the action economy by having several shots/round, they’re expensive so we may have to choose between arbalester and the others. Potions and scrolls are cheap and you can easily replenish them. Infuse Bane against whatever your fighting and destroy.

Levels 6-10:
Artificer still. Every bit of our gear is likely magical and at least the big items for our party members as well. We can have a veritable army of homunculi, mostly arbalesters for combat as we would hate to lose too many of our homunculi and suffer the feedback of their death. Bind elemental gives us several strong options for magic items and later we can begin constructing our airship, though for practical purposes, the price may be out of range for now. Twin spell, easily doubles the effectiveness of our spells/infusions. Our Homunculus, army now likely includes 1-2 Iron defenders to help keep the enemy away, and several Arb’s, and at least 1 of each other type of homunculus. Metamagic wand grips are your friend and should be used to help keep down the cost on wand charges. We’ve grabbed leadership which has earned us a large following (should be at or near 25 with cha boosters) but this mostly comes as a minor benefit for now since cohorts are being ignored. In theory at level 10 our apprentice could be level 5 and have an apprentice of his own giving us another helper for crafting and such. The Rod of Wands is our big item in these levels, letting us have as many as 6 spells ready at a time, 3 of which can all be used with the same action.

In combat - Let the meat shields stay in front, nicely buffed by you. This could include a BSF or your own homunculi. Fire wands from afar or pick up your old crossbow, possibly even take up the bow by making your very own bracers of archery. Touch spells are better for Hail since you do not have the ranged feats for firing into melee. Even better control the battlefield with several useful spells, like black tentacles, entangle, or fog spells. Your arbalesters should still be firing off every round as well giving you a large amount of damage/round. With homunculi often in the fray grab a few ways to heal yourself. A packmate should always be ready with a potion to heal you while chucking alchemical items from the space next to you. Furtive filchers should aim to snatch spell component pouches, leaving casters as little more than annoying commoners.


level 11-15:
This will conclude our artificer levels at just the right time since nothing further can be gained as far as item creation is concerned. We are grabbing both improved homunculi and craft construct at level 12 giving us plenty to start working on and very soon we’ll have an insane amount of really nice constructs just waiting to do our bidding. A party at this point is almost redundant since you have your very own army walking the halls with you. Metamagic spell completion can easily get abusive especially if you are custom crafting staves. We also can now take 10 on UMD and spellcraft though by now you shouldn’t even fail on a 1. Most importantly we can now create items as a 17th level caster, meaning we have access to the most broken spells in the game, and there is no reason from here on out for you to ever fear death. Unlike a spellcaster you are not limited on the number of 9th level spells you can cast, so enjoy the unbelievable power that is the top tier class in the game.
In combat - Same as before but with better spells and Infusions. At level 15 its simple, 9th level spells=win. Since your homunculi have a possibility of dying try to keep the golems in the front lines instead. Otherwise follow the tactics that brought you here. See the Cheese section for some simple defense tactics that can break games.


levels 16-20:
Hail has retired. And in his retirement he chooses to start up the Hero Games. As a training exercise, punishment, and pure entertainment they are a huge success, especially among the lower races. Hail Uses his considerable wealth gained from a custom genesis plane filled with the most precious jewels and rare metals to fund the initial cost of his growing empire business. By the time the second annual games are announced he should have a slew of lost bets rolling his way. These levels Hail is completing his Dungeon and expanding it. He should have crafted several airships to make use of his Great Captain feat and extra followers.

In Dungeon - With Improved aid another, he is giving every ally on his ship +4 to hit or AC, he has several ships placed throughout the dungeon. Metamagic spell completion with twin spell for some faster buffing. Chain metamagic wand grips are amazing and can easily buff an entire army when combined with twin spell. You really should just be able to sit back and buff while the army fights. Additionally keep in mind that ALL items in the dungeon were put there by Hail. He can do everything the full-casters can do, and more. Hail has viewed their progress through the dungeon, and should have a strong indication of what they can do. Hail would actively have to try to lose once people have come to his dungeon. Even should the party actually be strong enough on their own to have a chance against Hail, he could whittle away their resources while they fight through the dungeon and then engage, when he is sure to destroy them.

Not in dungeon but fighting? Try to force the battles onto one of your many airships if possible, utilize golems with insane HD since its all gold dependent, Homunculi arbalesters should be able to give you 2-3 extra attacks per round ea. all easily enhanced with a simple casting of greater magic weapon (chain+twin), as well as any number of enhancements gained as you leveled. You should have enough contingency spells that you will never have to actually worry about getting attacked. Several spellblade loaded golems, as well as resetting magical traps should be ready to destroy characters. Hail likely has more maneuvers and stances than he knows what to do with, including the absolutely broken White Raven Tactics, combine this with timestop and combat should be null. A pair of greater stone golems are not out of reach load both with spell blades and a resetting trap with transmute mud to rock, means they should have a very hard time dieing. Lastly Hail is a stronger spellcaster (unlimited spells known+Unlimited spells/day) than anything in 3.5 except perhaps Pun-pun (though he could realistically start the process himself) anything that can be thrown at him he can easily do better.




Advanced tactics/cheese
Alleviating xp costs: 2 thought bottles are the easiest, combined with the artificers class abilities. See cheese for other more questionable methods.
Alleviating GP costs: There are several questionable ways to make gold a non-issue available starting at level 1 (wall of salt) but ultimately its all on what the DM will allow. The method used the crafting skill as leveled combined with adventuring. Hail chooses to use the arcane genesis spell on a resetting trap, then uses his constructs to toil away mining the precious jewels from his own land while he carves out the dungeons that will later be used in the games. Once the games are up and running no further mining would be necessary in all actuality, his clients love the blood sports and pay top dollar, while his followers spread the word throughout the land, and Hail charges an entrance fee for all those who just come to watch and not bet. Additionally Hail is smart enough to understand economics and diversifies his products amongst the many realms to keep income at the highest possible.
Apprentice/mentor feat: While it may be assumed that an apprentice would become a mentor in the same field there is nothing RAW that forces you to do so. With this in mind by having 8 ranks in both a craft skill and Know(architecture and engineering) we can gain an apprentice craftsman instead of an apprentice wizard. Ultimately this would be a downgrade from having a wizard, though realistically the craftsman better fits the character concept and few DM’s would argue with a downgrade. Since your apprentice feat is “kept” you would still hold your bonuses regardless of your mentorship. If the DM rules against this its actually still a good way to go since you get a +2 to your “mentor skills (UMD+ others)”
Earlier access to good items: This mostly comes in the form of boosting our caster level, which can be done any number of ways through stacking magic item bonuses, Ioun stone (+1), Beads of Karma can give +4 once/day, several spells also give +1/+2 including craft magic tattoo. Several potions can give cleric domains for 24hrs as well which comes with CL boosts and other goodies.
On using wands: Wand Chamber(350gp)+Least crystal of return(300gp) + MW Dagger(302gp) = Free action swap and cast, drop if needed for any number of wands for 952gp. Rod of many Wands is great for damage output, Though costly. An alternative is to combine Metamagic item infusion (twin spell) + Metamagic spell trigger (fell drain) + damaging wand of choice
Outfitting the army - money is a non-issue, time is a non-issue, xp is a non-issue, and making the DC is a non-issue, at the upper levels. This makes outfitting the army easy. While we COULD make everyone the best stuff this would not be much of a show for our viewers. Instead we outfit the arena with enough to ultimately win but put on a good show while doing it.


Magic items of note
Magic items of note for Hail: CHA and INT boosters are our primary concerns, as well as 2 Thought bottles to alleviate/eliminate xp costs. Metamagic wand grips, and several wands to taste. Ioun Stone to boost caster level, as well as a reliable way to cast create magic tattoo for the boosted CL when crafting. Items that grant maneuvers and stances. Items that boost craft skills.
Magic Items of note for minions: Spellblades combined with magical traps can mean free spells/rnd for all minions that can hold weapons. Packmates carry several bandages which can be used to stabilize dieing minions, before they run away using a secret tunnel (free action to open doors)
Magic items of note for followers: Followers are outfitted based on their location in the dungeon. Nothing is given to the followers that Hail cannot plan ahead for. Many one time use items are given due to the ease of ensuring that the party can’t use them effectively against Hail.
Magic items of note for dungeon: Magical self-resetting traps to taste. These are what makes the dungeon successful. From traps that buff, to traps that harm, to traps that simply keep the party from wrecking plans. Everything is based on gold and Hail literally has more than he can spend using even legal RAI means. While the party rests Hail can prep the dungeon ahead ensuring that he challenges them properly.

Utilizing the SI:
Dungeon mastery: Hail’s Dungeons are littered with secret passages that let him stay close to the action if he desires, most especially when on his well disguised airships. He will Aid another for +4 to hit or AC for every ally on the ship, then use a secret exit to get away/move to a different location on the ship.
Horde Lord: Stacking with aid another Hail can easily give everyone +6 to hit before factoring in any number of spells and magical items.
Dungeon Step: 5/day before items and 11/day with items since Hail focuses on Int. This is enough to ensure he can get away from any situation even if his minions cannot, while also being able to move around the dungeon providing buffs before the party arrives.
Complete Awareness: Hail Utilizes this ability combined expeditious messengers strategically placed throughout the dungeon to ensure he has constant awareness of what is going on. He further Expands on this with the use of a custom magic item which lets him “share” his viewing with the audience. I could not find a specific spell that would let him do this so it is very much gonna be a DM call, but well within the bounds of a 9th level spell.
Dungeon minions: Uber chargers hurt, with difficult terrain strategically placed they can be almost completely nullified. Additionally as mentioned before secret passages are common in this dungeon and can be utilized by Hail and his minions.
Animate objects: Combined with golems, pretending to be statues the party will always be unsure what can attack them. additionally an item can be created to give more uses of this each day if necessary.
Dungeon Defender: Purely a buff, and a good one to use on all of his plethora of wands.
Leadership: Maxxed leadership score and double dipping with the extra followers. Additionally we have 1-5 apprentices depending on DM ruling, a mentor and an army of constructs/homunculi. Additionally Hail bypasses the "caused the death" clause by actively trying to keep his minions from dying by using packmates to stabilize.
The minions: Hail uses his followers in the dungeon as usual, but during the off times he can use some to assist with crafting and all of them are his eyes and ears searching for the next contenders.

[Heliomance]

A most self-possessed individual.


Nataksukan
LE Imp 7/Survivor 2/Fiend of Possession 6/Dungeon Lord 5
On alignment:
Nataksukan starts as LE but slowly leans towards LN. He is not good, but as he gains more power, he realizes that good or evil plays little role for him and he concentrates on law mostly. After all, that's what makes devils different from demons. If it is worth the shift is up to the reader and player/DM using him however.

The story
Nataksukan is not his true name, but it is the name that he is known under the most. Nataksukan was young and eager imp living in Nine Hells who sought a way to prove himself and get promoted as he was sick of being bullied by other devils and even by older and more experienced imps. When a call by evil wizard appeared, trying to summon an imp to become his familiar Nataksukan answered as fast as he could.
His first bargain was big success for Nataksukan. It seemed that he loses a lot as he vowed to not tempt the wizard in any way, magical or mundane, and to serve him unquestionably. However he also made sure, that after wizards death he could stay on the material plane and should he ever get banished, the wizard would have to summon him again. Knowing the wizard was evil and that his soul would belong to devils anyway, Nataksukan didn’t even have to tempt him. He was helping him to build and secure his sanctuary and in his free time, he was visiting nearby villages to make suggestions and to whisper in peoples ears. When people became suspicious of something bad happening he started suggesting, that evil thing is living nearby. He later used his alternate form and disguises to visit various villages and tell them stories of evil wizard living here and even told them about some of his defenses as he posed as lucky surviving adventurer who escaped certain death. The news spread quickly and band of real adventurers and would-be heroes soon flooded the wizard’s sanctuary, equipped with information on how to bypass most of its defenses, and killed the wizard whose soul was dragged into hells. This all happened in less than five months after Nataksukan was summoned.
Being free, Nataksukan left the region entirely to avoid suspicion and started his evil work elsewhere. While he found that living on his own was much harder and he could not hone his skills as much as he would want to, he learned other things needed for survival. The most important thing was how to possess items. He was using this ability to great effect, learning more and more tricks until he found what made him so famous.
It was small village build on ruins of older town and he found it by accident when he was being carried in a sword by some unknown adventurer. When they entered the village, he explored it a bit and found a lot of underground catacombs, still filled with old magical items and artifacts. He immediately got an idea of how to use them. He let the adventurer left, still thinking he has highly magical sword, and instead began his work in the village. He chose a small totem that could be dug up easily as it was close to the village and started making suggestions to few locals, that he is a guardian spirit of the old town and that their presence here has awakened him and that he wishes to guard people again. While it took some time before people actually believed him, they finally dug out the totem, which he already possessed. He started sharing his knowledge of various thing with villagers who were willing to listen to him, slowly rebuilding the village so it could be defended better, clearing the catacombs and getting various magical items that they could use (though he made sure to grab the most powerful items for himself first). He used his ability to commune to give the villagers answers to various important questions and slowly got a shrine dedicated to himself build. It was at this time, that he started using his name - Nataksukan. He did what he could to help the village prosper; forged new laws and served as a judge. In time people began to worship him and he showed them rituals to unite them and grant everyone small magical power to communicate. He was growing in power and villagers were even spreading word about their protector spirit to surrounding area. His influence and power was growing as did numbers of his followers. Nataksukan was to become smaller god of protection and laws and he loved it. He didn’t need any promotion from devil lords anymore as he would soon surpass them in power…

Character sheet

Ability scores:
Str 10
Dex 10
Con 10
Int 18
Wis 12
Cha 14
+2 dex for race, +4 more dex and +2 wis for leveling in Imp class, +4 int for ability scores increases every 4 levels
Total ability scores:
Str 10
Dex 16
Con 10
Int 22
Wis 14
Cha 14

Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Skills Feats Class Features 1st Imp 1 +1 +2 +2 +2 Hide 4, Move silently 4, Spellcraft 4, Craft (trapmaking) 4, Bluff (cc) 2(4), Disguise (cc) 2(4), Diplomacy (cc) 2(4), Kn. (arcana) 4, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 4, Kn. (local) 4, Kn. (religion) 4, Kn. (planes) 4 Educated (kn. religion and kn. rchitecture and engineering) Subtypes (evil, lawful), sting 1d4 (1 dex, 1d4 dex), +1 natural armor 2nd Imp 2 +2 +3 +3 +3 Hide 5, Move silently 5, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 2(5), Disguise (cc) 2(5), Diplomacy (cc) 2(5), Kn. (arcana) 5, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 5, Kn. (planes) 5 Weapon finesse (b) +2 wis, detect good at will, detect magic at will 3rd Imp 3 +2 +3 +3 +3 Hide 5, Move silently 5, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 2(5), Disguise (cc) 2(5), Diplomacy (cc) 2(5), Kn. (arcana) 5, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 5, Kn. (planes) 5 - Polymorph (1st form), fly 30 (perfect), fire resistance 5, +2 natural armor 4th Imp 4 +3 +3 +3 +3 Hide 6, Move silently 6, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 3(6), Disguise (cc) 3(6), Diplomacy (cc) 3(6), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 6, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 Mindsight +2 dex, poison (1d4 dex, 1d4 dex), DR 5/silver or holy, invisibility at will 5th Imp 5 +3 +3 +3 +3 Hide 6, Move silently 6, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 3(6), Disguise (cc) 3(6), Diplomacy (cc) 3(6), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 6, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Regeneration 1, suggestion 1/day, +3 natural armor 6th Imp 6 +3 +3 +3 +3 Hide 6, Move silently 6, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 3(6), Disguise (cc) 3(6), Diplomacy (cc) 3(6), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 6, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 - +2 dex, polymorph (2nd form), fly 50 (perfect), commune 1/week (3 questions) 7th Imp 7 +3 +3 +3 +3 Hide 6, Move silently 6, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 3(6), Disguise (cc) 3(6), Diplomacy (cc) 3(6), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 6, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Poison (1d4 dex, 2d4 dex), regeneration 2, commune 1/week (6 questions) 8th Survivor 1 +3 +5 +5 +5 Hide 7, Move silently 7, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 3(7), Disguise (cc) 3(7), Diplomacy (cc) 3(7), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 7, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Uncanny dodge (dex bonus to AC), ability increase 9th Survivor 2 +3 +6 +6 +6 Hide 8, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 4(8), Disguise (cc) 4(8), Diplomacy (cc) 4(8), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 8, Kn. (planes) 5, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Evasion 10th Fiend of possession 1 +3 +8 +8 +8 Hide 9, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 6, Bluff (cc) 5(9), Disguise (cc) 5(9), Diplomacy (cc) 5(9), Kn. (arcana) 6, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 9, Kn. (planes) 6, Kn. (nobility) 5 Fell conspiracy Ethereal form, hide presence, possess object 11th Fiend of possession 2 +4 +9 +9 +9 Hide 10, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 6(10), Disguise (cc) 6(10), Diplomacy (cc) 6(10), Kn. (arcana) 7, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 5, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 10, Kn. (planes) 6, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Curse, magic item 12th Fiend of possession 3 +4 +9 +9 +9 Hide 11, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 7(11), Disguise (cc) 7(11), Diplomacy (cc) 7(11), Kn. (arcana) 7, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 6, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 11, Kn. (planes) 7, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Control object, ability increase 13th Fiend of possession 4 +5 +10 +10 +10 Hide 12, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 8(12), Disguise (cc) 8(12), Diplomacy (cc) 8(12), Kn. (arcana) 7, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 8, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 12, Kn. (planes) 7, Kn. (nobility) 5 Blessing of the godless Animate object, possess creature 14th Fiend of possession 5 +5 +10 +10 +10 Hide 13, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 9(13), Disguise (cc) 9(13), Diplomacy (cc) 9(13), Kn. (arcana) 8, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 8, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 13, Kn. (planes) 8, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Ally or enemy, possess noncontinuous object 15th Fiend of possession 6 +6 +11 +11 +11 Hide 14, Move silently 8, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 8, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 10, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 15, Kn. (planes) 8, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Control creature 16th Dungeon lord 1 +6 +11 +13 +13 Hide 14, Move silently 14, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 8, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 10, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 16, Kn. (planes) 8, Kn. (nobility) 5 Leadership Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1, ability increase 17th Dungeon lord 2 +7 +11 +14 +14 Hide 15, Move silently 15, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 5, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 10, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 10, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 17, Kn. (planes) 10, Kn. (nobility) 5 - Dungeon step 18th Dungeon lord 3 +8 +12 +14 +14 Hide 16, Move silently 16, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 6, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 11, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 11, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 18, Kn. (planes) 11, Kn. (nobility) 5 Complete awareness, dungeon minions 19th Dungeon lord 4 +9 +15+12 +15 +15 Hide 17, Move silently 17, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 7, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 12, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 12, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 19, Kn. (planes) 12, Kn. (nobility) 5 Extra followers Animate objects 20th Dungeon lord 5 +9 +12 +15 +15 Hide 18, Move silently 18, Spellcraft 5, Craft (trapmaking) 8, Bluff (cc) 10(14), Disguise (cc) 10(14), Diplomacy (cc) 10(14), Kn. (arcana) 13, Kn. (architecture and engineering) 13, Kn. (local) 5, Kn. (religion) 20, Kn. (planes) 13, Kn. (nobility) 5 Dungeon defender, horde lord +2, leadership, ability increase

Adaptation
Savage species imp is wierd one. The book is considered 3.25 for a good reason as the imp is somewhere between 3.0 imp and 3.5 one. You should talk to your DM about this if possible. I used Savage species version of the class as written, only using Text-trumphs-tables on regeneration (as it was regeneration 1 at start and then fast healing 2, while still being mentioned as regeneration in text). The class is missing 2 points of natural armor, 4 points of charisma and some skills as class skills (as they changed a bit). It shouldnt be much of work to implement these changes, but for Iron Chef, I wanted to go by RAW as much as possible.

So, what is it all about?
Nataksukan is using his followers as worshipers to achieve godhood. He shares his rituals with them, educates them, and then sends them to other towns and villages to spread the word about him. In the meantime he is also rebuilding the village into his image. He fortifies it, builds hideouts in the catacombs for the villagers should some trouble come their way and prepares traps so they could protect themselves. If he could choose his high level followers, he would get at least one cleric and one wizard both with Craft wondrous items feat and instruct them to make magical repeating traps with helpful spells, such as Cure light wounds, Remove disease, Create food and water, Purify food and water etc. to make small version of Tippyverse. Such items would help greatly in spreading word about his magical powers. He could use ritual sacrifices to give his crafters experience, using those who grossly broke the laws or were poking too much, though he prefers to avoid doing this to avoid any suspicion. He needs not to be evil any longer to get his power, though he still might use these techniques to gain more power quickly if he is sure to not get caught. After all he cannot die of old age so he can afford to wait and work slowly to complete his goals.

But wait, where is the dungeon?
Glad you asked. The entire village he controls and the catacombs beneath it should be considered his dungeon. He fortifies it constantly, making both him and his closest worshipers feeling safe. He then shares his knowledge of whole village with its inhabitants except private parts of each home and his secret rooms, where he has his wealth stored. Whenever someone enters the village, Nataksukan gets alerted and quickly goes to check on the newcomer, if he can. He uses his detect good and detect magic abilities to get some information.


Level breakdown
Nataksukan is no fighter. He depends on his skills of misdirection and his knowledge to keep him out of troubles. He is more suited to be NPC then PC as he is also very dependent on his followers and his seat of power in the village.
Ecl5: At this level you are holding up with others. Barely. You already got 2 dead levels, but your 3 levels as outsider are really good, giving you good BaB, saves, reasonable hitpoints and good amount of skills. You should focus on scouting and being sage for your party. You can also act as secondary face if needed, but the skills you need are cross class and your charisma isn't the highest.
Your polymorph form should be probably human. This is so you can blend in with the party and to help you infiltrate. Use your disguise skill (and various bonuses from tools or magic items) to not rise suspicion. Damage reduction and regeneration (or fast heal, depends on how your DM) along with some natural armor should help you to stay alive, but in fights you are mostly useless and you should avoid them if you can. Your detect magic, detect good, invisibilty at will and mindsight along with your knowledge skills should give you enough information to prepare your party for anything that you might encounter.
Ecl10: You finished your imp class, getting all the benefits, and already went through survivor into your first level of fiend of possession. Survivor is there to give you even more survivability as you still don't care much about fighting, so the loss of BaB isn't bothering you that much. Your second shape should be something more useful for you and is up for your taste. It can be anything not larger then medium size with up to 3 hd from following types: aberration, animal, dragon, fey, giant, humanoid, magical beast, monstrous humanoid, ooze, plant or vermin. I would personaly go for Marrulurk from sandstorm. They have above average stats, get sneak attack and death attack based on your HD and Cha (and with your invisibility at will you should be getting into situations to use it often if you play it smart). Your fiend of possession level is helping you in scouting even better, as you can go ethereal and scout efectively while possessing items. Your fell consipracy feat also lets your party communicate easily, either with priceless message spells or with 100ft telepathy for 50 gp.
Ecl15: Congratulations, you finished fiend of possession, and it feels good! You are now even harder to hurt, as you should be possessing something all the time, or at least be in ethereal form. Scouting is now even easier as you can animate the object you are possessing, moving around or if needed attacking with it. (This is why you should love statues for example.) In combat, you should be either trying to possess an enemy and control him or at least buff your meatshields equipment or himself by granting him bonuses from Ally or enemy.
Ecl20:You are unquestionable master of your village now. You know of everyone who enters it not only from your Dungeon lord abilities, but also from your network of followers who all participate in your fell conspiracy ritual. The blessing of the godless is meant only for the closest followers (those who you get from your leadership and who will not betray you) and it will give them even more bonuses. You can possess everything in the village to use against would-be attackers. You can animate objects either by possessing them or by using your Dungeon lord ability, you can spring mechanical traps even as rogue is disarming them if you possess them, or just possess the rogue, take control, make him black out and pass the trap. Once it springs at the others, jump in and attack. The duration of possession is not long, but it should be more then enough to make damage. Still, by now you should be avoiding combat anyway as you have people to do this for you.

Items
You usualy don't need items as you are possessing objects or creatures anyway. Still, apart from the standard items, Dimensional Shackles might come in handy to protect yourself from dismissal or banishment spells. Also, earplugs for when you can see powerful cleric who might use holy word as you need to hear it to be affected.

Sources
Savage species - Imp progression (pg. 179), Survivor PrC (pg. 89)
Fiend folio - Fiend of possession (pg. 204)
Dungeonscape - Dungeon lord (pg. 108)
Eberron Campaign Setting - education feat (pg. 52)
Lords of Madness - mindsight feat (pg. 126)
Exemplars of Evil - Blessing of the godless and Fell conspiracy feats (pg. 23, 24)
Heroes of Battle - Extra followers (pg. 97)
Sandstorm - Marrulurk (pg. 170)
SRD or PHB/DMG - Leadership feat (PHB, pg. 97), Dimensional shackles (pg. 255)

[Heliomance]

The Little Dracolich that Could.


Nihlnihl
LE Venerable Dracolich Dragonwrought Kobold Sleeping Tiger Monk 1/Hit-and-Run Fighter 2/Warblade 3/ Crinti Shadow Marrauder 5/Dungeon Lord 5

The Eternal Lord of the TombAbility Scores32 Point Buy: 10 Str, 17 Dex, 8 Con, Int 13, Wis 10, Cha 16

After adjustments for Venerable Dragonwrought Kobold: 6 Str, 19 Dex, 6 Con, Int 14, Wis 13, Cha 19

After Adjustments for Dracolich: 6 Str, 19 Dex, - Con, Int 16, Wis 13, Cha 21

All Stat increases go to Dex.
Level Progression


Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Sleeping Tiger Monk 1
+0
+2
+2
+2
Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 2, Handle Animal 2
Dragonwrought, Improved Unarmed StrikeB, Weapon FinesseB
Flurry of Blows, AC Bonus


2nd
Hit-and-Run Fighter 1
+1
+4
+2
+2
Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 5, Handle Animal 4
Mounted CombatB
Hit-and-Run Tactics


3rd
Warblade 1
+2
+6
+2
+2
Hide 5½, Move Silently 6, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 5, Handle Animal 4
Stealthy
Battle Clarity (Reflex Saves)


4th
Warblade 2
+3
+7
+2
+2
Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 6, Handle Animal 4
-
Uncanny Dodge


5th
Fighter 2
+4
+8
+2
+2
Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Craft (Trapmaking) 4, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 8, Handle Animal 4
Martial Study (Shadow Jaunt)B
-


6th
Crinti Shadow Marrauder 1
+4
+8
+4
+2
Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Craft (Trapmaking) 7, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 9, Handle Animal 5
Darkstalker
Shadow Ride


7th
Crinti Shadow Marrauder 2
+5
+8
+5
+2
Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Craft (Trapmaking) 10, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 6
-
Sudden Strike 1d6


8th
Crinti Shadow Marrauder 3
+6
+9
+5
+3
Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Craft (Trapmaking) 11, Tumble 4, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 10
Ride By AttackB
-


9th
Crinti Shadow Marrauder 4
+7
+9
+6
+3
Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Craft (Trapmaking) 12, Tumble 6, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 10
Sun School
Sudden Strike +2d6


10th
Crinti Shadow Marrauder 5
+7
+9
+6
+3
Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Craft (Trapmaking) 13, Tumble 6, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 13
-
Shadow Pounce


11th
Warblade 3
+8
+9
+7
+4
Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Craft (Trapmaking) 14, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 14
-
Battle Ardor (Critical Confirmation)


15th
Dracolich LA
+8
+9
+7
+4
Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Craft (Trapmaking) 14, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 14
-
Paralyzing Touch, Paralyzing Gaze, Invulnerability, Control Undead, SR 16, Undead Traits, True Strike 1/day (Draconic Rite of Passage)


16th
Dungeon Lord 1
+8
+9
+9
+6
Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Craft (Trapmaking) 15, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 15
Extraordinary Trapsmith
Dungeon Mastery, Horde Lord +1


17th
Dungeon Lord 2
+9
+9
+10
+7
Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Craft (Trapmaking) 16, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 16
-
Dungeon Step


18th
Dungeon Lord 3
+10
+10
+10
+7
Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Craft (Trapmaking) 17, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 17
-
Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


19th
Dungeon Lord 4
+11
+10
+11
+8
Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Craft (Trapmaking) 18, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 18
Martial Study (Shadow Stride)
Animate Objects


20th
Dungeon Lord 5
+11
+10
+11
+8
Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Craft (Trapmaking) 19, Tumble 7, Jump 2, Speak Language (Drow Sign), Ride 10, Handle Animal 19
LeadershipB
Dungeon Defender


Maneuvers


Effective Character Level
Maneuvers Known
Stances Known
Maneuvers Readied


3
Leading the Attack, Wolf Fang Strike, Steel Wind
Leading the Charge
3


4
Mountain Hammer
-
3


5
Shadow Jaunt
-
3


11
White Raven Tactics
-
3


19
Shadow Stride
-
3



The Road to RuinECL 5Somewhere in the Gnollwatch mountains is a mine inhabited not by the gnolls for whom the mountains are named, but a clan of kobolds. Diligent, reflective folk that kobold’s are, they have developed a strong tradition of monasticism within their community. While kobold practicality and quickness seem the most reasonable explanation for their adopting the style of the Sleeping Tiger, some fanciful accounts claim that the mine is host to a vein of tiger’s eye rather than the silver for which the mountains are known, or that the tribe descend from the servants of a Half-Dragon Dire Tiger, rather than escapees from the slave pens of the Drow as is more commonly believed. Regardless of the tribe’s origins or the source of their wealth, the warren pays tribute to the Crinti who rule Dambrath rather than any dragon, half-breed or otherwise. Yet the blood of dragons still runs true in them on occasion and a dragonwrought is hatched into the community.

One such kobold was named Nihlnihl, a creature of seemingly endless contradiction. Despite the blood of the great lumbering beast that ran in his veins, Nihlnihl was frail and reliant on swiftness and cunning even by kobold standards, and despite belonging to the Sleeping Tiger monastery, he was restive and not much for sleep or meditation. Still, he served the warren well throughout the times of relative peace that comprised most of his life, and still even as conflict found its way into the mine when he was an old wyrm.

While it was a relatively commonplace gnoll rebellion by the standards of the wider world, it became momentous for the kobolds when the Crinti sent emissaries to conscript soldiers to assist in the fighting. Nihlnihl joined them and quickly proved himself a worthy strategist and took after the Drow style of skirmishing quickly. In a matter of weeks, the uprising was beaten down and the little kobold found himself dragging a severed gnoll’s head almost as big as he was into a Crinti court.

Nihlnihl dips around a bit in these levels, picking up a few maneuvers, Dex to attack and damage against flatfooted opponents, and the prerequisites for Crinti Shadow Marauder. Strapped for skill points as we are, Speak Language (Drow Sign) is also snuck in to help communicate with Crinti comerades on stealth missions, and later on, to ensure that he retains some communication ability when he loses the ability to speak for days at a time as a Proto-Dracolich. Also, as we’ll eventually be going undead, his Con is really low, so be extra careful.

ECL 10In recognition for his service against the gnolls, Nihlnihl was made one of the shadow riders of the Crinti and rode out under that banner to bring glory to his clan. Riding in darkness came naturally after a long life in the tunnels, and after the dim torchlight or total darkness of his home, the stars in the night’s sky seemed to blaze like dragon fire. He even learned to love the sun, though he needed special eyewear to withstand its brilliance. Though secluded monastic life had begun to seem a distant dream, he learned to incorporate the techniques of another monastery dedicated to the sun in with his old Sleeping Tiger style even as he rode deeper into the shadow in service to his new lords.

Crinti Shadow Marauder gets us Shadow Pounce and a few other nice things. Darkstalker is nabbed at the earliest point it can be fit in so we can do the stealth thing properly and the Shadow Pouncing staple Sun School follows shortly thereafter.

ECL 15But in riding so far afield from his home, Nihlnihl made himself something he had never been, an outsider. Crinti leaders began to grumble at the growing renown of a member of what many still saw as a Drow slave race, and one so obviously dedicated to pursuits for which the race was stereotyped, for Nihlnihl could frequently be found at work on some trap or other. Worse still were the mutterings of the clergy of Loviatar who were even more vehemently opposed to one who did not serve the Lady of Pain rising to such high station within Dambrath.

Indeed it was the followers of Loviatar that proved Nihlnihl’s downfall. In the celebratory aftermath of a victory in battle, the kobold was led away only to find himself ambushed and subdued by Loviarar’s clerics. All went black for Nihlnihl and remained so even after he regained consciousness, for a dark hood covered his face, but the particular way that the voices promising to teach him of the Maiden of Pain’s exquisite suffering reverberated made him suspect that he was in a cathedral.

The Loviatans scourged the kobold to the edge of his life and indeed death would have been a mercy. For when they had finished with the flagellations, they lifted the hood past Nihlnihl’s mouth and poured a strange liquid down his throat. He gulped it down with the instinctual thirst that grips all tortured creatures on the brink of death. Yet it did not quench his parched throat, but gave it one last vile burn, before Nihlnihl’s soul was ripped from his body and sealed in a heavy amulet that one priestess bore. He sought his body in a deep void but could not find it and was trapped.

Two acolytes brought the amulet to the great swamp of Rethild and cast it into a bog laughing. But in that darkness beneath the mire Nihlnihl saw a faint glimmer of light, and just as the stars above when first he had rode beneath the night sky it seemed to blaze like dragon fire. He lunged toward it and felt his soul once more attach to flesh. With a moment’s focus he slipped from the dark pool to the light above, directly behind one of the Loviatans, who he fell upon in a barrage of kicks, claws, and fangs. The cleric went rigid and collapsed and her compatriot went similarly stiff with a glance into Nihlnihl’s new dead eyes. He took their heads and shoved them beneath the surface of the marsh water digging his claws in to deliver the chill of undeath once more if ever they showed signs of moving.

Dracolichdom can come anywhere in the build, in fact earlier is better because of your godawful Con, but this seemed a good point story-wise and a point where you can probably afford to just buy the potion and phylactery if need be. Also, as in the above fluff passage, a Dragonwrought Dracolich cannot possess its own corpse by RAW as they can only attempt to possess medium or larger corpses, so you may need to massacre some lizardfolk or something. I also put off the Draconic Rite of Passage until this point because HP were at more of a premium than usual at lower levels, and this ensures the survival of the fasting and the making of the concentration check. We also pick up another Warblade level for WRT and to ensure a high enough initiator level to eventually pick up Shadow Stride. And with that, we’ve at last set the stage for the SI.

ECL 20Nihlnihl knew he could not return to Dambrath. The church of Loviatar had driven him out, and trying to strike back against them would ultimately only result in his new body being destroyed and his soul trapped more carefully and permanently, or in simply being destroyed, perhaps at the hands of his former comrades in the Shadow Riders. So he remained in Rethild, carrying on out of spite. And as he wandered the fens and the lizardfolk corpse he inhabited decayed away into the semblance of his original body, his tactical mind began to formulate his plans. In time as he came to understand the nature of his dracolichdom and came to the conclusions that the container for his soul would have to be protected and that he would need backup corpses to possess. So he brought death to the lizardfolk of Rethild, leaving whole villages and their burial sites deserted as more and more corpses joined his stockpiles. Yet he yearned for better bodies and still needed a base of operations to defend against their kingdom’s retribution and incursions that Loviatar’s clerics might make to finish what they had started with him.

It was the same stroke of inspiration that solved both of these dilemmas. During a routine strike against a small lizardfolk settlement, his eye was caught by a crude idol depicting a dragon, and remembered a legend he had heard of a black dragon that inhabited an abandoned ruin somewhere in Rethild. While Nihlnihl had no desire to seek out that particular ruin or that particular dragon, he was sure that neither could have been unique in the great marsh which had existed for so many eons. There must, he reasoned, be shells of dragons and civilizations long since forgotten which would bear a squatter.

He found the ruin first. It took time, but the kobold eventually came upon an old road and at its end, a moss-covered, weather-beaten pyramid, the temple and mausoleum of some ancient cult. He forced his way into the temple, destroyed its guardians, and set up shop. Nihlnihl enshrined his phylactery in the innermost sanctum, surrounded by the reptilian corpses he had collected. And in time, he became the absolute ruler of that small domain, the Eternal Lord of the Tomb. He laid murderous deathtraps throughout the labyrinthine tunnels and drew to his service those sightless crawling things and resilient beasts that could withstand his gaze. These servants ranged out into the fens to seek out the dragon corpses he desired, and over the long years began to turn up a few results. Meanwhile, the Lord of the Tomb set his will toward total dominion over his new home. He ensured that the tunnels over which he ruled could not escape the creeping cold in his eyes and claws.

In time, he forgot the world outside the tomb. The mine where his clan dwelt and the monastery there where he had spent his life. The stars of the night’s sky and the sun in the day that he had learned to love upon venturing forth to the surface. The only light of dragon’s fire that remained to the kobold was in possessing or finding a new corpse, learning that another Loviatan had been caught in his lands and hung by their own whip outside the pyramid, or in the gleam in the eyes of adventurers that came to seek their fortune in his dominion before he extinguished their light forever.

Here’s where everything comes together. You can scout out your dominion with Complete Awareness and Shadow Pounce on any intruder at any time. When you do so, you can make use of not only Sun School’s most well-known maneuver, but also the under-used Inexorable Progress of Dawn, which allows you to push someone hit by the first two attacks in a flurry back 5ft into, say, an insidious deathtrap (which you’ve crafted at half price and in half the time thanks to Extraordinary Trapsmith). Nihlnihl’s BAB is a bit low, but between high Dex, catching enemies flatfooted, and a use/day of True Strike to increase the chance of the first blow landing you’ve got a decent chance. And to add the cherry on top, the target has to make a fort save against paralysis for every hit thanks to the snazzy Dracolich Paralyzing Touch, and everything within 40ft has to make a save against your Paralyzing Gaze (hence, as the fluff suggests, you want your followers, and the creatures trained with your maxed out Handle Animal, to be either sightless and immune to gaze attacks, or immune to paralysis).

Once you enter the fray, you’ve got a respectable and fairly sustainable two teleport movements and full attacks per round between Shadow Jaunt, Shadow Stride, and the Warblade recovery mechanic, so you can spread around the Paralyzing Touches and make sure anyone who hasn’t yet saved against the Paralyzing Gaze has to do so. With the synergy bonus from Handle Animal, you also have a sufficient Ride mod to auto-pass the check to fast mount or dismount if the creature is saddled or you have a +4 enhancement/inherent bonus to Dex, so by placing the additional stipulation on your dungeon minions that they be mountable (have any structures you might feel like animating shaped accordingly as well), you gain an additional way to reposition yourself for a more advantageous position relative to your traps or get close enough to them to force a gaze attack save if you haven’t yet done so, and with an additional way of making your standard action teleport through Shadow Ride if you don’t have Shadow Jaunt available (say if you used your swift action on WRT instead of refreshing on the previous turn) or have a mountable ally that’s also a Shadow Pouncer.

Still, you’ve got 4 LA and no Con mod, so getting smashed to bits is an issue right? Well, thanks to dracolichdom, not really. When Nihlnihl “dies” he just goes back to his phylactery and jumps into a new body (if you’re stuck with just reptilian corpses and worried about making the Charisma check consider having a Marshal follower with Motivate Charisma nearby) on the following round. Proto-Dracolichdom does cost you the ability to speak, add your extra d6 of cold damage to your attacks, and probably your ability to use your SLAs, but seems to let you keep most other things, including the more important non-cold damage part of Paralyzing Touch. You also get the new body’s almost certainly superior Str score, but seem to get to keep your own Dex as it isn’t mentioned. So take your new body and Dungeon Step right back into the fray with a Shadow Pounce for good measure. The only potential issue is the items you wear, so look into precautions against intruders looting your stuff and booking it (Selective Forbiddance and Weirdstones aren’t great options as even the former messes with Shadow Riding, but curses on the items, Dimensional Anchor/Selective (You) Dimensional Lock traps if you can afford them, and even less esoteric things like protocols/trained tricks for your minions should be viable). Assuming you can manage such concerns, Nihlnihl and his followers can beat down most intruding adventuring parties through sheer unrelenting attrition.

As an aside that didn’t really fit in anywhere else, Druid followers are great things for Nihlnihl to have if you can get past the whole servants of nature with an undead lord thing. Caster support is simply necessary in 3.5, but Druid servants synergize particularly nicely. They make good mounts, have fairly easy access to senses that keep them from having to look into your Paralyzing Gaze, can use aid another to boost your Handle Animal checks, and have access to Memory Rot – one of the few spells I’ve found that cause Int Drain, and the only one I’ve found at a reasonable spell level – to turn creatures that would otherwise be too intelligent into valid targets for Handle Animal.

AdaptationI seriously considered using Crusader over Warblade for Cha synergy and better class skills for the build, but ultimately decided that the superior recovery mechanic was worth it.

I’ve seen it argued that an initiator level in an initiator class which doesn’t have access to a certain discipline can only learn maneuvers from that discipline through Martial Study/Stance at character level/2. Frankly, I don’t buy it, and it seems pretty rare for people to rule that way, but if you feel this is an issue, then take Martial Stance (Punishing Stance), Ironheart Aura, and Stormguard Warrior instead of the shadow teleport Martial Study feats and some third feat, perhaps Extraordinary Trapsmith, then swap out the second and third Warblade levels for Crusader. You’ll be reduced to a single full attack each round in combat (using Shadow Ride), but the paralysis of your Paralyzing Touch and Inexorable Progress of Dawn still work on Stormguard Warrior touch attacks. This modified build is also an option if incurring multiclass penalties is an issue for you. If LA buyoff is allowed, you can also fit in a level of Swordsage at the very end of the build with just enough IL for Shadow Stride.

I left it out of the build proper because I went all in with the Faerun fluff and it’s a little cheesy/not really necessary, but huge proponent of Dragonwrought Kobolds as True Dragons that I am, I should mention how to use Sovereign Archetypes if they’re on the table. I can’t really stomach the cheese of Wyrm of War on kobolds, but I am a fan of Passion’s Flame and it fits the fluff here. Since it’s based on caster level rather than Sorcerer caster level, you can get the Rage progression of a Barbarian by pushing the Draconic Rite of Passage up to the beginning of the build where it’d normally be, and that could do a lot to keep you alive and more functional in the early going when the low Str and Con really hurt.

The Treasure TroveComplete Warrior: Sun School
Draconomicon: Dracolich
Drow of the Underdark: Drow Fighter/Hit-and-Run Tactics ACF
Dungeonscape: Dungeon Lord
Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting: Drow Sign Language
Lords of Madness: Darkstalker
Races of the Dragon: Dragonwrought, Extraordinary Trapsmith
Shining South: Crinti Shadow Marauder
Tome of Battle: Maneuvers, Martial Study, Warblade
Everything else should be in the SRD.

[Heliomance]

Do you hear the dragons sing, singing the song of angry wyrms? It's the crying of a people who will not be slaves again!


Cadmus
LN Dragonborn (Heart) Bhuka Marshal 4/Dragon Shaman 1/Warchief 3/Dungeon Lord 5/Warchief 10

Abilities
Before mods
Str 12
Dex 12
Con 14
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 16

After mods
Str 10
Dex 12
Con 16
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 16

At Level 20
Str 10
Dex 12
Con 17 (1 from level at 12)
Int 14
Wis 10
Cha 26 (4 from levels, 6 from Warchief)

Build


Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Marshal 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Handle Animal 4, Intimidate 4, Listen 4, Spot 4 (Bonus Languages: Draconic, Goblin)
Exhaled Barrier
Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Minor Aura (Master of Tactics)


2nd
Marshal 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Diplomacy 5, Handle Animal 5, Knowledge (Arcana) 1, Knowledge (Nature) 1, Listen 5, Spot 5

Major Aura +1 (Motivate Ardor)


3rd
Marshal 3
+2
+3
+1
+3
Bluff 5, Diplomacy 6, Handle Animal 6, Intimidate 5, Listen 6, Spot 6
Draconic Aura (Energy)
Minor Aura (Motivate Dexterity)


4th
Marshal 4
+3
+4
+1
+4
Bluff 6, Diplomacy 7, Handle Animal 7, Intimidate 6, Listen 7, Spot 7

Adrenaline Boost


5th
Dragon Shaman 1
+3
+7
+1
+7
Bluff 8, Intimidate 8

Totem Dragon (Green), Draconic Aura +1 (Power, Senses, Vigor)


6th
Warchief 1
+3
+9
+1
+9
Diplomacy 9, Handle Animal 9
Leadership
Tribal Frenzy (Str+2)


7th
Warchief 2
+4
+10
+1
+10
Diplomacy 10, Handle Animal 10, Sense Motive 2

Ability Boost (Cha+2)


8th
Warchief 3
+5
+10
+2
+10
Diplomacy 11, Sense Motive 5

Tribal Frenzy (Str+4)


9th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+10
+4
+12
Listen 9, Spot 9
Dilate Aura (Draconic Aura)
Dungeon Mastery, Horde Lord +1


10th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6/+1
+10
+5
+13
Listen 11, Spot 11

Dungeon Step


11th
Dungeon Lord 3
+7/+2
+11
+5
+13
Listen 13, Spot 13

Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


12th
Dungeon Lord 4
+8/+3
+11
+6
+14
Listen 15, Spot 15
Clinging Breath
Animate Objects


13th
Dungeon Lord 5
+8/+3
+11
+6
+14
Intimidate 8, Listen 16, Spot 16

Dungeon Defender, Horde Lord +2, Leadership


14th
Warchief 4
+9/+4
+12
+6
+15
Diplomacy 13, Handle Animal 12




15th
Warchief 5
+9/+4
+12
+6
+15
Diplomacy 15, Handle Animal 14
Recover Breath
Tribal Frenzy (Str+6)


16th
Warchief 6
+10/+5
+13
+7
+16
Diplomacy 17, Handle Animal 16

Ability Bonus (Cha +2)


17th
Warchief 7
+11/+6/+1
+13
+7
+16
Diplomacy 19, Intimidate 10

Tribal Frenzy (Str+8)


18th
Warchief 8
+12/+7/+2
+14
+7
+17
Diplomacy 20, Intimidate 12
Extra Followers
Devoted Bodyguards


19th
Warchief 9
+12/+7/+2
+14
+8
+17
Diplomacy 22, Intimidate 14

Tribal Frenzy (Str+10)


20th
Warchief 10
+13/+8/+3
+15
+9
+18
Diplomacy 23, Intimidate 17

Ability Bonus (Cha +2)




Backstory
Cadmus was born in the desert, one of the chief’s many sons. The youngest of all, Cadmus was spoiled with attention from his father as old age led the chief to think towards the future. Years of struggle had taught Cadmus’s father that strength aids the warrior and intellect the planner but above all a chief needed force of personality. He did not always need to be right, but he needed to be able to convince the tribe that he knew what he was doing. As a child, Cadmus had a knack for getting what he wanted. The chief saw promise, and when Cadmus was of age he was given command of a few of the other Bhukas to forage for water sources and scout for trouble from nearby tribes. His successes led to more responsibility, and he was even put in charge of a raiding party. As time passed, he seemed well on the way to becoming chief himself as he grew into a strong young leader. The chief gave to Cadmus one final test before he would give him leadership. Cadmus had to perform the rite practiced by chiefs of his clan for generations. He had to walk into the wastes in search of the Great Dragon, gain his blessing as would be seen in his scaly hide and his powerful frame, and return to his tribe unaided.

But in his doting on his youngest son, the chief had neglected the others. They grew jealous that Cadmus was chosen over them, as a number were cleverer, and many were more skilled in direct combat. When Cadmus returned from his journey, they lay in wait at the outskirts of the tribal land. Weakened and dehydrated as he was from the trial, he could not defend himself against the strength of his brothers, and they seized and bound him without anyone hearing. They traveled quickly to the caravans passing by, haggling with the slavers until they got what they felt was a fair price for their brother. From there Cadmus passed hands several times until he was sold to collectors of sorts, a castle filled with Neogi who had a particular liking for those who had descended from and touched by the Great Dragons. The Neogi viewed them as little more than pets or decorative knick-knacks, to be trotted out to impress others at parties, and kept forgotten in cells and closets at other times.

Cadmus found little camaraderie or support from the other slaves. They had been in chains too long to believe they could escape, and the constant struggle for food kept rivalries bitter. After he had spent some time learning all the new rules, he began to ask around to those willing to answer to understand the associations and groupings. There were those like him, given their gift in adulthood. There were others who bore the faint blood of the great ones, but enough that they had a strong sense of magic. There were the stunted ones with their minds always on tunnels and traps. The strongest and most fearsome among them were those scions of the Dragon of Many Heads, whose wisdom is too great for a single brain. After the end of a long string of parties in which they were shown around, the slaves were left in the dungeons for weeks. After a time, it seemed they had been forgotten completely but for the trickle of food that came to them.

It was then that Cadmus found his time to act. Seeking to form an alliance with the fearsome ones, he approached one of their leaders, a bulky creature, palest white like those in the caves.
“What is your plan for escaping this place?”
“Escape? Escape is impossible! We’ve never been able to burrow under the walls, or break the doors, or even wriggle out of these damned chains! They won’t melt, they won’t corrode, and freezing only makes them tighter.”
Cadmus peered at them in the dim light, quizzically examining the angles.
“These chains are not metal. They are ceramics. My people make our houses from bricks much like these. They are quite durable, but they can be brittle if they cool too quickly from the heat. Perhaps with the firebreathers, we might–“
“The hotheads? No way! They don’t have the patience to count all their fingers, much less do fine work like this. Besides, we never work with the damn redskins.”
Cadmus gave a cry of surprise.
“You would let petty feuds deny you freedom?”
“You don’t understand our race relations, kid.”
“No, it is you who do not understand!” With this Cadmus drew himself to his full height, and spoke with the commander’s voice he had practiced in a more innocent time.
“Hear me, imprisoned! Listen to my words! You have been fighting over scraps of food and sleeping spots in the dungeons, blind that you could have the whole roasts and softest beds. You let yourselves be divided over your past slights and your differences. This is exactly what they want! You are kept weak and splintered, denied the power you could have. Look!” With this he breathed a plume of fire into the air above him, followed a few moments later by a bolt of lightning, a cloud of acrid corrosive mist, and a fog of pure frost.
“If you only look at these you see the elements, representations of those gathered here. But look down, and what do you see? They all come from the same source. At our root, we are all dragons, those worthy to receive the gifts of the great ones. We deserve better than this, and we will not let what is rightfully ours be taken from us by scuttling vermin!”
Comprehension began to dawn on the crowd, and Cadmus leapt on the opportunity. He motioned for one of the redspawn to come towards him.
“Concentrate your fire on these chains.”
“But we’ve tried and–“
“Just do it!”
For a moment a flash of anger crossed its eyes and Cadmus feared he had spoken wrong. But fate smiled on him, and the look eased into one of mere resignation.
“You asked for it.”
A concentrated stream of fire enveloped the chains for several seconds until the heat began to burn the skin on his wrists, but Cadmus simply turned to the large whitespawn he was talking to previously
“Now, quickly shock them with cold!”
As the frost descended on the chains Cadmus strained his arms apart, then quickly brought them down on an outcropping rock. The chains shattered with a resounding ring, and for a moment those gathered were silent. Then the dungeon shook with a roar of triumph, as hope renewed in their hearts. They made quick work of getting the chains off of the rest, and from there the steps fell into place.
Cadmus led a team of the burrowers and the miners under the dungeons, but not out of the castle. The walls there were too deep and laced with alarms. They simply tunneled into the adjacent rooms, the storerooms and larders. When everyone could eat enough, they regained the strength they had forgotten in a few days. The strongest ones working together under Cadmus’ guidance could finally break through the weak points in the doors after loosening the right spots with acid.
They caught their old masters off guard, without their closely packed protectors and their magical wards. The dragons made quick work of them, and by the end of the day the whole castle was taken. When the neighboring slavers were invited by, they met a similar fate. Once secure, Cadmus sent groups out to survey the land, to gauge threats, and to find potential allies. Those who came to try to wrest the castle from their control soon learned the error of their ways, and with every battle the dragons honed their skills. By the year’s end he was leader of a well-trained army in a stronghold worthy of their might. On the ramparts, in place of a crest, a large banner proclaimed a single message.
Meddle not in the affairs of Dragons.

Level 5
Yes, that’s more marshal than most people take, but you’ll put it to good use. Motivate Dex should be on outside of combat to boost skills if you feel like taking a stab at sneaking. Having it up when battle starts means bonus to initiative. Once it’s been rolled, switch over to Master of Tactics for close combat; the damage boost helps at low levels and is virtually a die of sneak attack (for now). Note that Motivate Ardor is all damage rolls, so applies to your breath weapon, and because it’s your only major, it should be on all the time. Speaking of your breath weapon, it’s a reliable damage source, and with exhaled barrier becomes a means of battlefield control. You have all of the 4 energy types for your breath weapon, so if someone’s got a weakness, take advantage of it. Your marshal auras apply to 60 feet out, and include yourself, so everybody should be boosted. Adrenaline Boost provides any or all allies in 30 feet with temp hp, which can be a real lifesaver at low levels, since it can apply to as many people as can cram into the radius, which will really show its value later.

Dragon Shaman adds on more auras, all of them useful. Senses should be your default out of combat aura; Spot, Listen and Initiative are all useful at the beginning of an encounter. Once the fight starts, switch to Power to boost damage rolls (this one’s unfortunately melee only, but still works with Master of Tactics), and if stuff gets hairy/end of combat switch to Vigor. Note that switching marshal or dragon shaman auras is a swift action, so you can only change 1 per turn. The totem dragon decision is arbitrary, Green chosen here for skills, but essentially anything works provided alignment lines up. Dragon Shaman auras are only 30 feet (including yourself), but don’t require intelligence or shared language.

The Draconic Aura feat essentially adds another classless major aura to the pile, the one chosen here is Energy, which adds to the DC of any energy effect of one type. I chose acid to line up with Green Totem Dragon, and because acid is the breath weapon you should be using most of the time unless you have a good reason otherwise. It should also be the type your Dragonborn followers should be using. The aura scales (up to +4) as if it were a Major Aura, based on your character level because of the dragonblood subtype, so keep track of it as you level up.

So to summarize, you will have 4 auras up and running at any given time (Minor, Major, Dragon Shaman, Draconic) The first two are 60ft and require shared language, the second two are 30ft with no requirements. All benefit you.

Level 10 (Sweet Spot)
Now the fun begins. Before we enter the SI, we’re going to up BA by nabbing a few levels in Warchief, a lovely little class that’s all about the buffing. I took Leadership here to ensure that Cadmus will absolutely have followers that can benefit from Tribal Frenzy. It affects any members of your race and tribe within 30 feet. Dragonborn is a race, and what are followers if not a tribe? All these creatures (notably not including yourself) gain an ever increasing bonus to strength, currently +4. They take 1 point of damage per HD every round, which for all 1st level followers (which is all but one of them at this point) is neatly negated by Vigor, which should be your default in-combat Dragon Shaman aura at this point. (There is the rare possibility that your DM may allow this damage to be reduced by DR, in which case your Draconic Aura should be Toughness, which would protect up to 5th level followers. This entry is built without that assumption.) Tribal Frenzy takes a standard to activate and can be ended at any time, and also has unlimited uses per day, so don’t feel afraid to flick it off if your followers are getting a bit beat up and need a couple rounds to heal. You may not gain the Strength of your followers, but you do gain stacking Charisma bonuses, which increase Leadership score and the effect of your Minor Auras.

In case you’re wondering about entry, Bhuka has the Goblinoid subtype. Dragonborn changes many things, but it allows you to retain your subtype. Dragonborn’s breath and Dragon Shaman’s aura’s are both supernatural, so you’re all qualified when you enter.

Dilate Aura doubles the radius of any aura for Cha rounds. I’d use it on Tribal Frenzy, but it isn’t technically an aura, so use it on Energy and turn it on for the beginning for a big shock and awe breath weapon blast. Your high Cha means some of your followers will get to breathe twice before it shrinks down to normal. By now, you have enough people to be doing all the melee for you, so it’s best you stay back and shoot foes with archery and breath weapon, since it also allows for maximizing influence of auras.

Any tribe worth its salt has a castle, and Dungeon Lord lets you make full use of that base of operations. Horde Lord is the biggest draw, letting your followers add more bonuses onto the pile, and it applies no matter your distance, so those guys on the ends don’t feel left out. Dungeon step has its obvious uses for getting about in your dungeon, but in the middle of a fight sometimes you need to get closer to a group of minions to get them within aura range, and this works great for that as well. Your 28 followers will make a potent strike team at this point, make sure all the Heart Aspect guys stagger their volleys and let the brutes do the close fighting. All your auras apply vertically as well as laterally, so if you want to pack the area with some Wings Aspect archers, go right on ahead.

If you want to get crazy, Heroes of Battle has Commander Auras, which are minor bonuses you can grant to followers in 30 feet. I’d recommend Feral Commander (animals and magical beasts gain +2 on attack), but Melee Commander (all allies gain +1 on attack) is decent as well. Use your Handle Animal to train the dimmer of the spawn of Tiamat for war, and use them as shock troops when necessary. Remember they can still benefit from Draconic and Dragon Shaman Auras.

Level 15
Once we finish with Dungeon Lord and all its goodness, we go back into Warchief, and the bonuses keep on piling. Tribal Frenzy’s now up to a +6, with no increase in cost. Complete Awareness is a good idea to look at what kind of adventurers and how many are invading, which will let you know how many of your sizable coterie to take with you to fight them. Dungeon Minions mean you can finally stop escorting followers every time they want to get from A to B, and you can now strew the place with marbles, rubble and general detritus with impunity. Bonus points if its shiny pieces of junk, baubles like costume jewelry will really slow down invaders. Animated objects created by the class are subject to Dragon Shaman and Draconic Auras, don’t forget to add those on. Dungeon Defender plugs up those last things you didn’t have bonuses to already, and it’ll stack for stuff like saves and the ever increasing DC of your breath weapon. The bonus to Leadership is really great because it gets you more followers all the faster for your army.

Speaking of your breath weapon, Clinging Breath gives you yet another way to pile on the hurt, dealing extra damage while you wait for it to recharge. That wait time is less due to Recover Breath. I’m not sure if you can stack Clinging and Exhaled Barrier, but if you can they go excellently together and give you some real BFC in the tight spaces of the castle.

Level 20
We’re going to use those last levels to finish Warchief because it’s too tempting not to. Even more Cha boosts those “minor” auras up to +8, which can make a lot of difference, especially for your lvl 1 followers. Tribal Frenzy boosts strength to +10, meaning that for even an average commoner follower, they are running around with +7 (5 from str, 2 from horde lord) to attack and +16 (5 from str, 8 from tactics, 2 from horde lord, 1 from ardor) to damage. This combined with a +9 on initiative checks means your followers hit fast as well as hard. Extra Followers doubles the number under your control, because after all, the only thing better than an army is a bigger army.

That last class feature you gained is one to use as a panic button. Devoted Bodyguards allows you to treat any adjacent ally as if they took the hit for you if you succeed on a DC 15 Ref save which you can make easily (your total mod is 13). Note that you can use it as much as you want, and it doesn’t have to be a hit that would reduce you to 0, so anything that you really don’t want to get hit by feel free to shunt off. Your leadership bonus hits max before level 20, so you can afford the -1 if you lose followers, just don’t use it too much, because that would be mean.

One final bonus to toss on if you’re ready to get crazy is everyone’s favorite: Epic Diplomacy checks! Don’t worry; nothing too cheesy here. We’re just going to use it to bump your followers up from helpful to fanatic. The DC 50 check is not too difficult, since your total mod is 38 (23 ranks, 3 Skill Focus, 8 Cha, 2 Bluff, 2 Sense Motive). The bonus to Strength only increases the above great mods, the Con helps keep them alive longer, and the whole thing lasts 8 days. Nobody wants to mess with a horde of fanatical Dragonborn spouting acid and fighting with the strength of ogres.

Sources

Marshal, Warchief: Miniatures Handbook
Dragon Shaman, Adrenaline Boost: Player’s Handbook II
Dragonborn, Exhaled Barrier: Races of the Dragon
Bhuka: Sandstorm
Draconic Aura: Dragon Magic
Dilate Aura: Fiendish Codex II
Clinging Breath, Recover Breath: Draconomicon
Commander Auras, Extra Followers: Heroes of Battle
Leadership: srd

[Heliomance]

Listen to the children of the night. Such beautiful music they make.



Vlad III Drăculea, Prince of Wallachia
"Maybe you've heard of me in one or two books"



http://oyster.ignimgs.com/wordpress/stg.ign.com/2014/06/Dracula-Untold-International-Poster-610x894.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2aWqecTTuE
Thx Universal for the Video Summary for the Background and the Abilities


Race: Vampire Lord (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20021018a) Silverbrow Human (Ordo Dracul (http://whitewolf.wikia.com/wiki/Ordo_Dracul) Heritage)
Classes: Crusader4/HexBlade2/MasterVampire1/DungeonLord5

Hit Points: 12d12+12(Improved Toughness)+12(Vampire Lord)+12(Blessing of the Godless) 120Hp
Saves: +14/+20/+26 | +23/+29/+35 Vs. Spells and Spell-Like

Ability Scores:
Initial 32 Point Buy STR: 16 DEX: 12 CON: 11 INT: 10 WIS: 8 CHA: 17
4th Level: STR: 16 DEX: 12 CON: 11 INT: 10 WIS: 8 CHA: 17+1
Vampire Template: STR: 16+6 DEX: 12+4 CON: - INT: 10+2 WIS: 8+2 CHA: 18+4
8th Level: STR: 22 DEX: 16 CON: - INT: 12 WIS: 10 CHA: 22+1
Vampire Lord Template STR: 22+6 DEX: 16+4 CON: - INT: 12+2 WIS: 10+2 CHA: 23+4
12th Level: STR: 28 DEX: 20 CON: - INT: 14 WIS: 12 CHA: 27+1
Final: STR: 28 DEX: 20 CON: - INT: 14 WIS: 12 CHA: 28



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skill Ranks
Feats
Class Features


1st
Crusader 1
+1
+2 1/2
+1/3
+1/3
Diplomacy 4
Intimidate 4
Knowledge (religion) 4
Knowledge (history) 4

Lv1: Stone Power
Bonus: Improved Toughness

Furious counterstrike, steely resolve 5, Maneuvers


2nd
Crusader 2

+2
+3
+2/3
+2/3
Diplomacy 5
Intimidate 5
Knowledge (religion) 5
Knowledge (history) 5


Indomitable soul


3rd
Crusader 3
+3
+3 1/2
+1
+1
Diplomacy 6
Intimidate 6
Knowledge (religion) 6
Knowledge (history) 6

Lv 3: Blessing of the Godless
Zealous surge


4th
Crusader 4
+4
+4
+1 1/3
+1 1/3
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 7
Knowledge (history) 7


Steely resolve 10


5th
Hexblade 1
+5
+4 1/3
+1 2/3
+2 5/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 7
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 2


Hexblade's curse 1/day


6th
Hexblade 2
+6
+4 2/3
+2
+3 1/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 8
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 3

Lv6: Necromantic Presence
Arcane Resistance


+8 LA
Vampire Template




8 racial bonus
Bluff
Hide
Listen
MoveSilently
Search
SenseMotive
Spot

Alertness
Combat Reflexes
Dodge
Improved Initiative
Lightning Reflexes

• Hit dice: d12
• Natural Armor Bonus +6
• Special Attacks:
o Blood Drain (Ex)
o Children of the Night (Su)
o Dominate (Su)
o Create Spawn (Su)
o Energy Drain (Su)
• Special Qualities
o Alternate Form (Su)
o Damage Reduction (Su): 10/silver and magic
o Fast Healing (Ex): 5
o Gaseous Form (Su)
o Resistances (Ex): cold & electricity 10
o Spider Climb (Ex),
o Turn Resistance (Ex):+4
• Vampire Weaknesses
• Ability Score Increase


7th
Master Vampire 1
6 3/4
+4 1/6
+2 1/3
+3 4/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 9
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7


More spawn, turn resistance


8th
Dungeon Lord 1
+7 2/4
+4 3/6
+2 5/6
+4 1/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 10
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7
SenseMotive
2


Dungeon mastery, horde lord +1


9th
Dungeon Lord 2
+8 1/4
+4 5/6
+3 2/6
+4 4/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion)11
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7
SenseMotive
4

Lv9: Landlord
Dungeon step


10th
Dungeon Lord 3
+9
+5 1/6
+3 5/6
+4 1/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 12
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7
SenseMotive
7


Complete awareness, dungeon minions


+0 LA
Vampire Lord Template




+4 racial bonus
Scry
Sense Motive,

+8 racial bonus
Diplomacy
Intimidate

Iron Will
Leadership

• Hit Dice: +1 hit point per level
• Speed: fly (perfect) speed 50 ft.
• AC: improves by +6
• Special Attacks:
o Improved Domination (Su)
o Improved Energy Drain (Su)
o Improved Blood Drain (Su)
• Special Qualities:
o Improved Alternate Form (Su)
o Improved Children of the Night (Su)
o Control Weather (Sp)
o Improved Create Spawn (Su)
o Improved Damage Reduction (Ex): 15/silver and magic
o Fast Healing (Ex):8
o Telekinesis (Su)
o Telepathy (Su)
o Turn Resistance (Ex): +4
• Saves: Charisma modifier to all saving throws
• Vampire Lord Weaknesses
• Ability Score Increase



11th
Dungeon Lord 4
+9 3/4
+5 3/6
+4 2/6
+4 4/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 12
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7
SenseMotive
7
Knowledge (arcana) 4


Animate objects


12th
Dungeon Lord 5
+10 2/4
+5 5/6
+4 5/6
+5 1/6
Diplomacy 7
Intimidate 7
Knowledge (religion) 12
Knowledge (history) 7
Bluff 7
SenseMotive
7
Knowledge (arcana) 8

Lv12:Necromantic Might

Dungeon defender, horde lord +2, Leadership




#1 (http://community.wizards.com/forum/previous-editions-character-optimization/threads/1117261) 7 years ago: “Vampire Lord Template - This one bears special mention as there is no level adjustment. You have to meet a 10 character level requirement after you become a vampire but the benefits are very nice. I will include it in the list below under the LA +0.”
#3 (http://community.wizards.com/comment/21655656#comment-21655656) 6 years ago: “I found it kicking around in an old copy of Dragon magazine I had kicking around my room. The following is a direct quote typed line for line of Rob Heinsoo, one of the D&D lead designers. It was in reference to how the vampire template seemed to be unplayable due to its seemingly too high level adjustment. …”
#4 (http://community.wizards.com/comment/44922331#comment-44922331) 2 years ago "Actually I remember reading an article somewhere (by the creator of the template I believe) that the template was designed with vampire pc's in mind, because the power of the vampire template dose not scale well with level advancement. the hefty +8 level adjustment can really shut down a players ability to contribute to the party, and even with all the neat benefits a vampire gets, the draw backs tend to overshadow the power you get. ..."





Level/Initator Level
Maneuvers Known
Maneuvers Rediaded
Stances Known
Maximum Level


1/1
5
5(2)
1
1


2/2
5
5(2)
2
1


3/3
6
5(2)
2
2


4/4
6
5(2)
2
2


5/4.5
6
5(2)
2
2


6/5
7
5(2)
2
3


7/5.5
7
5(2)
2
3


8/6
7
5(2)
2
3


9/6.5
7
5(2)
2
3


10/7
8
5(2)
2
4


11/7.5
8
5(2)
2
4


12/8
8
5(2)
3
4



Maneuvers Known
1. Vanguard Strike, Charging Minotaur, Stone Bones, Douse the Flames, Leading the Attack
2. Mountain Hammer
3. Revitalizing Strike
4. Bonesplitting Strike

Stances Known
1. Iron Guard's Glare, Leading the Charge
3. Tactics of the Wolf



Leadership Minions aka The Servants
Leadership Score: 12HD + 9Mod Cha +4 Dungeon Lord5 = 25/25
Followers: 1st: 135|2nd: 13|3rd: 7|4th: 4|5th:2|6th2
Bonuses
+2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (within the lair) (Dungeon Minions)

Controlled Vampires aka The Kindred

Bonuses:
+2 bonus on attack rolls and damage rolls (Dungeon Minions)
+4 Turn Resistance within 60ft (Necromantic Presence)
+2 enhancement bonus on their attack rolls and saving throws within 60ft (Necromantic Might)

Custom Rule: ": Vampire can control only Vampires/Spawns with at least 1 Less HD of His/Her Master "
From White Wolf: "The weakening of power from earlier to later generations is typically considered to be a natural dilution of the Curse of Caine. However, the Erciyes Fragments suggests that it is a result of a curse Caine placed on the Antediluvians after the Second Generation was killed, in the hopes that by ensuring childer were less powerful than their sires, they would be less likely to rebel and upset the patriarchal rule"

Master’s (12Hd) Maximum Controlled HD: 2x (12hd + 9ModCha [MasterVampire1]) = 42Hd = 3 x11Hd
11Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x11)x3 = 66HD = 6 x10Hd
10Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x10)x6 = 120HD = 13 x9Hd
9Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x9)x13 = 234HD = 29 x8Hd
8Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x8)x29 = 464 HD = 66 x7Hd
7Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x7)x66 = 924 HD = 154 x6Hd
6Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x6)x154= 1848 HD = 369 x5Hd
5Hd’s Controlled HD= (2x5)x369 = 3690HD = 922 Vampire Spawns

7th Generation – Elder (Master) 12Hd: 1
8th Generation – Elder 11Hd: 3
9th Generation – Ancillae 10Hd: 6
10th Generation – Ancillae 9Hd: 13
11th Generation – Neonates 8Hd: 29
12th Generation – Neonates 7Hd: 66
13th Generation – Neonates 6Hd: 154
14th Generation – Thin-blooded 5Hd: 369
15th Generation – Thin-blooded Spawns: 922

Total: 1562
From White Wolf: "Indeed, those of the 15th Generation have failed to sire any progeny. Their blood is far too thin, and they are too removed from Caine, to be able to pass on the curse."

Tactics: #1 tactics is use Spawns to sorround enemies and (attacking form every angle) and have a massive use of aid-another Special attack to boost To-hit and AC of proper vampires. Iron Guard's Glare, Leading the Charge and Tactics of the Wolf give another bonus for the intial charge and the susbsequent rounds for massive flanking and sorrounding.



[All Material from Stronghold builder Guidebook + Dungeon Master Guide]
The feat Landlord gives +100.000gp to build the Lair, + 75.000 x3 from 11Hd Vampires + 50.000 x6 from 10Hd Vampires + 25.000x13 from 9hd Vampires = 950.000gp

Cost Reduction: Landlord gives 50% off and Self Building (GO-GO spawns) -30%, Site in a Lawless Area -10%, -5% building on a Hill -5% Warm Climate = 28%Initial Cost => 950.000gp / 0.28 = 3.392.000 gp

Underground: 435 rooms – 795.000gp
Army Base (100 Soldiers) 29rooms 24.000gp x 15 = 360.000gp 435rooms 1500Soldiers [15th & 14th & 13th Generations]
Walls: Stone Unworked 435rooms x 1000gp = 435.000gp

Castle: 172rooms – 1.192.000gp
Banquet Hall [Serving 150] 136.200gp 18rooms
Residential Basic (8 Occupants) 11rooms 12.200gp x 12 = 146.000gp 96 Occupants [12th & 11th Generations] 132rooms
Residential Fancy (10 Occupants) 15 rooms 66.400gp x2 = 132.800gp 20 Occupants [10th & 9th Generations] 30 rooms
Residential Luxury (15 Occupants) 40 rooms 411.600gp x0.26 = 106.000gp 4 Occupants [8th & 7th Generations] 10 rooms
Walls 70% Interior 20% Exterior
Interior: Mansory, Superior 3000gp x 120 rooms = 360.000gp
Exterior: Stone 6000gp x 52 rooms = 312.000gp

Total: 1.987.000 gp, 612 Rooms

THE CUBE (http://www.horroria.com/i/nstills/03/88/388/388-58526.jpg)
Architectural Optimization: To capitalize Vampires’ Spider Movements and Dungeon Minions (Ex) enhanced Movement every room in the Lair has 6 Doors/Openings, one on every face of the room (2 are for free within Cluster's price).

For the Castle extra openings are Strong Wooden Secret Doors (Search DC 25) for 200gp x 4 x 172 = 141.600gp
For the Undegorund dungeon extra openings are Strong Wooden Doors for 50gp x 4 x 435 = 87.000gp

Moble Labyrinth: 1/3 of the rooms of the castle can move and thus reshape the castle itself: Speed Ex. Slow 1320ft/h -> 22ft/Minute 7000gp, Mode Crawling 1000gp = 8000gp x 60 rooms = 480.000gp

More Fun: 1/6 of the rooms of the Castle has Mechanical Traps (From Dungeon Master Guide/Srd)

Crushing Wall Trap x5– 125.000gp
CR 10; mechanical; location trigger; automatic reset; no attack roll required (18d6, crush); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 25. Market Price: 25,000 gp.
Poisoned Spiked Pit Trap x5 – 100.000gp
CR 10; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; hidden lock bypass (Search DC 25, Open Lock DC 30); DC 20 Reflex save avoids; 50 ft. deep (5d6, fall); multiple targets (first target in each of two adjacent 5-ft. squares); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+5 plus poison each); poison (purple worm poison, DC 24 Fortitude save resists, 1d6 Str/2d6 Str); Search DC 16; Disable Device DC 25. Market Price: 19,700 gp.
Wide-Mouth Spiked Pit with Poisoned Spikes x10 120.000gp
CR 9; mechanical; location trigger; manual reset; hidden lock bypass (Search DC 25, Open Lock DC 30); DC 20 Reflex save avoids; 70 ft. deep (7d6, fall); multiple targets (all targets within a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. area); pit spikes (Atk +10 melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+5 pluspoison each); poison (giant wasp poison, DC 14 Fortitude save resists, 1d6 Dex/1d6 Dex); Search DC 20; Disable Device DC 20. Market Price: 11,910 gp.
Insanity Mist Vapor Trap x5 120.000gp
CR 8; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; gas; never miss; onset delay (1 round); poison (insanity mist, DC 15 Fortitude save resists, 1d4 Wis/2d6 Wis); multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. room); Search DC 25; Disable Device DC 20. Market Price: 23,900 gp
Burnt Othur Vapor Trap x5 120.000gp
CR 7; mechanical; location trigger; repair reset; gas; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-by-10-ft. room); never miss; onset delay (3 rounds); poison (burnt othur fumes, DC 18 Fortitude save resists, 1 Con drain/3d6 Con); Search DC 21; Disable Device DC 21. Market Price: 17,500 gp.

Total : 3.280.000gp




Levels 1-5: Stright Melee Build, Low Con balanced by Imp. Tougness (+1Hp/Hd) Steely Resolve+Stone Power (= 10 Damage Reduction) and Blessing Of The Godless (Assuming that you can grant yourself the HPs (http://brilliantgameologists.com/boards/index.php?PHPSESSID=n8641bnib8kutqr60i0j831d03&topic=1121.msg32230#msg32230)), Indomitable Soul for a bit of cha sinergy on our weak save.

Levels 6-7 | Level 7 (Sweet Spot): Arcane Resistance + Indomitable soul offsets Wis penality and helps with the loss of Con. The template gives a huge power boost (at an high price). Beside the well-known goodies of the vampire template, create spawn it's the real icing on the cacke: gather 2 6HD Adepts (Assumig that only low-tier-class NPC are aviable, for spawns and cohorts) and give them "the embrace". Then go under the light of the sun with two bodyguards Savage Vampire (LM 170)Adept6 that cast obscuring mist and darkness (LM140 ruling) to avoid vampire weaknesses (it would be nice if they craft continuous items of Ob. Mist). When you become a Master vampire gather up to 26HD of vampires and add 2 6th Warrior Savage Vampires (LM170) to smash some faces .. just remember to Boost them with the godless cerymony.

Level 8-12: Start building your crazy Lair and rule within, Boost even more your minions with Dungeon’s Lord class abilities (Both numerical and movement features.. did you see the door on the ceiling?). At 10th Level the Vampire Lord Template add another time CHA to saves, and improves every Vampire Ability, moreover gives new tricks like: Wildshaping as a Druid of 12th level, Telekeninesis at will and auto FogCloud/Control Weather, last but not least diminished weaknesses, all to catch up with 18th level adventurers. Leadership is for “Blood Cows” and relations outside of the stronghold. In the time of need, when you start fighting with your minions, all undeads (Within 60ft) receive additional boosts, and the Pack-Friendly Maneuvers/Stances give another edge to the allies.



Dragon Magic - Silverbrow Human
Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords - Crusader, Stone Power
Monster Manual III - Improved Toughness
Exemplars of Evil - Blessing of the Godless
Complete Warrior - Hexblade
Monster Manual - Vampire Template
Libris Mortis: The Book of Undead - Master Vampire, Necromantic Presence, Necromantic Might
Dungeonscape - Dungeon Lord
Stronghold Builder's Guidebook - Landlord
Monster Mayhem (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mm/20021018a) - Vampire Lord Template

[Heliomance]

And that's the lot! Judges, have at it!

[Heliomance]

Hang on, I think I missed this one. My mistake.


Haarvak Sithis
or
The Dragon Below



Haarvak Sithis

Haarvak grew up alone. The day he hatched, he was already an orphan. His parents had been slain by adventurers, murderous vagabonds in search of treasure for treasure's sake. Their last act was to hide his egg from the murderers, hoping that he wouldn't be found in their plundering.

He wandered the woods and forests for years, hiding from monsters and demi-humanity alike. Sometimes, he would take the form of a young, hunted-looking youth to enter a village, often just to find food for himself. He often would spend some time in the company of learned people of the village. In one village, he picked up a little of the art of alchemy from a wizened sorcerer. In another, he learned a little of the art of the sword, and, more importantly, leadership. His mentor was an old, retired warrior who simply wanted to pass on what she knew to those around her. The woman never learned what her pupil really was, and he soon moved on.

He eventually came across a kobold, the first of its kind he'd ever seen. The creature seemed equal parts wary and reverent of him. They circled each other slowly, finally pausing and simply staring for a few minutes. They spoke, slowly - the kobold in broken Common and Haarvak in broken Draconic. Neither of them had much practice in the other's language. Haarvak was hungry, and was led back to the kobold's tribe. They lived in a small cave set in the side of a hill. Rocks and debris surrounded the entrance, disguising its true nature. Inside, kobolds waited with spears and bows, clearly on guard against the outside world.

Haarvake dined with them that night, speaking with their elders. The kobolds were honored to have a dragon, a real dragon, in their midst, and chattered excitedly among themselves late into the night.

The next few months were a blur for Haarvak. He developed a special language with the kobolds, a pidgin of Common and Draconic and the growls and squeaks of the kobolds. He learned to sing, and to infuse his singing with the magic latent in his blood. He knew every inch of the caverns, every last speck of dust.

The kobolds were ever supportive of, as they thought of him, their dragon. They showed him their tricks - how to seemingly slip between spaces in the blink of an eye, how to move quickly through rooms without disturbing a thing. He had tricks of his own, too - he set alarms across the entrances of the cavern, and learned how to see the entirety of it in his mind's eye.

After nearly a year, it became obvious that he was truly the new leader of the kobolds. He set about improving their conditions, readying them against the ever present danger of adventurers, and teaching them the things he'd learned in his wanderings - finally able to repay them for their generosity. The kobolds learned the arts of smithing, and the secrets of alchemist's fire, soon manufacturing massive quantities of the stuff. They mined for thunderstone and black firewater hidden deep inside the earth. They unearthed gold and gems, mining in a manner fit to rival even the dwarves.

His tribe became more and more enamored with him, following his lead in everything he did. They were better armed and better defended than ever before. He spent months, years honing his leadership and martial ability. Finally, his tribe is ready. No longer a simple group of kobolds huddled in a cave, they have a strong leader at the head of hundreds of battle-ready warriors handpicked from an underground city.

Now, all he has to do is find the murderers that took his parents from him....



Str: 16
Dex: 10
Con: 16
Int: 15
Wis: 8
Cha: 16

Stat increases: 4, 8, 12, 16 all go to Charisma. He doesn't receive one at 20th due to LA.





Level
Class
BAB
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1
Dragon 1
1
2
2
2
Bluff 4, Craft (Alchemy) 4, Craft (Armorsmithing) 4, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 4, Disguise 4, Escape Artist 2 (cross class), Hide 2 (cross class), Move Silently 2 (cross class)
Awaken Frightful Presence
Alternate Form, Immunity to Acid, Poison Resistance +10, Breath Weapon (Acid, Line, 1d6, Ref 1/2, or poison, cone, 1 Con damage +1 1 minute after, Fort negates (both)


2
Dragon 2
2
3
3
3
Bluff 5, Craft (Alchemy) 5, Craft (Armorsmithing) 5, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 5, Disguise 5, Escape Artist 2.5 (cross class), Hide 2.5 (cross class), Move Silently 2.5 (cross class)




3
Dragon 3
3
3
3
3
Bluff 6, Craft (Alchemy) 6, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 6, Disguise 6, Escape Artist 3(cross class), Hide 3 (cross class), Move Silently 3 (cross class)
Draconic Aura (Toughness)



4
Dragon 4
4
4
4
4
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 7, Craft (Armorsmithing) 7, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 7, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5 (cross class), Hide 3.5 (cross class), Move Silently 3.5 (cross class)




5
LA 1
4
4
4
4





6
LA 2
4
4
4
4





7
Crusader 1
5
6
4
4
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 8, Craft (Armorsmithing) 8, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 8, Diplomacy 2, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 4 (cross class), Move Silently 3.5


Furious Counterstrike, Steely Resolve 5


8
Bard 1
5
6
6
6
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 8, Craft (Armorsmithing) 8, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 8, Diplomacy 4, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 5, Listen 1 Move Silently 4.5, Perform (Sing) 3
Song of the White Raven
Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Countersong, Fascinate, Inspire Courage +1


9
Bard 2
6
5
7
7
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 9, Craft (Armorsmithing) 9, Craft (Weaponsmithing) , Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 6, Listen 2, Move Silently 5.5, Perform (Sing) 3




10
Dungeon Lord 1
6
5
9
9
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 10, Craft (Armorsmithing) 10, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 10,Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 7, Listen 2, Move Silently 5.5, Perform (Sing) 3

Dungeon Mastery, Hord Lord 1


11
Dungeon Lord 2
7
5
10
10
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 11, Craft (Armorsmithing) 11, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 11,Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 5.5, Perform (Sing) 3
Dragonfire Inspiration
Dungeon Step


12
Dungeon Lord 3
8
6
10
10
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 12, Craft (Armorsmithing) 12, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 12,Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 9, Listen 2, Move Silently 5.5, Perform (Sing) 3

Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


13
Dungeon Lord 4
9
6
11
11
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 13, Craft (Armorsmithing) 13, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 13,Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 6.5, Perform (Sing) 3

Animate Objects


14
Dungeon Lord 5
9
6
11
11
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 14, Craft (Armorsmithing) 14, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 14,Diplomacy 6, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 7.5, Perform (Sing) 3
Words of Creation, Leadership
Dungeon Defender, Horde Lord +2


15
Marshal 1
9
8
11
13
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 14, Craft (Armorsmithing) 14, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 14, Diplomacy 8, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 7.5, Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3
Skill Focus (Diplomacy)
Minor Aura (Master of Tactics)


16
Crusader 2
10
9
11
13
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 15, Craft (Armorsmithing) 15, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 15, Diplomacy 9, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 8 (cross class), Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3

Indomitable Soul


17
Crusader 3
11
9
12
14
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 16, Craft (Armorsmithing) 16, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 16, Diplomacy 10, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 8.5 (cross class), Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3
Extra Followers
Zealous Surge


18
Crusader 4
12
10
12
14
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 17, Craft (Armorsmithing) 17, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 17, Diplomacy 11, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8, Listen 2, Move Silently 9 (cross class), Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3

Steely Resolve 10

x
19
Crusader 5
13
10
12
14
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 18, Craft (Armorsmithing) 18, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 18, Diplomacy 12, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 8.5 (cross class), Listen 2, Move Silently 9, Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3




20
Crusader 6
14
11
13
15
Bluff 7, Craft (Alchemy) 19, Craft (Armorsmithing) 19, Craft (Weaponsmithing) 19, Diplomacy 13, Disguise 7, Escape Artist 3.5, Hide 9 (cross class), Listen 2, Move Silently 9], Sense Motive 4, Perform (Sing) 3
Lingering Song
Smite 1/day







Sorcerer


Spells Known
Spells per Day





Level
0th
1st
Spells


1
4
2
0th - acid splash, ghost sound, open/close, prestidigitation, 1st - disguise self, silent image


2
5
2
arcane mark






Level
0th
1st


1
5
3


2
6
4






Bard


Spells Known
Spells per Day





Level
0th
1st
Spells


1
4
-/-
0th - detect magic, mage hand, mending, message


2
5
2
0th - prestidigitation, 1st - charm person, inspirational boost






Level
0th
1st


1
2
-/-


2
3
0






Crusader Maneuvers/Stances


Level
IL
Maneuvers Readied
Maneuvers Known
Stances
Stances Known


1
4
5(2)
crusader's strike, tactical strike, vanguard strike
1
bolstering voice


2
9
5(2)
-/-
2
press the advantage


3
10
5(2)
flanking maneuver
2
-/-


4
11
5(2)
daunting strike
2
-/-


5
12
5(2)
order forged from chaos
2
-/-


6
13
5(2)
swarming assault
2
-/-








You're a dragon at this point, nothing else. Spells are picked to avoid combat, as opposed to increasing your combat ability.



Your core abilities are coming online now. Bardic music and White Raven stances, in combination with your buffing from Dungeon Lord, mean that your allies are getting some decent buffs.



All of Dungeon Lord is online at this point, which means you've got some minions to apply all of your buffs to. You also get a level of Marshal - specifically, you grant bonus to flanking damage to your allies. This turns your minions into credible threats in combat.



It's all Crusader here. More buffs for people in direct combat here, and an upgrade to your Inspire Courage at the very end. Not really that much happening here.



At this point, you've got all of your defining abilities. You're tossing out buffs to your followers with Inspire Courage, White Raven, and your minor aura from Marshal. You also have a fairly good shot at having a Leadership score high enough to have a sixth level follower - your personal Artificer, which means plenty of items for your minions.




Followers by Level


Fill this with fighters, clerics, dragon shamans, marshals, warlocks, dragonfire adepts, etc. You want people that don't really need to do much other than exist to be useful. Having dozens of different auras floating around will make your kobolds much more dangerous.
Toss a couple of sorcerers in here (especially if you're using DWK cheese). Marshals with some major auras would also go a long way. Some martial classes with utility abilities would be nice. Consider ToB classes for this.
Wizards and clerics. Second level spells for buffs to everyone. I'd also recommend a few factotums, just for fun.
More martial classes. They're starting to be able to reliably hit at this point, especially with all of the buffs flying around. Iteratives aren't a big goal for followers - they need to move and attack in the same round.
More wizards and clerics.
Artificers. Wands for everyone, items everywhere. You've taught these bad boys a lot of stuff, and they've learned more on their own. These are the cornerstone of your kobold powerhouse, the reason you're so deadly. Do not take any other class for your 6th level followers.


Notes


I've build Haarvak in a vacuum, independent of his followers and their abilities. If they end up in a pitched battle, some of his buffing might end up being a bit redundant, although his DFI will not.
The followers were built with Tucker's kobolds in mind. To that end, they're set up to be built as part of a unit as opposed to individual powerhouses. If desired, this can be redone, but it removes a lot of their oomph.
If you can swing it, definitely get your DM to allow Pathfinder's Alchemist. It's incredibly versatile and fits your followers' theme perfectly.
I have Draconic Aura listed as (Toughness), but this is really a coin toss.
This build is generally not item dependent. If your DM is a stickler about follower WBL, I would recommend a lot of alchemical equipment (and reconsidering your 6th level followers). Also, you clearly need a hoard of gold to sleep on.







Book of Exalted Deeds - Words of Creation
Complete Adventurer - Lingering Song
Draconomion - Awaken Frightful Presence
Dragons of Faerun - Steel Dragon
Dragon Magic - Draconic Aura, Dragonfire Inspiration
Dungeonscape - Dungeon Lord
Heroes of Battle - Extra Followers
Miniatures Handbook - Marshal
Spell Compendium - Inspirational Boost
Tome of Battle - Crusader, maneuvers, Song of the White Raven

[Zipding]

We have a good crop this challenge, not a lot of overlap.

I'll post a quick blurb of what I like about each build (including mine to avoid suspicion) with no intent of judging. Just what I like about them, although I will need to read them over a couple of times.

[Heliomance]

And another one I missed! Going well!


http://www.watchcartoononline.com/thumbs/Monster-House.jpg
TE Elan 15 death master/5 dungeon lord
Horace Nebbercracker
"Get off the lawn!”

Ability scores:
(1) Str 6, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 18, Wis 10, Cha 16-2
(20) Str 6, Dex 10, Con 12, Int 23, Wis 10, Cha 16-2
There was once a young elan named Horace Nebbercracker who aspired to be a master of the arcane. He learned simple cantrips on his own, hoping that one day a master wizard would recognize his talents. But year after year, he watched the master’s pass by his house, never batting an eye his way, and year after year, he felt his hopes die. Eventually, Horace found work as a alchemist. For him, it was close enough to magic.

After working under the town alchemist for several years, Horace was called to duty against the impending Orc invasion, along with most of the other men. Thin and squeamish, Horace never saw the front lines of combat, but proved invaluable as a demolitions and trapping expert. After many brutal months of fighting, the war was over, but Horace had been wounded by an arrow through the arm, and was deemed unfit for duty. After a few weeks of recovery, Horace returned home to the peace of the alchemists shop.

Closing the shop up early one summer evening, Horace decided to go see the circus that had recently moved into town. He laughed at the jesters, gasped at the fire swallowers and feared the wolf-men. But for Nebbercracker, the highlight was the so-called “Ogre Lady”. While the rest of audience jeered and pelted her with tomatoes, Horace found himself awestruck with the woman. He pitied her, cursing the rest of the audience for spurning her existence.

Late into the night, Horace snuck into the circus grounds and to the cage where the ogre woman was kept. He spoke to her, learning that her name was Constance, and that she was really only half-ogre. He stayed with her until dawn, until slipping back to his home. Every night, he snuck into the camp, bringing something for her to snack on, or something to wear in her hair. The night before the circus left, Horace brought a vial of acid with him. He used it to destroy the lock and free Constance, and asked her if she would marry him. She accepted, and the two ran from the circus, hand in hand.

They settled a few miles from the town, where they would have peace and quiet. Horace found he could still easily make a living off of his craft, and the two lived happily for many months. That is, until a roving band of gnolls attacked the house. Constance was massive in strength, but was still no match for the skilled hunters as they tore her limb from limb in front of Horace. The gnolls left him for dead after picking through every valuable item and ran laughing back into the night.

Constance was buried in the town graveyard. Horace withdrew from the world. He stopped eating altogether, and the only time he left his house was to visit his wife’s grave. Eventually, the townspeople began to regard Horace as a crazed hermit and shunned him. One night, while walking through the cemetery, the ground gave out beneath his feet. Waking up in a dark place that reeked of death, Horace found himself in an ancient library. There had always been tales of a powerful necromancer who lived under the town, but he was eventually defeated by a powerful champion. Curious, he looked through the books. All of them were ancient manuscripts detailing how to raise the undead. He went back to his house and slaved over his new discovery. While he had no true talent for wizardry, Horace found that necromancy came easily to him. Constances body was too far gone at this point to simply raise, so he found another solution. By imbuing the house with her spirit, they could be together forever.

Horace Nebbercracker still lives in that old house. A foul fog hangs over the area, and only the most foolish people venture there. Most go missing, presumably captured and raised as an undead. Sometimes a brave adventurer will make a fuss about taking out the necromancer, only to return, mumbling about the house being alive.


Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Death Master 1
+0
+0
+0
+2
4 concentration, 4 spellcraft, 4 knowledge arcana, 4 knowledge religion, 4 craft(alchemy), 4 craft(trapmaking)
Tomb tainted Soul
Undead Companion, rebuke undead, spellcasting


2nd
Death Master 2
+1
+0
+0
+3
5 concentration, 5 spellcraft, 5 knowledge arcana, 5 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 5 craft(trapmaking)
-
-


3rd
Death Master 3
+2
+1
+1
+3
6 concentration, 6 spellcraft, 6 knowledge arcana, 6 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 5 craft(trapmaking), 1 UMD
Corpsecrafter
-


4th
Death Master 4
+3
+1
+1
+4
7 concentration, 7 spellcraft, 7 knowledge arcana, 7 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 7 craft(trapmaking), UMD 1,
-
-


5th
Death Master 5
+3
+1
+1
+4
8 concentration, 8 spellcraft, 8 knowledge arcana, 8 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 7 craft(trapmaking), UMD 2,
-
Master of the dead


6th
Death master 6
+4
+2
+2
+5
9 concentration, 9 spellcraft, 9 knowledge arcana, 9 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 9 craft(trapmaking), UMD 2,
Undead Leadership
-


7th
Death Master 7
+5
+2
+2
+5
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 9 craft(trapmaking), UMD 3,
-
-


8th
Dungeon Lord
+6
+2
+4
+7
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 11 craft(trapmaking), UMD 3, 4 disable device, 1 hide
-
Dungeon mastery, horde lord 1


9th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6
+2
+5
+8
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 12 craft(trapmaking), 3 UMD , 4 disable device, 4 hide, 3 knowledge engineering,
practiced spellcaster
Dungeon step


10th
Dungeon lord 3
+7
+3
+5
+8
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 13 craft(trapmaking), 4 UMD , 4 disable device, 8 hide, 3 knowledge engineering,
-
Complete awareness, dungeon minions


11th
Dungeon Lord 4
+8
+3
+6
+9
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 14 craft(trapmaking), 4 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 4 spot
-
Animate objects


12th
Dungeon Lord 5
+9
+3
+6
+9
10 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 14 craft(trapmaking), 5 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot
Craft wondrous item
Dungeon Defender, horde lord 2, Leadership


13th
Death master 8
+9
+3
+6
+10
16 concentration, 10 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 14 craft(trapmaking), 5 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot
-
-


14th
Death Master 9
+10
+4
+7
+10
17 concentration, 13 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 17 craft(trapmaking), 5 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot
-
-


15th
Death Master 10
+11
+4
+7
+11
18 concentration, 18 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 18 craft(trapmaking), 5 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot
Nimble bones
Sustenance of the dead


16th
Death master 11
+12
+4
+7
+11
19 concentration, 19 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 19 craft(trapmaking), 7 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot, 1 intimidate
-
-


17th
Death master 12
+12
+5
+8
+12
20 concentration, 20 spellcraft, 10 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 20 craft(trapmaking), 7 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot, 6 intimidate
-
-


18th
Death master 13
+13
+5
+8
+12
21 concentration, 21 spellcraft, 15 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 21 craft(trapmaking), 7 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot, 6 intimidate
Extra spell(awaken undead)
-


19th
Death master 14
+14
+5
+8
+13
22 concentration, 22 spellcraft, 15 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 22 craft(trapmaking), 9 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 8 spot, 6 intimidate, knowledge the planes 1
-
-


20th
Death Master 15
+15
+6
+9
+13
23 concentration, 23 spellcraft, 15 knowledge arcana, 10 knowledge religion, 5 craft(alchemy), 23 craft(trapmaking), 9 UMD , 5 disable device, 8 hide, 5 knowledge engineering, 9 spot, 6 intimidate, knowledge the planes 5
-
Aspect of the dead


Spells per Day/Spells Known
Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
3
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
4
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
4
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
[tr]

4th
4
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
4
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
4
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
4
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
4
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-


8th
4
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-


9th
4
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-


10th
4
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-


11th
4
4+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-


12th
4
4+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-


13th
4
4+1
4+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-


14th
4
4+1
4+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-


15th
4
4+1
4+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
1
-



Level 0-
Detect magic
mage hand
prestidigitation
read magic

Level 1-
chill touch
grease
inflict light wounds
obscuring mist
expeditious retreat
unseen servant

Level 2-
Alter self
animate dead
command undead
desecrate
spectral hand
gentle repose

Level 3-
deeper darkness
dispel magic
slow
stone shape
gaseous form

level 4-
dimensional anchor
evards black tentacles
phantasmal killer
ice storm
death ward

level 5-
cloudkill
cone of cold
create undead
unhallow
dominate person

level 6-
acid fog
control undead
harm
symbol of fear


level 7-
destruction
true seeing

level 8-
create greater undead.
+awaken undead
Level 1-5: Loss
At level 1 Nebbercracker is like a more focused wizard with a human skeleton buddy. Tomb tainted soul is taken early for self healing. Elan can help mitigate a tiny bit of the squishyness, but the objective is to stay far away from melee. Animate dead comes online immediately at level 3, along with things like desecrate and death knell. Corpsecrafter is taken at level 3 because we get the immediate benefit of stronger undead, which helps to keep melee away from us. The undead companion probably does not benefit from this unfortunately.

At level 4 we can get an owlbear skeleton or a bugbear zombie. Master of the dead also keeps unintelligent undead away from us. Otherwise, just keep doing necromancy things.


Level 6-10: Awakening
Undead are now naturally drawn to Horace, and he is constantly surrounded by a squad of skeletons. Undead leadership is taken at level 6. Horace has a hard time attracting the living. Maybe he smells funny?
As a side note: Using undead leadership with the table gets weird. Obviously Horace has a base of operations, has a special companion, (maybe) has a special power.. But the reputation table probably does not matter to skeletons, and so the exact leadership score becomes hard to pinpoint. At level 6 I had my leadership score for undead at 10, enough to give 5 1HD minions.
Level 7 gives us either an ogre zombie or a wyvern zombie. Ordinarily you would take the wyvern, but Horace has been spending alot of time in his house lately, with very little room to fly.

The horde of skeletons grows every day, walking from Pelor knows where, and Horace has since commanded them to begin digging out chambers below his house.

Due to the transgressions of some adventurers, Horace has decided to do a little home improvement so that he can focus on his necromantic studies in peace. At level 8 we enter the secret ingredient. Horde Lord helps out our many undead allies with a +1 to hit. Even though he’s been busy, Horace never forgets to practice his casting. Level 9 gives us practiced spellcaster to keep our caster level up as we progress through dungeon lord. We can also begin to trap the dungeon now without the skeletons falling into a trap door thanks to dungeon minions. At this level we can only make mechanical traps, but they can still slow intruders. Additionally, the house can also swallow Horace up and spit him out in other locations, giving him Dungeon Step.

Level 11-15: Sentience
The whispers of the house tell Horace about every detail in his home, giving him clairvoyance/clairaudience at will.
The spirit of his dead wife inhabits the house. She can assist Horace in fights, possessing objects to defend their home. We can now animate huge objects like bookshelves and trample intruders.
Things get more interesting when we take Craft Wondrous item at level 12. This means we get to make custom magic traps. Even with our reduced spellcasting we have plenty of options. Fill a room with skeletons, a combination black tentacles+dimensional anchor trap and another automatically resetting ice storm trap. The skeletons will be immune to the ice storm and can shoot the grappled intruders with crossbows. Expensive, but worth it. Other options include phantasmal killer or shatter traps.

The capstone of Dungeon Lord gives us a +2 on pretty much everything. Nice. the +1 to save dc’s is pretty good, even though we should not be in direct combat. It probably doesn't work with the traps you've created, but it doesn't hurt to check. More skeletons is good too. Also, by this time we've started to gather other types of undead in our horde. Shadow followers, anyone?
After Horace has finished his home improvement, he jumps back into Death Master and follows it until level 20. Unhallow comes online at level 14, but more on that later.

Level 16-20: Haunting
Horace is closer to his wife than ever before. She lurks in every corner of the house, every object, every creature. She sustains Horace in a half-life, neither living nor dead.

Spell selection goes up to level 8 now. Hello maze, create greater undead, and anti-magic field. Hard to choose which one we want. Extra spell(awaken undead) is picked up at level 18 which returns (Ex) abilities to unintelligent undead. This doesn’t matter for the average human warrior zombie/skeleton, but the intelligence gives a boost because undead are now able to follow orders without direct input.

The Aspect of the Dead ability from Death Master gives us immunity to all mind-affecting effects, poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, and death effects. Not bad, even though it comes so late in the build.

Animate objects is now fully online as well, letting us animate gargantuan objects. Fun.
Level 15-20 is the strong point here, seeing as it's where we have the largest horde, and the most options to deal with threats.

Most of the Dungeon Lord abilities are short and sweet. The passive bonuses are great and help our minions hit harder.
Horde Lord:
This is probably the largest benefit. A +2 to attacks/damage for our hundreds of minions is nothing to scoff at, especially with the stacking bonus from desecrate.

Dungeon Mastery:
Mostly fluff stuff. It’s unlikely that we will be tracking enemies through the dungeon, but opening secret doors is useful for a quick escape. Being chased by adventurers? Trick them into following you into a skeleton pit and then dungeon step away. A neat benefit of this is that if Horace is just moving through the dungeon, he won’t need a torch at this level if it’s dark (Elan don’t get darkvision).

Dungeon step:
With our high INT, we can use this several times a day. Awesome for mobility and quick escapes.

Dungeon Minions:
Ignoring difficult terrain is good. This is for our more advanced undead like morghs, rather than the average skeleton.

Complete awareness:
Another neat ability. Horace could see an enemy and then dispatch minions without leaving his study.

Animate Objects: Scaling with HD? Nice. These are easily replaceable minions with some decent varying abilities. They can grapple, trample, or act as general meatshields to distract intruders while shadows and other nasties pick them apart.

Dungeon Defender:
+2 on everything? Sure. +1 on all save DC’s? Nicer. This helps out our spellcasting, even though we likely won’t be doing direct blasting. It also benefits Master of the dead, further reducing the chance of a rogue shadow taking us out.

Leadership:
A +4 bonus helps push our undead leadership to the max. Leadership is important here because, hey, free undead minions. Too bad they don’t benefit from corpsecrafter.
The whole area is unhallowed with dimensional anchor, preventing an intruder from simply teleporting in and punching Horace to death. There are several shrines to Orcus hidden around the whole area, in case an area needs to be desecrated.
The dungeon starts in the house, which is split into 3 floors, with areas like a kitchen, a study, a dining room, a bedroom, and a library. Hidden in these areas are hollow walls that Horace could dimension door into, quickly cast a few spells and then leave. Most of the enemies on the upper floors will be incorporeal undead, animated objects and mummies designed to soften up intruders before they find the basement.

The basement actually holds a hidden underground area that has the majority of the undead. Traps are common here, designed to kill or maim. Hidden pits can drop adventurers into an area filled with more powerful undead like dragons and mummies. Ceilings are scaled to the size of the undead lurking in them, preventing an intruder from simply flying by. The key here is to overwhelm with powerful melee monsters. Horace can Dungeon Step in to deliver a cone of cold or debuff to help out.

The end of the dungeon is Horace’s hidden study. It is here that the cloud giant companion lurks as well, ready to defend its master.

A quick list of all of the undead Horace has under his control:

Leadership:
20 from character level+1 charisma+6 for attracting undead+2 for stronghold+1 special power. 29 total. This puts us over the cap for Leadership.
135 level 1
13 level 2
7 level 3
4 level 4
2 level 5
2 level 6
Using the table given in Libris Mortis, levels 1,2,3,4 are made up of assorted zombies and skeletons. Level 5 is ghouls, and level 6 is shadows. Too bad the table doesn’t extend to level 7 or we could have allips.

Animated undead: 19*4=76 HD of undead. Doubled in a desecrated area, which is pretty much everywhere. It also gives us more options than leadership. Dragon skeletons and zombies can be quite powerful if the draconomicon versions are used, but acquiring the bodies may be difficult. Bloodhulks from MM4 can also be created with animate undead for some serious meatshields, but cost twice as many hit die to keep controlled.

15 HD of undead can also be commanded through rebukes. Those are our shadows from create greater undead. Create greater undead also gives wraiths, shadows, and spectres. Create undead gives mummies, ghasts, and morghs.

An awakened Cloud Giant skeleton. This probably teeters dangerously close to a cohort, and might not even qualify for awaken because it’s a companion. I included it for completeness.

Animated undead gain:
+2 to hit from horde lord
+2 on attacks/damage/saves/hp from desecrate
+4 str +2hp/hd from corpsecrafter
+4 initiative, +10 ft/round from nimble bones

Unfortunate that we don’t have access to spellstiched undead, since they can only be applied by a wizard or sorcerer. That could be fixed with DM intervention.

Why not dread necromancer?
In reality, both DN and DM technically work. Dread necromancer has the advantage of charnel touch and spontaneous casting, but in the flavour of dungeon lord, death master just works so much better. DN spells are mostly for combat, with little utility, but DM can do things like obscuring mist, true seeing, wall of stone. The list goes on. It is worth noting, however, that DN can control 4*(cl+cha) HD of undead, which makes for better minionmancy.

Why not necropolitan?
My original build was a necropolitan grey elf 7 death master/5 dungeon lord/7 pale master, but I ditched it in favour of simplicity. The level 15 ability of level of Death Master gives most undead immunities, making necropolitan redundant.

Why not arcane disciple(deathbound)?
Deathbound would have been a fantastic way to improve minionmancy, along with some other decent spells. This was something I tried to make work, but since the spells gained from it are based off of wisdom, I would have had to either further slash physical scores or reduce INT, and thus our bonus spells and save DC’s.

Why not x?
There were alot of places I could have gone with this build, and I’ll probably be kicking myself later for something that I didn’t do. Pale master and horned harbinger were both considered, since animate dead as a spell-like is a quintessential part of necromancy builds, but 5 levels of lost spell casting is already too many. The touch attacks from Pale Master are interesting, but I felt that it had no place in the build because the entire point of Dungeon Lord is to keep people away from you. Horned Harbinger would have been fun (x10 minion cap!), but other than that, we can get most of it’s abilities and more out of Death Master.

Trick or Treat?
Skeletons.

Dungeonscape-dungeon lord
XPH-elan
complete arcane-feats
dragon compendium-death master
libris mortis-feats
spell compendium-awaken UD

[Heliomance]

Also I've edited Vlad III Drăculea. I was sent several versions for that build, and I realised that the latest entry - the one I posted - contained rebuilding, which is illegal by contest rules. So I reverted to an earlier entry.

[Venger]

Also I've edited Vlad III Drăculea. I was sent several versions for that build, and I realised that the latest entry - the one I posted - contained rebuilding, which is illegal by contest rules. So I reverted to an earlier entry.

That's not all that's illegal by contest rules. I foresee many disputes this round.

Surprised to see two shadowpouncers, though I suppose I shouldn't be.

[Heliomance]

Well, I'm doing well. Look - a third build that I managed to miss!

Hopefully that's all of them now - if you don't see your build, PM me!




The Spider that Ensnares the Dragon

Outsider (Quasit) 3 / Rogue 11 / Barbarian 1 / Dungeon Lord 5
STR (14-2) 12, DEX (10+6) 16, CON 15, INT 16, WIS (8+2) 10, CHA 14

+1 STR (13) at level 4
+1 CON (16) at level 8
+1 STR (14) at level 12
+1 CON (17) at level 16
+1 CON (18) at level 20

You’ve orchestrated the (glorious) implosion of your previous (boring) demon horde by tricking the (gullible) others into angering each other so much that even the alpha’s (tenuous) control collapsed in a (much less boring) free-for-all, and you’ve been hiding out in the Prime Material plane ever since.

Initially, you were just afraid (barely) of the (unrealistic) off chance that any of those massacred had allies (yeah, right), even loved ones (lolololol), that might want to harm you (more than usual) in vengeance for your scheme. However, in the decades that you’ve spent away from the Abyss, you’ve come to feel very comfortable as the big fish in your little pond.

In Prime Material, you have started to learn tricks that you had never heard of in the Abyss, convincing you of a conspiracy to make sure that Quasits’ true potential goes undiscovered, creating the need to become something bigger in order to survive. This realization made you wonder why powerful demons would want weaker demons to become stronger, and you are now convinced that the “shapeshifting” - that you had previously looked forward to - is actually a trap where the weaker demon dies, it’s body used to create a new demon that walks away with it’s victim’s memories.

But for all of the new strategies to discover, you never forgot your original love of (and superiority at) psychological manipulation. You continued to develop your original strengths in addition to collecting new ones, and now you have a following of (disposable) minions - a few of them Quasits that you have united in resistance against the Abyssal Conspiracy – that will commit great cruelty in your name.

At 5th level, you have just started to taste the methods of slaughter that this brave new world has to offer, and already it is not enough for you.

In the cities, you have learned to hone your mind. You have seen people hide valuables in more complicated vaults than most demons bother with, so being able to break through the vaults’ resistance while dodging any traps is more important than it was in The Abyss. You have learned the science of the living body, and now when you turn invisible, you take the time to target specific weaknesses for maximum damage.

In the wilderness, you have learned to hone your body. You have pushed yourself to run and fly faster than you ever could with demonic regimens, and you can force yourself into a state of adrenaline overload where your muscles and poison production become more powerful.

At 10th level, you have seen the advantage of building for specific purposes, and now you know as much about artificial construction as you have always known abut natural fortifications.

You have started to develop fortresses where you can keep your (oh-so-gullible) followers dependent on you. Not only have you become exceptional at surviving booby-trapped structures long enough to make them your own, but you have learned secret arcana for being able to see anywhere and go anywhere.

Your minions never know when you are and are not watching, they never know when you might teleport right behind them, and they know that you can kill most of them with a single invisible touch – especially the non-Quasits who are vulnerable to your natural poisons –, ensuring that you are never betrayed by your minions as your alpha was once betrayed by you.

At 15th level, you have developed a regimen of diet, exercise and potions to make your poison production stronger than you ever dreamed that a Quasit’s could be, and you now have as much arcane control over your fortresses themselves as you have psychological control over the minions within.

At 20th level, your knowledge of anatomy has grown so much that victims of your invisible strikes are even less capable of fighting back than ever before.

The high point of your life was probably (level 14) the time that you were able to seize control of an entire cult of demon-worshipers that had already established a wonderful fortress of death traps for you to test.



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st-3rd
Outsider (Quasit)
+3
+3
+3
+3
Bluff +6 ranks (+8 total), Diplomacy +6 ranks (+10 total), Disable Device +6/2 ranks (+6 total), Hide +6 ranks (+17 total), Intimidate +6 ranks (+10 total OR +2 total against someone Medium-sized), Knowledge of Dungeoneering +6 ranks (+9 total), Listen +6 ranks, Move Silently +6 ranks (+9 total), Search +6 ranks (+9 total), Sense Motive +6/2 ranks (+3 total), Spot +6 ranks
Improved Initiative, Weapon Finesse
Poison (Injury, DC 13+CON mod, 1d4 DEX, 2d4 DEX), Spell-like Abilities, Alternate Form (Wolf + Bat), DR 5/Good or Cold Iron, Darkvision 60ft, fast healing 2, immunity to poison, resistance to fire 10


4th
Rogue 1
+3
+3
+5
+3
+1 to all previous; Disable Device and Sense Motive are no longer cross-class, giving Diplomacy a +2 synergy bonus

Sneak Attack +1d6, Trapfinding


5th
Barbarian 1
+4
+5
+5
+3
+1 Disable Device, Intimidate, Move Silently, Sense Motive, Search

Rage 1/day, Fast Movement


6th
Rogue 2
+5
+5
+6
+3
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Hide, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot
Flyby Attack
Evasion


7th
Dungeon Lord 1
+5
+5
+8
+5
+5 to Knowledge of Architecture/Engineering

Dungeon Mastery, Horde Lord +1


8th
Dungeon Lord 2
+6/+1
+5
+9
+6
+2 Disable Device, +2 Intimidate, +1 Search

Dungeon Step


9th
Dungeon Lord 3
+7/+2
+6
+9
+6
+1 Disable Device, Intimidate, Move silently, Knowledge A/E, Search
Power Attack
Complete Awareness, Dungeon Minions


10th
Rogue 3
+8/+3
+7
+9
+7
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Sneak Attack +2d6, Trap Sense +1


11th
Rogue 4
+9/+4
+7
+10
+7
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Uncanny Dodge


12th
Rogue 5
+9/+4
+7
+10
+7
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot
Multiattack
Sneak Attack + 3d6


13th
Dungeon Lord 4
+10/+5
+7
+11
+8
+1 Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge A/E, Move Silently, Search

Animate Objects


14th
Dungeon Lord 5
+10/+5
+7
+11
+8
+1 Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge A/E, Move Silently, Search
Leadership (bonus)
Dungeon Defender, Horde Lord +2


15th
Rogue 6
+11/+6/+1
+8
+12
+9
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot
Virulent Poison
Trap Sense +2


16th
Rogue 7
+12/+7/+2
+8
+12
+9
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Sneak Attack +4d6


17th
Rogue 8
+13/+8/+3
+8
+13
+9
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Improved Uncanny Dodge


18th
Rogue 9
+13/+8/+3
+9
+13
+10
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot
Extra Rage
Sneak Attack +5d6, Trap Sense +3


19th
Rogue 10
+14/+9/+4
+9
+14
+10
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Crippling Strike


20th
Rogue 11
+15/+10/+5
+9
+14
+10
+1 Bluff, Diplomacy, Disable Device, Intimidate, Knowledge of Dungeoneering, Knowledge of A/E, Listen, Move Silently, Search, Sense Motive, Spot

Sneak Attack +6d6

[Deadasadoor]

Alright looks like everything is posted. Lots of interesting builds! I kicked a few ideas around, like a pair of dvati jesters whose "dungeon" was a sort of game show like Wipeout. I'm pretty sure that falls under the category of "extra character" though, so I didn't build anything past a concept.

[Heliomance]

Nah, Dvati doesn't count as an extra character. I'm really quite fond of them, so feel free to use Dvati in anything while I'm chair!

[Venger]

Alright looks like everything is posted. Lots of interesting builds! I kicked a few ideas around, like a pair of dvati jesters whose "dungeon" was a sort of game show like Wipeout. I'm pretty sure that falls under the category of "extra character" though, so I didn't build anything past a concept.

no, dvati only get one set of lvls/feats, so they count as 1. we've had a lot of them in iron chefs past.

EDIT: ninjaed by the chair.

[Deadasadoor]

Ah. Should have asked about it, but my first entry ate up a huge amount of my time already and I didn't have time to cook up anything else. Another problem with them was usefulness. It was a cool idea, but as game-show hosts, they'd be more like passive observers, not really using their jester abilities, or any abilities for that matter. I'm sure someone with more creativity than me could make it work though.

[Venger]

according to our esteemed archivist's files, this also marks another milestone in iron chef: our first-ever warchief.

[Gemini476]

I had a somewhat interesting build going using a Dragonwrought Kobold reincarnated into a Changeling and the Orc Warlord PrC to get a few thousand followers, but in the end I had to scrap it since Dungeon Lord wasn't really doing anything beyond the +4 Leadership. Use of the Secret Ingredient would be tanked through the floor.

...Also, it used Reincarnate to squeeze both Racial Emulation and Dragonwrought onto a build, which is probably even more inelegant than just giving up and taking a flaw.

But Epic Leadership+300% followers (Orc Warlord+Extra Followers) is all kinds of crazy at level 16.

Not that the seventeen thousand followers would fit in a dungeon. That was another issue, to be honest.

[Venger]

I had a somewhat interesting build going using a Dragonwrought Kobold reincarnated into a Changeling and the Orc Warlord PrC to get a few thousand followers, but in the end I had to scrap it since Dungeon Lord wasn't really doing anything beyond the +4 Leadership. Use of the Secret Ingredient would be tanked through the floor.

...Also, it used Reincarnate to squeeze both Racial Emulation and Dragonwrought onto a build, which is probably even more inelegant than just giving up and taking a flaw.

But Epic Leadership+300% followers (Orc Warlord+Extra Followers) is all kinds of crazy at level 16.

Not that the seventeen thousand followers would fit in a dungeon. That was another issue, to be honest.

it's a good thing you didn't, because reincarnate doesn't let you retain traits from your old shape.

[WhamBamSam]

it's a good thing you didn't, because reincarnate doesn't let you retain traits from your old shape.It doesn't seem that there's any need for racial traits. It looks like the plan was...

1. Start as a Dragonwrought Kobold.
2. Die.
3. Reincarnate as a Changeling.
4. Take Racial Emulation to qualify for Dragonwrought while emulating a Kobold, and Orc Warlord while emulating an Orc.
5. Age up to Old so you are an Old Dragon and can take Epic feats like Epic Leadership.

It does require a) the ruling that you can disqualify yourself from PrCs without losing benefits, and b) that a dead dragonwrought kobold be no longer dragonwrought, as there's no defined reincarnate table for dragons, but everything on that table would be a dragon, and the changeling wouldn't be a dragon until you took racial emulation.

[Venger]

It doesn't seem that there's any need for racial traits. It looks like the plan was...

1. Start as a Dragonwrought Kobold.
2. Die.
3. Reincarnate as a Changeling.
4. Take Racial Emulation to qualify for Dragonwrought while emulating a Kobold, and Orc Warlord while emulating an Orc.
5. Age up to Old so you are an Old Dragon and can take Epic feats like Epic Leadership.

It does require a) the ruling that you can disqualify yourself from PrCs without losing benefits, and b) that a dead dragonwrought kobold be no longer dragonwrought, as there's no defined reincarnate table for dragons, but everything on that table would be a dragon, and the changeling wouldn't be a dragon until you took racial emulation.

Judges pretty much always say that racial emulation changelings can only do one thing at a time, and if you switch from kobold to orc, then your dragonwrought (and thus your otherwise illegal epic feats) would turn off until you turned dragonwrought back on (at which point your orc warlord benefits would turn off) judges unfortunately tend to cluster more on pro-CWar than anti-CWar when it comes to disqualifying yourself for prcs. plus, as he said, dragonwrought kobold cheese to take epic feats certainly would've nabbed him a 1 in elegance.

[Amphetryon]

Got caught by Demon Real Life and Archfiend Illness this time around, so I couldn't submit an entry in time. I was going with CG Synad Bard 7/Dungeon Lord 5/Paragnostic Initiate 3/Legendary Tactition 5.

[WhamBamSam]

Judges pretty much always say that racial emulation changelings can only do one thing at a time, and if you switch from kobold to orc, then your dragonwrought (and thus your otherwise illegal epic feats) would turn off until you turned dragonwrought back on (at which point your orc warlord benefits would turn off) judges unfortunately tend to cluster more on pro-CWar than anti-CWar when it comes to disqualifying yourself for prcs. plus, as he said, dragonwrought kobold cheese to take epic feats certainly would've nabbed him a 1 in elegance.Right, that's what I was saying when I mentioned the risk of losing benefits from no longer qualifying for PrCs. The Epic feats thing is a separate concern, of course.

[OMG PONIES]

Interesting crop this time around! I'm surprised we didn't see more Tomb Guardians or use of the Greater Mark of Warding for Guards & Wards.

[Venger]

Interesting crop this time around! I'm surprised we didn't see more Tomb Guardians or use of the Greater Mark of Warding for Guards & Wards.

we had a lot of new chefs this time.

that would require people to actually know what guards and wards is.

[White Blade]

I'm impressed by the number of leader-oriented characters.

I was going to submit an Factotum8/Assassin7/Dungeon Lord 5 (not in that order.) using Complete Awareness to study my kills and then stabbing through a Dungeon Walk with an excessive outpouring of Inspiration Points into my Sneak-Death Attack before porting out again. But it didn't come together in time.

[The Viscount]

This certainly is a different sort of round. I was personally expecting at least one Might Makes Right build, especially a War Hulk one. I'm similarly surprised by how many LA builds there are. I would have expected a few of the obvious entries like Neraph and Tibbit, but I suppose we all Vizzini'd ourselves out of that one.

[Deadline]

we had a lot of new chefs this time.

that would require people to actually know what guards and wards is.

Neato on the new chefs! I'm looking forward to judging.

And you want to know what Guards and Wards is? It's awesome, that's what it is.

A quick question to the chair, how are we to treat the fact that this is an NPC class? Do we allow characters that normally would not be allowed due to not having a valid LA in 3.5?

[Venger]

This certainly is a different sort of round. I was personally expecting at least one Might Makes Right build, especially a War Hulk one. I'm similarly surprised by how many LA builds there are. I would have expected a few of the obvious entries like Neraph and Tibbit, but I suppose we all Vizzini'd ourselves out of that one.

The discrepancy a large str score gives, especially via war hulk, likely would've been wasted since our leader ship score was capped at 25 for this contest.

[Troacctid]

A quick question to the chair, how are we to treat the fact that this is an NPC class? Do we allow characters that normally would not be allowed due to not having a valid LA in 3.5?

You mean the quasit? I don't know about you, but I'm thinking "Big honking elegance penalty." At least the imp dug up a Savage Species reference. The class may be intended for NPC villains, but we're still building them with PC rules.

*Stern glance at the entrants who simply ignored their LA completely, cough dracolich cough*

[WhamBamSam]

You mean the quasit? I don't know about you, but I'm thinking "Big honking elegance penalty." At least the imp dug up a Savage Species reference. The class may be intended for NPC villains, but we're still building them with PC rules.

*Stern glance at the entrants who simply ignored their LA completely, cough dracolich cough*The Dracolich eats its +4 LA, which is what's listed in Draconomicon. Unless there are two and I missed one?

[Venger]

Neato on the new chefs! I'm looking forward to judging.

And you want to know what Guards and Wards is? It's awesome, that's what it is.

A quick question to the chair, how are we to treat the fact that this is an NPC class? Do we allow characters that normally would not be allowed due to not having a valid LA in 3.5?

I know what guards and wards (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/guardsAndWards.htm) is. It is pretty hilarious.

the "it's an NPC so I don't have to follow the rules" dog won't hunt, as was addressed in some earlier round (I think death delver? a check of the archives isn't turning anything up, the dish probably wasn't included) when somebody tried to cook up a bone or corpse creature and say "I said it was an NPC, so I don't have to follow the rules." the judges rightfully disagreed.


You mean the quasit? I don't know about you, but I'm thinking "Big honking elegance penalty." At least the imp dug up a Savage Species reference. The class may be intended for NPC villains, but we're still building them with PC rules.

*Stern glance at the entrants who simply ignored their LA completely, cough dracolich cough*

This is addressed in the OP:


What's the minimum score in a category? Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is mechanically illegal by the RAW, the judge may give the build a score of 0 in Elegance

Dishes that are completely illegal (like the quasit) have, in the past, garnered refusals to judge on the grounds that scoring them is unfair to the contestants who actually followed the rules.

The imp is also illegal since the 3.5 update gave him an LA of - which, contrary to what is apparently popular belief is not LA 0.

Personally, I'd refuse to judge them. It'd be a huge slap in the face to judges who followed directions, especially if some of them ended up behind the illegal dishes and would set a pretty undesirable precedent for future rounds: "throw on whatever templates you want without paying, play as LA- races, there's no penalty and you can beat everyone in power" and soon enough, we're all paragon balors or supernatural shadow dragons.

the dracolich does hop from 11 to 15 in his chart, so I think it's accounted for, but in the past, people have tried to sneak in templates like this. Due to the frequency of dishes that just give themselves races with LA - or costly templates for free, I'm beginning to think we need a a line or two about this in the FAQ for subsequent contests. Maybe a link to Ur-Priest's "Monster handbook" so people can learn how LA/RHD work.

[Heliomance]

The vampire Lord has a note as to why vampire Lord should be considered LA +0. As chair, I'm not officially condoning or condemning that - make up your own minds. I would ask that there be no refusals to judge - it makes the scoringa royal pain.of you feel you have to, give a zero in elegance. Zero in UotSI is also acceptable for non-qualification.

[Venger]

The vampire Lord has a note as to why vampire Lord should be considered LA +0. As chair, I'm not officially condoning or condemning that - make up your own minds. I would ask that there be no refusals to judge - it makes the scoringa royal pain.of you feel you have to, give a zero in elegance. Zero in UotSI is also acceptable for non-qualification.

LA - is not LA 0.

Dracula's vampire lord notes are quotes from the master template list. the curator of it said he put vampire lord there because there is no listed LA, not because it is a LA 0 template. the rest are from a thread of people discussing a half-remembered article from an issue of dragon magazine, not even an issue number, i.e. not rules.

Fair enough, chair.

[KrimsonNekros]

I had an idea for this round, but couldn't get it to work via RAW. Was looking at a Dread Necromancer 7/ Vermin Lord 8/ Dungeon Lord 5, but couldn't get all the feats and everything else to line up right.

[Gemini476]

It doesn't seem that there's any need for racial traits. It looks like the plan was...

1. Start as a Dragonwrought Kobold.
2. Die.
3. Reincarnate as a Changeling.
4. Take Racial Emulation to qualify for Dragonwrought while emulating a Kobold, and Orc Warlord while emulating an Orc.
5. Age up to Old so you are an Old Dragon and can take Epic feats like Epic Leadership.

It does require a) the ruling that you can disqualify yourself from PrCs without losing benefits, and b) that a dead dragonwrought kobold be no longer dragonwrought, as there's no defined reincarnate table for dragons, but everything on that table would be a dragon, and the changeling wouldn't be a dragon until you took racial emulation.

Preeetty much, yeah. Like I said, amongst all the other problems I'd probably take a bigger hit to elegance by my attempt at avoiding a Flaw than I would if I actually just took the Flaw and ate the -1.

The plan would be to stick as Kobold 99% of the time, since ruling that you lose PrC class abilities if you lose the prerequisites for any PrCs outside of CA and CW introduces some horrible, horrible dysfunctions.

It also included some levels in Legendary Leader post-Reincarnation and pre-Orc Warlord so that I could get Racial Emulation without taking levels in the do-not-have-the-prereqs-anymore Dungeon Lord. I had a whole little backstory planned about the changeling trying to become a real Kobold again and whatnot, but it got a little convoluted.

Oh yeah, and using the Draconic Rite of Passage to get a spell-like ability and qualify for Dungeon Lord from pretty much anything with +5 BAB.

There's a lot of reasons for why I decided not to enter. The biggest one was definitely how it was more of a Leadership build than a Dungeon Lord build, though.

And I think that's pretty much it as far as my failed build went. Except for Reincarnate, I guess, where I guess the build was just reliant on a favorable roll of 100 on the table so it's "DM's Option" or something along those lines. It would definitely have been more elegant if I just took a Flaw, but by the time I realized that I also realized that the entire thing was a complete mess.

[OMG PONIES]

we had a lot of new chefs this time.

that would require people to actually know what guards and wards is.

But...but...it's in the SRD! Don't these kids read the SRD any more? :smalleek:


I was going to submit an Factotum8/Assassin7/Dungeon Lord 5 (not in that order.) using Complete Awareness to study my kills and then stabbing through a Dungeon Walk with an excessive outpouring of Inspiration Points into my Sneak-Death Attack before porting out again. But it didn't come together in time.

Now this is where I show what a greenhorn I am; what is Complete Awareness?


This certainly is a different sort of round. I was personally expecting at least one Might Makes Right build, especially a War Hulk one.

I thought we'd see people go that route, but like Venger mentioned, the Leadership score being capped at 25 probably steered people away from that.


the "it's an NPC so I don't have to follow the rules" dog won't hunt, as was addressed in some earlier round (I think death delver? a check of the archives isn't turning anything up, the dish probably wasn't included) when somebody tried to cook up a bone or corpse creature and say "I said it was an NPC, so I don't have to follow the rules." the judges rightfully disagreed.

It was The Spider King (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=13294413&postcount=153) back in Round XXXIII, who used both Bone Creature and the Swarm Shifter template.

[Sian]

Now this is where I show what a greenhorn I am; what is Complete Awareness?

It's the Third level ability that Dungeon Lord gets :smallcool:


Complete Awareness (Su): At 3rd level, you gain complete awareness of your dungeon. You can use clairvoyance/clairaudience (PH 209) at will to view any chamber in the dungeon. In addition, you receive a mental alarm, as the alarm spell (PH 197), whenever anyone enters the dungeon. This alarm tells you the location at which the intruder entered, but it gives no other details. Your caster level for these effects is equal to your Hit Dice.

[Deadline]

I'm definitely going to try to judge this round. From my initial read-through and the chair's response to my question, I won't refuse to judge anyone, but there are a couple of dishes that are going to take some heavy hits. Odds are good they aren't going to place very high. :smalltongue:

[Deadasadoor]

I'm also curious to know how the judges will rule this one, since most of the other Iron Chefs have been partially based on how they'd play at a table. Dungeon Lord is a bit of a different story though, seeing as really only a DM would use it. At least, that's how I built my entry. I avoided NPC templates though, so I'm not worried.

[Heliomance]

I'm also curious to know how the judges will rule this one, since most of the other Iron Chefs have been partially based on how they'd play at a table. Dungeon Lord is a bit of a different story though, seeing as really only a DM would use it. At least, that's how I built my entry. I avoided NPC templates though, so I'm not worried.

It might get books thrown at you, but I feel running a Dungeon Lord through the World's Largest Dungeon could be entertaining.

[Gemini476]

It might get books thrown at you, but I feel running a Dungeon Lord through the World's Largest Dungeon could be entertaining.

Unless you have "complete familiarity" with the dungeon, that seems pretty hard to qualify for.

And it's pretty hard to get "complete familiarity" with the WLD without actually clearing it first.

[Venger]

But...but...it's in the SRD! Don't these kids read the SRD any more? :smalleek:

there's all kinds (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/statue.htm) of ridiculous things (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/binding.htm) that no one knows about (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/snare.htm) on the SRD.



It was The Spider King (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=13294413&postcount=153) back in Round XXXIII, who used both Bone Creature and the Swarm Shifter template.

I figured you'd know. Thanks. Man, that guy.


I'm definitely going to try to judge this round. From my initial read-through and the chair's response to my question, I won't refuse to judge anyone, but there are a couple of dishes that are going to take some heavy hits. Odds are good they aren't going to place very high. :smalltongue:
Thanks a lot, I appreciate it.

[Fax Celestis]

But...but...it's in the SRD! Don't these kids read the SRD any more? :smalleek:


Most people read guards and wards and gloss over it, because it is very much a DM spell.

[dysprosium]

It's an interesting group for this ingredient.

I never got an inspiration for this one. :smallfrown:

[Venger]

It's an interesting group for this ingredient.

I never got an inspiration for this one. :smallfrown:

Yeah, it was tricky to wrangle a dish for this SI. There were a lot of different directions to go in.

[Piggy Knowles]

I didn't have time to put together even a complete build stub, but my first thought upon seeing the ingredient had been to go with a dretch Fiend of Blasphemy/Dungeon Lord.

[Macabaret]

Wow. My first thought at this PrC was to take Walker in the Waste to 10th level first. I'm very surprised that no one went that route.

The build I had started working on and statting up was Ranger 5/Dungeon Lord 5/Legendary Leader 5/Legendary Captain 5. I was going to use the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook to create a flying stronghold named Serenity. It would have been shiny. And there would have been plenty of cargo holds filled with easter eggs. And the level of detail I would have, undoubtedly, spent all my time on ('cause I'm like that) would have driven all of the judges insane.

I didn't have the time, though. (You're welcome, judges.)

Perhaps I'll do a bit of judging myself this time around, though. We'll see what the week(s) ahead give me for time.

[OMG PONIES]

It's the Third level ability that Dungeon Lord gets :smallcool:

Hey, how about that? :smallredface: Helps if I read the ability names when I read over what the abilities can do. Details, details...


I figured you'd know. Thanks. Man, that guy.

Yeah, you know me!


Most people read guards and wards and gloss over it, because it is very much a DM spell.

Yep, a perfect foil for a DM prestige class :smalltongue:.


Wow. My first thought at this PrC was to take Walker in the Waste to 10th level first. I'm very surprised that no one went that route.

Aside from the burrow speed and the constant ability to make jokes like "If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen!" what particular synergies am I missing?


The build I had started working on and statting up was Ranger 5/Dungeon Lord 5/Legendary Leader 5/Legendary Captain 5. I was going to use the Stronghold Builder's Guidebook to create a flying stronghold named Serenity. It would have been shiny.

I was briefly toying w/ a Ranger/Abolisher devoted to clearing his dungeon of aberrations...but I like yours way better :smallbiggrin:.

[Venger]

Yeah, you know me!

I sure do.



Aside from the burrow speed and the constant ability to make jokes like "If you can't stand the heat, get out of my kitchen!" what particular synergies am I missing?

burrow speed? what are you talking about? walker in the waste doesn't give that. the sample one has one listed, but that's by virtue of being an asherati, not one of the class features.

he's just referring to the ability to turn undead as the capstone. walker in the waste imparts the LA5 dry lich template for free, like dread necro. its undefined ability to creat salt mummies will also provide a cadre of elite undead brutes to help guard your sandbox, as will its sand golems. hole up under a pyramid so your henchmen can move around and enjoy doing your best arnold vosloo impression for your players.

[OMG PONIES]

burrow speed? what are you talking about? walker in the waste doesn't give that. the sample one has one listed, but that's by virtue of being an asherati, not one of the class features.

Man, I'm really slipping. I thought that was one of the special abilities of the template. :smallredface:


he's just referring to the ability to turn undead as the capstone. walker in the waste imparts the LA5 dry lich template for free, like dread necro. its undefined ability to creat salt mummies will also provide a cadre of elite undead brutes to help guard your sandbox, as will its sand golems. hole up under a pyramid so your henchmen can move around and enjoy doing your best arnold vosloo impression for your players.

Gotcha. I thought it might be something to do w/ the mummies and golems.

EDIT: For ease of reference:

The King in the Mountain (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314159&postcount=104): Shaedling Duskblade 3/Earth Dreamer 5/Dungeon Lord 5
Eyes-Of-Night (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314161&postcount=105): Killoren Barbarian 3/Fighter 1/Jaunter 4/Dungeon Lord 5/Telflammar Shadowlord 6
Ariyne (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314164&postcount=106): Half-Fiend Dwarf Binder 5/Warblade 3/Dungeon Lord 5/Jaunter 3
Gashlycrumb (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314170&postcount=107): Yuan-ti Muckdweller Psychic Rogue 5/Totemist 2/Soul Manifester 10/Dungeon Lord 5
The Queen of Slime (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314172&postcount=108) : Goliath Barbarian 1/Fighter 4/Dungeon Lord 5/Thrall of Jubilex 9
Czar Hail (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314174&postcount=109): Air Goblin Artificer 15/Dungeon Lord 5
Nataksukan (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314175&postcount=110): Imp 7/Survivor 2/Fiend of Possession 6/Dungeon Lord 5
Nihlnihl (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314178&postcount=111): Dracolich Kobold Monk 1/Fighter 2/Warblade 2/Crinti Shadow Marauder 5/Dungeon Lord 5
Cadmus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314180&postcount=112): Dragonborn Bhuka Marshal 4/Dragon Shaman 1/Warchief 10/Dugeon Lord 5
Vlad III Drăculea (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314182&postcount=113): Vampire Lord Silverbrow Human Crusader 4/Hexblade 2/Master Vampire 1/Dungeon Lord 5
Haarvak Sithis (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314712&postcount=115): Steel Dragon Crusader 6/Bard 2/Dungeon Lord 5/Marshal 1
Horace Nebbercracker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18314995&postcount=117): Elan Death Master 15/Dungeon Lord 5
The Spider that Ensnares the Dragon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=18315723&postcount=120): Quasit Rogue 11/Barbarian 1/Dungeon Lord 5

Oh, also, the spreadsheet in my signature is finally up to date. :smallbiggrin:

[RFLS]

@Ponies - I'm pretty sure Sithis is actually a steel dragon, according to its bibliography

[Troacctid]

What's a Yuan-Ti Muckdweller? Is that different from a normal Muckdweller?

[OMG PONIES]

@Ponies - I'm pretty sure Sithis is actually a steel dragon, according to its bibliography

Good snag, thank you! List has been updated, spreadsheet will be once I'm somewhere that doesn't block Google Docs.

[Venger]

What's a Yuan-Ti Muckdweller? Is that different from a normal Muckdweller?

No, it isn't. It's just a muckdweller. yuan-ti seems to just refer to the community he's in, since muckdwellers serve various different reptilian races (lizardfolk, kuo-toa, yuan-ti, etc)

[arkangel111]

I am a contestant, but am taking a stab at judging this round in case we only get a few judges. I will present the scores only once the Contest is closed, its really just to help cooks see other points of view. I hate it when only one person judges, as its hard to see what to work on as a cook. If my judging is close (order not score) to the other judges I may try to sit out next round and wait to judge, though I love cooking even though I can't land a decent rating. I will be reading any official disputes and adjust the scores accordingly before I present them. And since it will be after the competition there is no need to actually dispute though I would be open to PM's if you want to actually argue a case.

Additionally I would love for others to critique my judging. So perhaps instead of giving crappy builds I can judge instead.

On a side note judging is hard. Spent most of my morning judging and only have a few done. Also my scores are all over the place so I am trying to reign in my rubric constantly. I see now why few people actually volunteer to judge. Its also hard trying not to compare with my build.

[Venger]

I am a contestant, but am taking a stab at judging this round in case we only get a few judges. I will present the scores only once the Contest is closed, its really just to help cooks see other points of view. I hate it when only one person judges, as its hard to see what to work on as a cook. If my judging is close (order not score) to the other judges I may try to sit out next round and wait to judge, though I love cooking even though I can't land a decent rating. I will be reading any official disputes and adjust the scores accordingly before I present them. And since it will be after the competition there is no need to actually dispute though I would be open to PM's if you want to actually argue a case.

Additionally I would love for others to critique my judging. So perhaps instead of giving crappy builds I can judge instead.

On a side note judging is hard. Spent most of my morning judging and only have a few done. Also my scores are all over the place so I am trying to reign in my rubric constantly. I see now why few people actually volunteer to judge. Its also hard trying not to compare with my build.
I'm confused.

If you cook, you cannot judge.

If you did not cook and want to judge, you need to submit before the close so people can dispute should the need arise.

here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?287603-Handy-Tips-for-the-Iron-Chef-in-the-Playground-Noob) is a good place to start to find tips for judging/cooking.

If you're saying you want to post your own "just for fun" judgings after the contest is closed (which is I think what you mean?) then sure, that'd be fine. I'd be happy to give you a hand. that thread's the most important place to start and will save you a lot of time.

[arkangel111]

yes that's what I was trying to say.

Judging just for fun/practice after the contest.

I've never delved into other builds this deep before, but what is the common practice if you find other builds to be illegal? is it ok to call them out? I don't want to seem mean but it would really suck if someones build is illegal but places because no one noticed. One of the builds I thought would place is FTQ but its such an obscure mistake it could easily be missed.

[Venger]

yes that's what I was trying to say.

Judging just for fun/practice after the contest.

I've never delved into other builds this deep before, but what is the common practice if you find other builds to be illegal? is it ok to call them out? I don't want to seem mean but it would really suck if someones build is illegal but places because no one noticed. One of the builds I thought would place is FTQ but its such an obscure mistake it could easily be missed.

It is not only OK, but essentially mandatory. You can't give illegal dishes scores as high as higher than legal ones for precisely the reasons you laid out. for an ingredient as easy to qualify for as this one, the FTQ couldn't have been that obscure. I'm curious which one you mean and will see after the competition.

[OMG PONIES]

Just to clarify, it's cool to call them out in your judging. While the round is still "live," so to speak, it is best left to the judges. We usually tend to be an adequately competent bunch. :smalltongue:

[Venger]

Just to clarify, it's cool to call them out in your judging. While the round is still "live," so to speak, it is best left to the judges. We usually tend to be an adequately competent bunch. :smalltongue:

he said he's going to wait till after it's called to post his thoughts, so there shouldn't be any conflict there.

[OMG PONIES]

he said he's going to wait till after it's called to post his thoughts, so there shouldn't be any conflict there.

Yep, sorry if I was belaboring the point. Just wanted to make sure.

[Heliomance]

Think I'll run another experimental round next, as I realized the ingredient I had in mind for the next contest was a bit too similar to this one.

Let the speculation commence!

[Sian]

I would heavily suggest not to experimental, since that is part of the reason why i didn't sign up for this time around

[Vaz]

I've not really participated in this, but I've started making preliminary notes, the one thing that's apparent is that many/most/if not all contestants have failed to have the 5 levels of the Dungeon Lord to make it relevant to the build (after a quick look through). 5 levels, in my humble opinion just isn't enough to build around, and gets swamped by the 15 other levels - although only a quick look at the build, it seems that the majority of builds do not function as a result of the PrC - which honestly is something that I tend to look for in UoSI, Elegance, and Power. If you are able to do well *despite* the SI, that sort of renders the point of the IC null and void, if it's essentially *how can you build the most powerful character in 10-15 levels?*.

If you are to experiment with different numbers of levels, I'd suggest that 5 levels is far too low - anything that's lower than 8 risks not being a major part of the build. I wouldn't mind taking more. Necrocarnate, or True Necromancer, for example at 13 levels are both fantastic options, IMHO.

Failing that, I suggest the old classics - Gnome Giant Slayer, Thief of Life, or Slime Lord.

[Fax Celestis]

SOVEREIGNSPEAKERPLZKTHXBAI

*ahem*

I mean, "I would like the next secret ingredient to be Sovereign Speaker, old chap, and I would greatly appreciate the manoeuvre if you did so. Now kindly have a top-notch day!"

[Troacctid]

Necrocarnate doesn't leave much room for originality as it is essentially a variant archetype of a base class.

[The Viscount]

I sincerely doubt Sovereign Speaker. That class is very good, and we rarely do classes where you can get 9ths. I think we've only done 2 or so.

I'd love to see pretty much anything from OA, those are some fun classes.

Experimental eh? Perhaps a monstrous class like Siren (though I sincerely hope not, we'd all be the same due to entry prereqs) or combo of 2 five level PrCs?

[Venger]

I'd love to see pretty much anything from OA, those are some fun classes.

Experimental eh? Perhaps a monstrous class like Siren (though I sincerely hope not, we'd all be the same due to entry prereqs) or combo of 2 five level PrCs?

I'm all for another experimental round like this one. it really gave us a lot more freedom and variety of entry and it was the reason I entered.

as far as speculation goes... I'm feeling some kind of transformative prc.

Talontar blightlord?

[Fax Celestis]

I'm all for another experimental round like this one. it really gave us a lot more freedom and variety of entry and it was the reason I entered.

as far as speculation goes... I'm feeling some kind of transformative prc.

Talontar blightlord?

Renegade Mastermaker? Walker in the Wastes? Reforged? Winterhaunt of Iborignu?

[arkangel111]

Is it bad practice to give an honorable mention vote to someone who doesn't qualify? also what is the official way to cast the honorable mention vote? I have heard PM only and others say posting is fine.

[Venger]

Renegade Mastermaker? Walker in the Wastes? Reforged? Winterhaunt of Iborignu?

we've actually already had renegade mastermaker as a secret ingredient for round XXXIX.

walker in the wastes is far too powerful, though it does offer a lot of ways to enter. reforged, being only 3 lvls long, warforged specific, and inaccessible for changelings, we won't be able to enter that many ways. winterhaunt is also specific to enter and pretty good, so it's unlikely as an SI.

[Deadline]

Is it bad practice to give an honorable mention vote to someone who doesn't qualify? also what is the official way to cast the honorable mention vote? I have heard PM only and others say posting is fine.

No, any submitted build seems to be a valid option for honorable mention (I got an honorable mention with my first build here (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=14909185&postcount=307), and it didn't qualify for the SI by virtue of not being the right type). And generally, unless you are a judge, you should PM your vote.

[Sian]

would love an OA class ... having funny thoughts about forcing people to handle Shiba Protector as an SI, so they have to take beyond first level :smallcool:

[Venger]

would love an OA class ... having funny thoughts about forcing people to handle Shiba Protector as an SI, so they have to take beyond first level :smallcool:

bladedancer's where it's at.

[Heliomance]

I've not really participated in this, but I've started making preliminary notes, the one thing that's apparent is that many/most/if not all contestants have failed to have the 5 levels of the Dungeon Lord to make it relevant to the build (after a quick look through). 5 levels, in my humble opinion just isn't enough to build around, and gets swamped by the 15 other levels - although only a quick look at the build, it seems that the majority of builds do not function as a result of the PrC - which honestly is something that I tend to look for in UoSI, Elegance, and Power. If you are able to do well *despite* the SI, that sort of renders the point of the IC null and void, if it's essentially *how can you build the most powerful character in 10-15 levels?*.

If you are to experiment with different numbers of levels, I'd suggest that 5 levels is far too low - anything that's lower than 8 risks not being a major part of the build. I wouldn't mind taking more. Necrocarnate, or True Necromancer, for example at 13 levels are both fantastic options, IMHO.

Failing that, I suggest the old classics - Gnome Giant Slayer, Thief of Life, or Slime Lord.

Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing another short class - quite the opposite, in fact.

I knew only 5 levels was a risk, but I thought Dungeon Lord might be able to make it work because of the radically different playstyle it imposes - being stuck in a single Dungeon. I'm surprised we didn't see more Tomb Wardens - I would have expected that to be an obvious pairing.

[OMG PONIES]

I'm surprised we didn't see more Tomb Wardens - I would have expected that to be an obvious pairing.

Agreed! Makes me wish I had entered mine...

[Amphetryon]

Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing another short class - quite the opposite, in fact.

That just might be a clue, methinks.

[Venger]

Don't worry, I'm not planning on doing another short class - quite the opposite, in fact.


the opposite

I don't really want to do an 11+ lvl SI. it won't offer us that much variety amongst dishes, and they are for the most part, very proscriptive about how you have to enter.

you're obviously not giving us moonspeaker, so that only leaves about a dozen or so.

[Gemini476]

What's that class that's so long that it's nearly impossible to finish pre-epic, again?

[Fax Celestis]

What's that class that's so long that it's nearly impossible to finish pre-epic, again?

Magelord? Oh god that would be a trip.

[Sian]

Magelord's obvious entry is Rogue2/Wizard 9 ... and 10 deep ...

off the top of my head i can only see a few different ways to qualify, but they're either quite similar or cheesy as heck

[Venger]

What's that class that's so long that it's nearly impossible to finish pre-epic, again?

magelord's only 10 lvls long.

are you talking about void disciple?

[Biotroll]

I'm surprised we didn't see more Tomb Wardens - I would have expected that to be an obvious pairing.

I think we didn't see more Tomb Wardens, because they are obvious choice. I thought about it too, but I decided to go another path. Well, before that I thought of doing minotaur/rogue 2/trapsmith 5/dungeon lord 5 and make a maze with a lot of traps but I couldn't think of a way to use leadership well with that build.

[Amphetryon]

I think we didn't see more Tomb Wardens, because they are obvious choice. I thought about it too, but I decided to go another path. Well, before that I thought of doing minotaur/rogue 2/trapsmith 5/dungeon lord 5 and make a maze with a lot of traps but I couldn't think of a way to use leadership well with that build.

I looked at a minotaur trapsmith as well, paired with - of all things - evangelist. The basic idea was the minotaur attracted followers to populate and guard his maze.

[Sian]

played around with an semi-insane Air-melphing (or some other Outsider/Planetouched, aligned with plane of Air) inhabiting the borderlands between Planes of Air and Fire, trying to invent flying (or gravity-resistant), fireimmune undead creatures in a abandoned mage tower sent there by a magical explosion on (a) martial plane, using Undead Leadership to help control my 'pets' ... never got further than the basis idea and a reasonable Fluff

[WhamBamSam]

Magelord's obvious entry is Rogue2/Wizard 9 ... and 10 deep ...

off the top of my head i can only see a few different ways to qualify, but they're either quite similar or cheesy as heckYeah, I can see only one way in without lost caster levels, and only a few ways of making that way in possible. Also Magelord is basically a more Uncanny Forethought to go with your Uncanny Forethought, so a) probably too good for Iron Chef and b) treading somewhat familiar optimization ground.

Court Herald is the only thing over 10 levels that I see on this list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?352377-Prestige-Classes-with-Not-10-levels-%283-5E%29&p=17541016#post17541016) that looks particularly ICish. It's a little uninspiring to be honest.

Echoing refrain of Slime Lord and Thief of Life

[Amphetryon]

Yeah, I can see only one way in without lost caster levels, and only a few ways of making that way in possible. Also Magelord is basically a more Uncanny Forethought to go with your Uncanny Forethought, so a) probably too good for Iron Chef and b) treading somewhat familiar optimization ground.

Court Herald is the only thing over 10 levels that I see on this list (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?352377-Prestige-Classes-with-Not-10-levels-%283-5E%29&p=17541016#post17541016) that looks particularly ICish. It's a little uninspiring to be honest.

Echoing refrain of Slime Lord and Thief of Life

True Necromancer is, unfortunately, a potential candidate if we're going over 10 levels next round.

[Venger]

True Necromancer is, unfortunately, a potential candidate if we're going over 10 levels next round.

as is its twin, yathrinshee.

aside from the obvious way to enter magelord without losing any CL, I do see one other that (barely) allows you time to finish, but with such a restrictive ingredient, we'll likely be seeing another initiate of pistis sophia, which chefs can only enter in 2 or 3 ways.

[Gemini476]

magelord's only 10 lvls long.

are you talking about void disciple?
Definitely not Void Disciple, that one is stupid easy to get into.
It might've been Magelord that I was thinking of, I dunno.

Strange, I distinctly remember something about a prestige class that was incredibly difficult to finish pre-epic. I think it involved dwarves or gnomes, maybe?
It might have just been a ten-level class that you couldn't enter until after level 10, though, like Verdant Lord.


Let's just hope that the next SI is not Hidecarved Dragon. That could get weird.

[AvatarVecna]

I wish I'd entered this one. I could've put together an Anthropomorphic Mouse build, ala Mouse Hunt (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119715/).

[The Viscount]

Is it bad practice to give an honorable mention vote to someone who doesn't qualify? also what is the official way to cast the honorable mention vote? I have heard PM only and others say posting is fine.

It's fine, and sometimes it's the only way to give a build you like some love it might not otherwise get. In addition to deadline's above, I nabbed an HM because I forgot to qualify for Dodge, and thus the SI.

As for giving the HM vote, PMing is the recommended method for chefs to protect anonymity, especially in a smaller round like this. Posting in the thread is fine for non-chefs, and judges usually throw in their HM as well. Either way we usually wait until at least one judge has posted scores, since we don't award HM to a build if it medals.

[RFLS]

Do we have anyone other than Deadline that's going to be judging?

[Venger]

No one that's declared intent in the thread. We've had a ton of one-judger's before, most recently Lasher. Related: does anyone know of anybody that has an interest in making trophies again?

[RFLS]

No one that's declared intent in the thread. We've had a ton of one-judger's before, most recently Lasher. Related: does anyone know of anybody that has an interest in making trophies again?

I might actually know someone; I'll check with her.

[Venger]

I might actually know someone; I'll check with her.

Outstanding. All us chefs will appreciate it.

[Heliomance]

No one that's declared intent in the thread. We've had a ton of one-judger's before, most recently Lasher. Related: does anyone know of anybody that has an interest in making trophies again?

I asked in the Arts and Crafts forum last month. No replies, sadly.

[gorfnab]

If only I had had the time to compete in this one. Dungeon Lord makes for an awesome ship's captain. Something like Elan Bard 3/ Paladin of Freedom or Slaughter 2/ Dread Pirate 1/ Dungeon Lord 5/ Dread Pirate and Legendary Captain mix 9 would have been quite amusing.

[Venger]

If only I had had the time to compete in this one. Dungeon Lord makes for an awesome ship's captain. Something like Elan Bard 3/ Paladin of Freedom or Slaughter 2/ Dread Pirate 1/ Dungeon Lord 5/ Dread Pirate and Legendary Captain mix 9 would have been quite amusing.

I was flabbergasted not to see any dread pirates in this round, especially since people asked about using ships as their dungeons.

[OMG PONIES]

If only I had had the time to compete in this one. Dungeon Lord makes for an awesome ship's captain. Something like Elan Bard 3/ Paladin of Freedom or Slaughter 2/ Dread Pirate 1/ Dungeon Lord 5/ Dread Pirate and Legendary Captain mix 9 would have been quite amusing.


I was flabbergasted not to see any dread pirates in this round, especially since people asked about using ships as their dungeons.

Some people may have thought twice about it given the Chairwoman's definition of a dungeon in the FAQ post.

[Zipding]

We have 1 week left of judging, how are you all doing?

I'll submit my HM vote after the first judge's results to avoid having a build place in top 3 and getting an HM among them.

[Heliomance]

The lukewarm response to the idea of another experimental round has got me feeling blue...

[OMG PONIES]

I'm always down to clown. We did an experimental round this time through and got a whopping 13 entries, so I'd say we're good. Sadly, I just had a new project come up so I won't be able to devote the proper time to judging this round.

[Amphetryon]

I'm always down to clown. We did an experimental round this time through and got a whopping 13 entries, so I'd say we're good. Sadly, I just had a new project come up so I won't be able to devote the proper time to judging this round.

You mean you prioritize real life over ICOCITP? Heresy!

[Heliomance]

Anything I say not directly related to chairing duties may contain oblique hints as to upcoming ingredients.

Anything I say that is directly related to chairing duties may also contain oblique hints as to upcoming ingredients.

Unless they don't, and I'm just messing with you.

Who knows?

Actually, most hints I do drop (and there have been several) are probably useless because there are several classes I have in mind to use, and which order I do them in depends mostly on my whims at the time of thread creation.

Except for December's one. That's almost certainly fixed.

[Tragak]

Sorry, noob here: what do you guys mean "experimental"?

[Amphetryon]

Sorry, noob here: what do you guys mean "experimental"?

In context, it meant 'a PrC that's not the IC-standard 10 levels long,' or 'allows materials traditionally banned from IC challenges to date.'

[Gemini476]

In context, it meant 'a PrC that's not the IC-standard 10 levels long,' or 'allows materials traditionally banned from IC challenges to date.'

Or both, like the current SI - 5 levels long with Leadership allowed.

The hints so far seem to be towards a slightly longer PrC.

[Tragak]

Ah, got it.

[Sian]

The lukewarm response to the idea of another experimental round has got me feeling blue...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ugkg9RePc

:smalltongue:

[Deadline]

I've been out with the flu, but I'm starting to feel better. I'm not sure I'll get a judging in, but I'll certainly give it a solid try.

[The Viscount]

The lukewarm response to the idea of another experimental round has got me feeling blue...

For what it's worth, I certainly enjoyed this ingredient. It gave me a chance to use a character concept I've wanted to flesh out for a long time. I'd like to see another experimental round. It gives us a nice break from the long chain of "normal" SIs.

If this is a hint though....http://www.famoussignatures.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rathbone9.jpg
Blue could easily be a reference to the color, which would indicate IotSV, but that's far too good for this competition. Combined with lukewarm it could be a reference to cold-based classes, of which nothing really stands out as usable except for Frostrager (which is too short) and Winterhaunt of Iborighu (which is rather powerful, but not experimental, as we've had classes that can give you 9ths before). A dead end there as well. Unless... of course! Incarnum. We've done incarnum classes before, so that can't be the experimental portion. However if we bring in the mention of a longer ingredient, the solution becomes clear: Necrocarnate.

[dysprosium]

Blue could easily be a reference to the color, which would indicate IotSV, but that's far too good for this competition. Combined with lukewarm it could be a reference to cold-based classes, of which nothing really stands out as usable except for Frostrager (which is too short) and Winterhaunt of Iborighu (which is rather powerful, but not experimental, as we've had classes that can give you 9ths before). A dead end there as well. Unless... of course! Incarnum. We've done incarnum classes before, so that can't be the experimental portion. However if we bring in the mention of a longer ingredient, the solution becomes clear: Necrocarnate.

Your logic and reasoning are sound. Therefore it cannot be the answer.

[Sian]

actually, looking for something quite different I found a very strong contender. a Fighter 4 / Crusader 1 (or whatever, something with full bab) / Dungeon Lord 5 / Warmaster 10 would have been interesting, using the ability writen into Dungeon Lord to upgrade from a small outpost over a watchtower, keep and castle, all the way up to fortress and having a massively sized army under your command (boosting your leadership with +9 from Dungeon lord and Warmaster) defending a critical spot of the country your in

[Venger]

The lukewarm response to the idea of another experimental round has got me feeling blue...

for the record, I am in favor of another experimental round. I've enjoyed this one quite a lot. The only thing I'm leery of is an 11+ lvl SI, since it will reduce the amount of variety possible with the dishes.


For what it's worth, I certainly enjoyed this ingredient. It gave me a chance to use a character concept I've wanted to flesh out for a long time. I'd like to see another experimental round. It gives us a nice break from the long chain of "normal" SIs.

If this is a hint though....http://www.famoussignatures.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/rathbone9.jpg
Blue could easily be a reference to the color, which would indicate IotSV, but that's far too good for this competition. Combined with lukewarm it could be a reference to cold-based classes, of which nothing really stands out as usable except for Frostrager (which is too short) and Winterhaunt of Iborighu (which is rather powerful, but not experimental, as we've had classes that can give you 9ths before). A dead end there as well. Unless... of course! Incarnum. We've done incarnum classes before, so that can't be the experimental portion. However if we bring in the mention of a longer ingredient, the solution becomes clear: Necrocarnate.

your reasoning is impeccable, old boy.

while necrocarnate is clearly experimental in the number of levels an also being a subsystem which iron chef has not yet dabbled in, I would be remiss if I neglected to point out another explanation.

"lukewarm" may be a red herring, to try to get us to think it's winterhaunt which is, as you said, a powerful and relatively standard ingredient.

speaking of red, I believe this is the aspect of our chair's clue we must focus on. Blue is mentioned and used as a color in the chair's posts giving us clues. the "red" herring of winterhaunt is also a clue, albeit a stealthier one.

what incarnum-based class has features focusing on both "red" and "blue?"

the answer is elementary:

spinemeld warrior.


Anything I say not directly related to chairing duties may contain oblique hints as to upcoming ingredients.

Anything I say that is directly related to chairing duties may also contain oblique hints as to upcoming ingredients.

Unless they don't, and I'm just messing with you.

Who knows?

>uses the word "oblique" twice in a post

http://www.famoussignatures.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/George-Zucco.jpg

(NB: he was, after all, a professor of mathematics
Even in contemporary English discourse, the word is hardly as common as it once was. Consequently, it must be a clue. What prestige class focuses on angles, oblique and otherwise:

Solution: Geometer.


Actually, most hints I do drop (and there have been several) are probably useless because there are several classes I have in mind to use, and which order I do them in depends mostly on my whims at the time of thread creation.

Except for December's one. That's almost certainly fixed.

some kind of christmas theme, no doubt. Santa claus directly has already been thoroughly done with nightsong infiltrator, so it must be a lesser-known aspect of the christmas tradition we are to focus on. The answer of course, must be Krampus.

The class which makes us most like him with his chitinous hide and ability to get in and out of tight spaces:

Fang of Lolth.

[The Viscount]

Spinemeld Warrior is certainly right up our alley, but I don't know if it's different enough to be an experimental. I really don't want to do Geometer, but Dread Fang could actually be quite fun, though it brings back memories of the last drow round....I shudder at the thought.

[Venger]

Spinemeld Warrior is certainly right up our alley, but I don't know if it's different enough to be an experimental. I really don't want to do Geometer, but Dread Fang could actually be quite fun, though it brings back memories of the last drow round....I shudder at the thought.

don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want to make a spinemeld warrior, it's a super gross class.

you know what's not a gross class?

silver key. everyone loves it, it doesn't really do anything, and it's comparatively easy to qualify for. I think it'd make a fine secret ingredient.

[The Viscount]

Silver Key's actually a good one, too. It's got enough abilities to try some fun stuff, but they're all small enough that you have to work to use them.

[Heliomance]

Do we actually have anyone slated to judge, with Ponies dropping out and Deadline maybe not making it?

Also, I'd not come across Silver Key before. That's a strange class. Does absolutely nothing for your combat ability whatsoever.

[Venger]

Do we actually have anyone slated to judge, with Ponies dropping out and Deadline maybe not making it?

Also, I'd not come across Silver Key before. That's a strange class. Does absolutely nothing for your combat ability whatsoever.

The only person who said they were going to judge (maybe) at the moment is Deadline, and he's still got another day and a half.

If that doesn't happen, I think we should start the next round on schedule and just leave this one open while judging's wrapped since it'll take a really long time. The November/December rounds take forever as it stands, and stretching this one will really mess up our schedule since people are going to start making plans for american thanksgiving/christmas pretty soon.

Silver Key is an incredibly strange class and it not only doesn't give you anything to help you beat up bad guys, but it actively prevents you from furthering whatever you entered as by taking up 10 of your levels. In other words: a perfect ingredient.

[Heliomance]

The only person who said they were going to judge (maybe) at the moment is Deadline, and he's still got another day and a half.

If that doesn't happen, I think we should start the next round on schedule and just leave this one open while judging's wrapped since it'll take a really long time. The November/December rounds take forever as it stands, and stretching this one will really mess up our schedule since people are going to start making plans for american thanksgiving/christmas pretty soon.

Silver Key is an incredibly strange class and it not only doesn't give you anything to help you beat up bad guys, but it actively prevents you from furthering whatever you entered as by taking up 10 of your levels. In other words: a perfect ingredient.

It's on my list :D

That said, you guys regularly surprise me with what you can make out of terrible classes. I remember being seriously impressed when I threw Stonelord at you, thinking it was utterly worthless.

[Venger]

It's on my list :D

That said, you guys regularly surprise me with what you can make out of terrible classes. I remember being seriously impressed when I threw Stonelord at you, thinking it was utterly worthless.

Lucky us!

I can't wait to cook up some silver keys. I'm going to not do anything so hard.

indeed, and that round gave us old lob many-eyes, the highest-ever scoring dish for quite some time until parsifal the fool back in death delver.

[Heliomance]

Hrm. Think I actually might not bother with the experimental ingredient I had planned. I was going to (as requested) give you one of the dragon PrCs out of Draconomicon, but I've just looked over them again, and they're all either actually pretty good, or just... boring. There's none that are entertainingly bad enough for this contest.

[Vaz]

Or pretty much completely impossible to qualify for or complete.

Bloodscaled Fury - BAB +22
Disciple of Ashardalon - BAB+18, (ECL19)
Dispassionate Watcher - 2 Knowledges, 20 ranks (ECL18)
Dragon Ascendant - BAB+30 (ECL31)
Elemental Master - BAB +20 (ECL21)
Hidecarved Dragon - Will Save +12/Natural Armour Bonus 20+ (ECL7, but good luck getting a natural armour bonus that high)
Sacred Warder - BAB15+ (ECL17 - you need to cast Divine Spells, no Full BAB Divine Casters)
Unholy Ravager - BAB15+ (ECL17 - you need to cast Divine Spells, no Full BAB Divine Casters)

They're extremely bad ingredients.

[Heliomance]

Or pretty much completely impossible to qualify for or complete.

Bloodscaled Fury - BAB +22
Disciple of Ashardalon - BAB+18, (ECL19)
Dispassionate Watcher - 2 Knowledges, 20 ranks (ECL18)
Dragon Ascendant - BAB+30 (ECL31)
Elemental Master - BAB +20 (ECL21)
Hidecarved Dragon - Will Save +12/Natural Armour Bonus 20+ (ECL7, but good luck getting a natural armour bonus that high)
Sacred Warder - BAB15+ (ECL17 - you need to cast Divine Spells, no Full BAB Divine Casters)
Unholy Ravager - BAB15+ (ECL17 - you need to cast Divine Spells, no Full BAB Divine Casters)

They're extremely bad ingredients.

Eh, I was gonna give you 35HD to play with and ignore racial LA for dragons. As I say, it was requested.

[AvatarVecna]

I'm gonna repeat one of my requests: Tattooed Monk!

[Sian]

Eh, I was gonna give you 35HD to play with and ignore racial LA for dragons. As I say, it was requested.

I would say that prehaps would be more in line with some of the experimental Junkyard Challenges

[Heliomance]

I would say that prehaps would be more in line with some of the experimental Junkyard Challenges

Perhaps. Anyway, it's not happening now, I'll go back to being bound by tradition :P

[KrimsonNekros]

I demand DoTU Arachnomancer!

[Venger]

I demand DoTU Arachnomancer!

I'd be game for that. racial prereq, incredibly awkward 5/8 casting progression, worthless class features, a terrible chassis, and a nonstandard number of levels?

sounds hilarious. plus we'll get to try to outdo each other with terrible spider jokes.

[Heliomance]

Argh! Too many classes on my list! Silver Key, Arachnomancer, Tattooed Monk, [redacted], [redacted], Spinemeld Warrior, [redacted]...

[Heliomance]

So the dead line's up and we have no judges. Do people want to go on to the next round anyway? And is there anyone that feels able to judge at all?

[Venger]

So the dead line's up and we have no judges. Do people want to go on to the next round anyway? And is there anyone that feels able to judge at all?


I think we should start the next round on schedule and just leave this one open while judging's wrapped

^ Yeah, what this guy said. Not opening up the next ingredient won't exactly get this one to attract a judge any sooner.

Can't wait to see what the next SI is.

[Darrin]

So the dead line's up and we have no judges. Do people want to go on to the next round anyway? And is there anyone that feels able to judge at all?

Give me a week and I think I can take a stab at it.

I got distracted away from IC by the Feng Shui 2 kickstarter. I've been lurking since then, but didn't realize there were no judges for this IC. I think I can handle 13 entries.

[Troacctid]

I was looking at judging but this round is a difficult one to evaluate. And also, I really didn't fancy being the only judge.

[Venger]

Give me a week and I think I can take a stab at it.

I got distracted away from IC by the Feng Shui 2 kickstarter. I've been lurking since then, but didn't realize there were no judges for this IC. I think I can handle 13 entries.

thanks a lot, Darrin

[Deadline]

Hey folks, I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not going to be able to complete my judging.

Also, I'm not going to be able to compete or judge in future contests for the time being. My family received some bad news last week, my father was just diagnosed with stage four cancer. It pretty much came out of nowhere in the last year. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling and helping out where I can as his treatment progresses, so my time to do anything more than a couple of brief posts is going to disappear.

Take care, and keep on cooking those delicious meals. I'll be lurking to read them.

[Fax Celestis]

Hey folks, I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not going to be able to complete my judging.

Also, I'm not going to be able to compete or judge in future contests for the time being. My family received some bad news last week, my father was just diagnosed with stage four cancer. It pretty much came out of nowhere in the last year. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling and helping out where I can as his treatment progresses, so my time to do anything more than a couple of brief posts is going to disappear.

Take care, and keep on cooking those delicious meals. I'll be lurking to read them.

o>

Carry on, old chap. Chin up. And people say this all the time, but if you need anything, let me know. My mutant power is networking.

[Amphetryon]

Hey folks, I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not going to be able to complete my judging.

Also, I'm not going to be able to compete or judge in future contests for the time being. My family received some bad news last week, my father was just diagnosed with stage four cancer. It pretty much came out of nowhere in the last year. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling and helping out where I can as his treatment progresses, so my time to do anything more than a couple of brief posts is going to disappear.

Take care, and keep on cooking those delicious meals. I'll be lurking to read them.

Best wishes, Deadline. Family comes first.

[dysprosium]

Hey folks, I'm sorry to do this to you but I'm not going to be able to complete my judging.

Also, I'm not going to be able to compete or judge in future contests for the time being. My family received some bad news last week, my father was just diagnosed with stage four cancer. It pretty much came out of nowhere in the last year. I'm going to be doing a lot of traveling and helping out where I can as his treatment progresses, so my time to do anything more than a couple of brief posts is going to disappear.

Take care, and keep on cooking those delicious meals. I'll be lurking to read them.

I'm sorry to hear about your father. You do what you need to do. If we can do anything for you let us know.

[arkangel111]

Sorry to hear that Deadline, I lost my father a few years ago. Just enjoy the time you got now and try to set something up that will be a tradition for the years to come. My father died on Jan 21st a few years back, before he died he said he wanted a family barbecue when he got out of the hospital. So now every year on January 21st we have a barbecue to remember him. Its silly but it helps to remind myself of what he was like when he was well.

for the rest of you, I am almost done with my fake judging, i had put it on the backburner because I was hoping to have real judges. I'll judge my own with the same criteria as best I can and post them all when done, so as not to reveal my own build. At the very least it'll give everyone some Idea of how the builds did until a real judge can weigh in. If Darrin ends up backing out for some reason, we can just make mine official and i'll withdraw.

should be done in a few hours if the kids cooperate.

[OMG PONIES]

I extend the same sympathies as the others, deadline. We all know that real life should usually come first, but even moreso now. The Internet will always be here.

As far as this round, I wish I could step up to judge at the last second, but it's not going to happen. Sorry, folks :smallfrown:.