Let's build the grim reaper (as a martial character).

[gooddragon1]

So, in another thread I remembered about a character concept I wanted to explore...

The rules suggestions are that it must use the raptoran's dive attack as a raptoran with black wings, a scythe, a grim reaper getup, and deal all it's damage in a single attack. If you've played magicka and used "that one spell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8ePiMyBozo)" you may have a better visualization of what I'm talking about.

Initially I'm thinking strike of perfect clarity, weapon enhancements on the scythe, etc..., but I'm interested to see what optimization can be done here. Also to double check that it's possible to use strike of perfect clarity or other maneuvers with dive attack. Potential builds are also cool. Damage analysis and math geekery hold a dear place in my heart. So, let's see what can be done. I might post a simple build if no one else does or just for fun later anyways.

EDIT: Changed rules to suggestions. I think I'll post my version after I see some more of the other ideas.

[Extra Anchovies]

Shadow Hand-focused Swordsage, I'd say.

[(Un)Inspired]

How about a unseelie fey raptoran paladin of tyranny 3/hexblade 4/binder 12/assassin 1 that pumps cha as high as possible?

With a reasonable charisma of 30 it can give any adjacent enemies a -20 to saves. The assasssin's death attack should be pretty easy to make stick at that point.

[WeaselGuy]

And here I was thinking of some form of crit-fishing Disciple of Dispater...

[Marlowe]

Since when does the Grim Reaper have wings? Isn't there traditionally a pale horse involved? And, for that matter, possibly a bag of take-away curry?

[WeaselGuy]

Since when does the Grim Reaper have wings? Isn't there traditionally a pale horse involved? And, for that matter, possibly a bag of take-away curry?

A couple quick Google Image searches yields plenty of precedence for a winged Reaper. As far as the traditional pale horse, that probably stems from Judeo-Christian mythology, combined with a little Bon Jovi. And he can only have curry if he also has a cat for an animal companion or familiar.

[atemu1234]

Probably a Paladin of Meh (True Neutral Paladin from Dragon Magazine, not sure what issue number, page number or even if any good).

[paperarmor]

If you don't mind some minor manifesting maybe Ardent3/Warblade3/Psychic Weapon Master 7/ Legacy Champion 7 can get 8th level maneuvers or manifesting as a 15th level ardent ends with 17-20 crit range on a scythe and can up the multiplier to x5 3 times a day. (Note this is with the interpretation that Initiator level can be raised with legacy champion's +1 to class features) it requires a lot of feats though so psychic weapon master may have to wait until later in the build or flaws may be needed.

Otherwise, I did a similar build awhile back with whirling Frenzy Pounce Barb 1/ Fighter 2/ Warblade 17 with the Ubercharging feats Leap Attack probably won't work in the air but meh it's a good back up.

also the Raptorans Dive Attack follows the same rules as a charge so boosts do work but not others.

[WeaselGuy]

Probably a Paladin of Meh (True Neutral Paladin from Dragon Magazine, not sure what issue number, page number or even if any good).

I would say he's probably LN, since while he doesn't care if you were good or bad, when it's your time to go, he's there to collect.

With regards to mechanics, I think a LE Fighter 4/Barbarian 1/Weapon Master 7/Disciple of Dispater 8
(the Weapon Master from 3.0's Sword and Fist)

Feats:
Flaw - Vulnerable (-1 to AC) to gain Dodge
1 - Mobility
1B- Combat Expertise
2B- Combat Reflexes
3 - Weapon Focus (Scythe)
4B- Spring Attack Attack
5DCS - Whirlwind Attack
6 - Power Attack
9 - Improved Critical (Scythe)
12- Disciple of Darkness
15- Flyby Attack
18- Weapon Specialization (Scythe)

Going to be using the Dark Chaos Shuffle at level 5 to swap Heavy Armor Proficiency for Demonic Skin, then swap that for Whirlwind Attack.

Spirit Lion Totem Barbarian at level 5, for Pounce. I know you want to only swing once, but hey, sometimes 4 swings is better?

Now for the crunchy bits. We get Improved Critical at level 9, increasing the threat range of our scythe from 20 to 19-20. Ki Critical at level 12 (Weapon Master 7) increases that threat range by an additional 2, making it 17-20. From Disciple of Dispater 4, we get Iron Power, doubling the threat range, and at DoD 8, the range is tripled. If my math holds, this should increase the threat range to 15-20, giving us a pretty good threat range for a scythe, if not as good as what I originally calculated. Weapon Master does however give us an Increased Multiplier, bringing it up from x4 to x5.From DoD, what we're truly interested in is Iron Power. At level 8 of DoD, our Critical Threat Range triples when using an iron weapon, giving us a range of 17-20 with a x4 modifier, for the scythe. It explicitly stacks with Improved Critical, which when taken at level 15, doubles the critical threat range of a weapon, thereby giving us a range of 13-20. Using the S&F Weapon Master, we got both Increased Multiplier and Ki Critical. Ki Critical increases our critical threat range by another +2, bringing it to 11-20, and Increased Multiplier ups the multiplier to x5. From DoD we also get Greater Iron Hews, allowing us to add +6 damage to an attack we make, as a Divine Bonus.

So, now we get into items and whatnot, in order to figure out how much damage the Reaper can do in a single swing.
At the minimum, I would expect a +5 Scythe, a Manual of Gainful Exercise +5, and either a Belt of Magnificence +6, or a Belt of Giant's Strength +6, either of which giving us +6 Strength. With a starting Strength of 18, and adding +1 to it every 4 levels, you get a 23 Strength by level 20. +6 from the belt, upping it to 29, and +5 from the manual, giving us a grand total of 34, which nets us a +7 +12. Now we factor in Power Attack. With a BAB of 20 at level 20, we can subtract up to that amount, and add twice that amount to damage dealt. We'll assume you'll be using a Ring of Invisibility in order to maximize your chances of getting to the target unseen, and thereby denying their Dex Bonus to AC, making the target a bit easier to hit, and a set of True Strike Gauntlets, giving you +20 to hit on your next attack until the end of next turn, usable 1/day.

So, now we have a +41 to hit (20 from True Strike, 12 from Strength, 5 from weapon enchantment, 2 from Raptoran Dive, 1 from Weapon Focus, 1 from Superior Weapon Focus), and is going to deal 8(Ki Damage)+18(Str and a half, two-handed weapon)+40(power attack)+6(Greater Iron Hews)+2(Weapon Specialization)x2(Raptoran Dive), with a critical threat range of 15-20, and a multiplier of x5.

Chances are, you'll at least hit, dealing, at minimum 148 damage. And if you crit... well, now you're doing, at minimum, 660 damage. I don't know of too many PCs with that many HP...

edit: I just reread the OP, and I see it wants to utilize the Raptoran's Dive Attack. Unfortunately, their Dive Attack specifically states that it only works with a Piercing weapon and the scythe is most definitely a slashing weapon the scythe is actually piercing or slashing. This is what I get for not reading the whole entry before I type. Sooo... yeah. Add 2 to the attack roll for charging, and double the damage output above. GG Mate.

another edit: math, and changed my numbers to reflect Raptoran Dive.

another another edit: reading is fundamental. factored in both ki damage and level shuffling...

[ComaVision]

I know this isn't what you asked but I really see the Grim Reaper as a Lawful Neutral Cleric.

Using the Surge of Fortune spell with a Vorpal Scythe and a Ring of Scorn to confirm the crit automatically, and you'll kill anything that needs its head (basically anything you would be reaping). I think you could have this all at level 9 at the earliest.

[WeaselGuy]

I know this isn't what you asked but I really see the Grim Reaper as a Lawful Neutral Cleric.

Using the Surge of Fortune spell with a Vorpal Scythe and a Ring of Scorn to confirm the crit automatically, and you'll kill anything that needs its head (basically anything you would be reaping). I think you could have this all at level 9 at the earliest.

Name - Flesh Ring of Scorn
Family - Wondrous
Item Slot - Ring
Price - 8000 gp
Sources - Book of Vile Darkness

"Outsider always criticals on a threat against non-outsider"

Is this what you're using?

edit: although, I guess this would work with Greater Visage of the Deity, since that spell makes you an Outsider for the duration...

[gooddragon1]

I would say he's probably LN, since while he doesn't care if you were good or bad, when it's your time to go, he's there to collect.

Originally, I was going to use strike of perfect clarity. I always thought "works like a charge" meant that it followed some of the rules but didn't have the requirements. Now that I think about it, it probably means action requirements too. Btw, your build could use aura of perfect order if you take crusader at 19 and 20 to always get an 11 on your roll.

So, here's a build that will allow you to be lawful neutral (or more importantly for me, neutral good).

Warblade 20. (Tome of Battle)
Leading the charge as the stance (Tome of Battle)

Trait: Reckless
Feats:
1: Weapon Focus
3: Power Attack
6: Weapon Specialization
9: Melee Weapon Mastery (phb 2)
12: Greater Weapon Focus
15: Greater Weapon Specialization
18: Chosen Foe (phb 2)

All feats with scythe.
+5 Scythe of Collision, Aptitude (Tome of Battle), That other enhancement from Tome of Battle which gives +1 if you have a maneuver/stance ready or +3 if you're using it [3 times]
Bracers that give +2 damage if you power attack for a certain minimum amount. [Magic Item Compendium]

18 strength to start, +5 from book, +5 from levels, +6 from item = 34 strength

Damage output:
13 (weapon)
18 (from STR with 2handing)
40 (Power Attack for full while 2handing)
6 (from feats)
20 (from leading the charge)
1 (from reckless)
2 (from bracers)
x2 Dive attack
=200 damage minimum

Attackuracy:
+12 Strength
+6 Weapon
+5 Weapon again because you're using a stance and have 2 maneuvers from 2 other disciplines readied
+2 charging
-1 reckless
+4 feats
+1 Chosen Foe
=+30 to hit

Not the most amazing thing ever, but fairly simple-ish.

[ComaVision]

Name - Flesh Ring of Scorn
Family - Wondrous
Item Slot - Ring
Price - 8000 gp
Sources - Book of Vile Darkness

"Outsider always criticals on a threat against non-outsider"

Is this what you're using?

edit: although, I guess this would work with Greater Visage of the Deity, since that spell makes you an Outsider for the duration...

It doesn't have the Outsider requirement in the Magic Item Compendium, but only works 3/day. I should've specified, I didn't realise there was more than one version.

[WeaselGuy]

It doesn't have the Outsider requirement in the Magic Item Compendium, but only works 3/day. I should've specified, I didn't realise there was more than one version.

Yeah, I just Googled it, and the first one that showed up was in BoVD, I didn't know there was one in MIC.

[WeaselGuy]

So, I was looking at my books, and realized that my levels aren't right. I need 8 levels of Disciple of Dispater for Iron Power +2, and then 7 levels of Weapon Master for Ki Critical. This means I have to take Weapon master first, since it only requires BAB +5 for entry, as opposed to DoD's +6. This also means I need 6 feats prior to level 6, while still keeping full BAB. I can do it with a single flaw, if flaws are allowed, or I can do a single level dip in a class that grants both full BAB and a bonus feat of either Dodge, Mobility, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Weapon Focus, or Whirlwind Attack.

edit: Solved my problem, solution added to earlier post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?386674-Let-s-build-the-grim-reaper-(as-a-martial-character)&p=18487354#post18487354).

[nedz]

Advanced Dread Wraith.
Huge, Incorporeal and fly 60'
Plenty of feats available, and it has several which could be swapped.

Technically a monster with LA — but it fits your requirements perfectly.

[Marlowe]

A couple quick Google Image searches yields plenty of precedence for a winged Reaper. As far as the traditional pale horse, that probably stems from Judeo-Christian mythology, combined with a little Bon Jovi. And he can only have curry if he also has a cat for an animal companion or familiar.

Revelations, dude. Don't get the Bon Jovi thing.

The wings are acceptable; but not universal. I don't get why they're required.

[WeaselGuy]

Revelations, dude. Don't get the Bon Jovi thing.

The wings are acceptable; but not universal. I don't get why they're required.

I don't know what I was thinking with the Bon Jovi, I had the lyrics mistaken...

[ShurikVch]

How about build some Fiend of Possession, and possess a scythe?
+6 enhancement bonus pre-epic...
(Even more, if use something like Legacy Champion)

[Marlowe]

Actually, I think you might have been thinking of a (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Rider) couple (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Plains_Drifter) of Clint Eastwood movies.

Death=Horse=Cowboy=Bon Jovi. It's a perfectly explicable train of associations. Dead wrong, but explicable.

[WeaselGuy]

Actually, I think you might have been thinking of a (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_Rider) couple (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High_Plains_Drifter) of Clint Eastwood movies.

Death=Horse=Cowboy=Bon Jovi. It's a perfectly explicable train of associations. Dead wrong, but explicable.

Stands to reason that that could've been my train of thought. I used to watch a bunch of Clint Eastwood movies, and listened to Bon Jovi a decent bit in college too...

Also, updated my math in my earlier post (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?386674-Let-s-build-the-grim-reaper-(as-a-martial-character)&p=18487354#post18487354)...