Irogn Chef Optimisatiogn Challegnge ign the Playgrougnd LXVII

[Heliomance]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Irogn Chef LXV. Here in Optimizatiogn 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 09:59 GMT on Sunday, April 12th, 2015 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, April 26th, 2015 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.

Leadership is banned; we're producing a meal, not a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat or ACF through any means.

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!

This month's Secret Ingredient is:
Complete Warrior's Gnome Giagnt Slayer!
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. If there are no votes, Honourable Mention will go to the chairwoman's favourite build.

Allez, optimiser!

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)
Iron Chef LXII: Dungeon Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?376810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXII)
Iron Cheff LXIII: WItchborn Binder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?382632-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIII)
Iron Chef LXIV: Slime Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?387166-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIV)
Iron Chef LXV: Thunder Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394981-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXV)
Iron Chef LXVI: Dwarven Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?400810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXVI)

[Heliomance]

FAQ:
What's this evegn 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? As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort while Heliomance is chairman. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

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.

Creatures and templates with no listed LA are playable, right? No. No listed LA is equivalent to LA: -. It is not suitable for PCs. If you use it, expect judges to look extremely disfavourably on it.

[Sian]

its been asked for for ages ... no clue if i'm cooking

[Deadasadoor]

I saw a g, thought it was a typo. And then I realized I was very wrong. This is gonna be a fun one, and a fierce competition. Assuming I don't get swept away by homework and such, I should be able to get an entry in. The problem will be thinking up something that nobody else has.

[dysprosium]

its been asked for for ages

That it has. And I have two stubs just about ready to go for this one! I'll be in on this one with just about everybody else.

[WhamBamSam]

I've said for a while that I'd be judging GGS, and as this'll be a bad couple of weeks for entry writing, I see no reason to walk that statement back. I'll have my criteria updated and posted sometime tonight.

[Zaq]

Hmm. Does Defegnsive Roll ognly apply whegn the GGS is beigng attacked by a giagnt, or does it apply all the time? The exact text is "Ognce per day, whegn he would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage ign combat (from a weapogn or other blow struck by a giagnt, gnot a spell or special ability), he cagn attempt to roll with the damage." (Emphasis agnd silegnt Gs added.) So does it apply all the time, or is it limited to ognly attacks made by giagnts? The rest of the text of the ability doesgn't megntiogn giagnts, which is why I ask.

Agnyway, I dogn't see agnything that's actually too ignterestigng with this class, sad to say. Makes me a bit ugnsure why it's beegn requested for so logng. I'll let you kgnow if ignspiratiogn strikes, but right gnow, I dogn't see myself cookigng.

[samduke]

Saw the title and thought, redacted, anyone have a better base code I can use? If so pm me with it
thank you

[The Viscount]

The greatest cruelty is giving us precisely what we want. I'm in, but I don't know why.

[Venger]

viscount, your wish has been granted.

gods preserve us all.

hey, samduke, you might want to edit your post. we don't talk about what classes we are considering for our entries before the reveal.

I will be cooking. I knew someday this ingredient would come.

[TerrickTerran]

I am really looking forward to seeing what people cook for this one.

[WhamBamSam]

Here are my criteria for judging.

OriginalityStart from a baseline score of 3.

Up to 1 point of bonus or penalty based on whether the classes/race/ect you used were things I expected and whether they were used by other entrants. Known cheese or standard handbook fare will see a deduction here, though I'll generally try to go easier on things that are limited to only a few possible options (such as this SI's racial prereq). Also note that I will only reward an unexpected racial or class choice if it actually serves a purpose within the build. No points for "shameless originality grabs."

Up to 1 point of bonus or penalty to a build doing something interesting or something we've all seen it before respectively. You can fill a common niche without incurring my wrath, but I'd like to see a new spin on it. Cool factor in your crunch may see a bonus here.

Up to a 0.25 point bonus if I find your fluff to be particularly excellent.

PowerStart from a baseline score of 3

Up to 0.75 point of bonus or penalty based on how beneficial or harmful the SI is to your build. A 0 is a build which isn't especially helped or hindered by having Gnome Giant Slayer in it.

Up to 1.25 points of bonus or penalty for how well you do the things that you do. For example, if you're a front line fighter, how good are you at hurting things? If you're a caster, do you lose a lot of caster levels? Are your tricks easy to shut down and can you function if you can't go with your usual MO?

EleganceStart from a baseline score of 3.

Each failure to qualify for a non-SI class or feat results in a 0.5 point deduction. Qualifying for all such things gets you a bonus of 0.5.

Up to 1 point of penalty for questionable rules interpretations and for any cheese stinky enough to make it onto my personal ban list (note that I'm pretty cheese tolerant, in general). Avoidance of such things gets you a bonus of 0.5.

Up to 1 point of bonus or penalty based on the overall flow of the build and how well everything fits together. A clean, flowing progression will score more points, whereas something that feels awkward may be penalized. As with cheese, I'm not going to try to be especially punitive toward dipping, unless you're really asking for it. Note that I try not to reward "shameless elegance grabs" any moreso than I will "shameless originality grabs." For example, I may consider 2/3/5/10 more elegant than 5/5/10 depending on circumstances. Unlike previous rounds, I'm going to set the baseline "no sane DM would have a problem with this" at 0 rather than +0.5 and try to introduce more variance in my evaluation.

I'll assign a 0.25 point penalty for incurring multiclass penalties that can't be easily resolved by rearranging levels. They're a stupid, stupid rule, but they are a rule.

Up to 0.5 points of bonus or penalty if the build just screams classy or is especially distasteful in a way not quantified by the above.

Use of Secret IngredientStart From a Baseline Score of 1.

Good uses of the collective prereqs and Fast Movement are worth 0.25 points apiece.

Good uses of Favored Enemy (Giant), Crafty Fighter, Slippery, Close Shot, Improved Mobility, Annoying Strike, and Defensive Roll are worth 0.5 points apiece. Unlike the above category of abilities, you may receive partial credit (0.25 points) for these abilities if you make some use of them.

Any ability in which I feel you've gone "above and beyond" in your use will get an additional 0.25 point bonus (so 0.5 for the minor abilities and 0.75 for the major ones).

Failure to qualify for the SI will result in a -0.25 point penalty to each class ability, to a minimum of 0. So abilities that you neither use nor qualify for don't hurt you, but you need to qualify for the things you do use to get rewarded for them.

If you leave the SI early, but provide a convincing explanation as to why this is a better use of the secret ingredient (better use of the ingredient, mind, not just making your build better), then you will receive partial credit for abilities you miss.

[KrimsonNekros]

ugh what to do for this round :durkon:

[Venger]

ugh what to do for this round :durkon:

we cry, KrimsonNekros. We cry. (http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view3/3368816/charlie-cries-o.gif)

[Akal Saris]

Welcome to gnome improvement, brought to you by our host, Binford Tools!

[Amphetryon]

Welcome to gnome improvement, brought to you by our host, Binford Tools!

"Thank you, Al. Heidi, you're looking lovely as ever. Hi, folks, I'm Gtim."

[Heliomance]

In retrospect, I should have given the thread the normal title, then changed it on Wednesday :P

[OMG PONIES]

We have become death, destroyer of worlds...

[dysprosium]

How many silent Gs do we gneed in our entry to get the gold?

[Deadline]

Well ... crud. Looks like I need to dust off the cookbook.

[sideswipe]

How many silent Gs do we gneed in our entry to get the gold?

this is a point, i would be willing to put the silent "G's" in before every N in my entire build if i cook. but that may annoy the judges. can we have a ruling from the judges about it.

[Sian]

Capstone ability gives defensive roll, class sucks at reflex saves

[KrimsonNekros]

How bad is it that I had build done sans writeup in less than a day?

[WhamBamSam]

this is a point, i would be willing to put the silent "G's" in before every N in my entire build if i cook. but that may annoy the judges. can we have a ruling from the judges about it.Put ign as magny or as few as you like. It wogn't affect your score. It might be easier to read without them, but I've had too much fugn with that particular joke myself to gripe about it.

[WeaselGuy]

I'm getting a headache reading all the bloody gn's... I might cook, but I don't know if I can suffer through 6 pages of silent g's.

[Deadasadoor]

How bad is it that I had build done sans writeup in less than a day?

I have 3 builds with the class levels and most of the feats solidified. I should have been sleeping instead of doing that. :smalleek:

[dysprosium]

I doubt that everyone will find it gnecessary to use the silent g for their write ups. Gnot everyone feels the gneed to go that far.

[Thurbane]

I have a build stub for this somewhere, will try to get an entry in! :smallbiggrin:

[Chronos]

I have a few ideas that seem obvious to me (and hence are probably completely unobvious to everyone else), but I'm not sure if I can make enough out of them to make this worthwhile. We'll see.

[Venger]

I'm getting a headache reading all the bloody gn's... I might cook, but I don't know if I can suffer through 6 pages of silent g's.

worst case scenario, you can paste the text into wordpad or similar and find+replace all the "gn"s with "n"s it's an uncommon enough phoneme that it'd probably be easier that way than trying to parse a whole writeup or, glittergold forbid, backstory.

[Heliomance]

How bad is it that I had build done sans writeup in less than a day?

Well you've missed the record for fastest entry by somewhere in the region of 22 hours and counting.

[Akal Saris]

Man, this prestige class totally reminds me of the 2E game I played where we did the module series 'Against the Giants'. This prestige class would have been pure GOLD in that game. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Against_the_Giants)

[AvatarVecna]

Whegn I first saw the title, I was certaign that you had, perhaps, made agn error. Ugnfortugnately, beigng the way I am (gnamely, that I am progne to gnotice agnd overreact to perceived spelligng/gramatical errors), I was rather agngnoyed at origignally, agnd opegned the thread so that I could properly respognd to this irritatiogn. After readigng through, however, I fougnd that this "mistake" had actually beegn made ogn purpose, with the igntegntiogn of egntertaignigng others through witty wordplay of a sort. Havigng received agn acceptable explagnatiogn for the agngnoyagnce, I decided to put forth my owgn additiogn, purely for my owgn amusemegnt (as I have gno doubt that I am the ognly ogne who will fignd this amusigng).

Of course, the real joke here is that gnomes, by their very existence, are nothing but a cosmic punchline anyway. Hehe...gnomes.

[OMG PONIES]

:smallfrown: Oh dear Gnod, please make it stop.

[Amphetryon]

:smallfrown: Oh dear Gnod, please make it stop.

Gnever! Well, figne, if you ignsist.

[Zeb]

My love of the forgotten folk, balanced against the poor quality of my gnome build and my current lack of of free time means I am inclined to judge.

Since that hasn't happened since XXXIV I might need to update my criteria some.

Originality: This will be based on the originality of your chassis to enter the SI? how gnomish is the entry? how much of a giant slayer? If it was a common or easy way to get there: less points, uncommon or surprising: more points. If I find in via Google: a lot less points. If other entry's use your entry chassis expect to lose some points. Also more points if your concept is cool/I like it.

Power: Base power is compared to your build to the sample in the book and if it didn't take the SI and instead continued in base classes. Does your build cover all the bases, offense, defense, utility? Are you just slaying hill giants and trolls or do storm giants and titans quake at your gname?

Elegance: So much here, is your entry readable, does it make sense, questionable rules use, excessive dipping, lack of focus, use of stinky cheese, and anything that leaves a poor taste in my mouth. Does the build flow organically or is it only viable at a minimum level? Are your silent g's only before words that start with n, and substitutions sensible?

Use of Secret Ingredient: Did you qualify? take all ten levels? make use of the abilities? Did you make it the star of the build? Does your Non-SI synergize with the SI?

[OMG PONIES]

Well then, I do believe my build has come tognether! :smallcool:

[dysprosium]

I'm surprised that there isn't more chatter considering one of the most requested ingredients was announced.

One thiing I have gnoticed for myself: just because I had a build stub and table ready to go did gnot mean it was correct in the first place! I thought it was great to have one planned out in advance, so I could procrastinate (like I always do) and get the entry in the gnick of time.

Back to the drawing board. I hope I get an entry in on time.

[Darrin]

Submitted. The background fluff was giving me some trouble, but I think I finally got that worked out today.

[The Viscount]

Considering how highly requested it is, and how bad the SI is, I think said chatter would consist largely of "What have I done?!"

[Darrin]

Considering how highly requested it is, and how bad the SI is, I think said chatter would consist largely of "What have I done?!"

I should feel shame. I don't, but I should.

[Deadline]

I should feel shame. I don't, but I should.

I've just submitted mine. I'll feel the shame for both of us. "WHAT HAVE I DOGNE?"

Also, I had some other ideas that were really dumb fugn, but couldn't get any of them to work right.

[Chronos]

I've got enough figured out on my idea that it'd be a waste not to put something together, but I've yet to actually do so. I probably will get it finished, though.

[Sian]

hmm... procrastinated enough, so i might as well start cooking

Nevermind, the idea i had wouldn't work due to [redacted] not playing nice with [redacted]

[Deadasadoor]

Submitted my first build last night. I feel like its going to be very hit or miss. I have the build done for my second build, I just need to get it formatted for entry. It'll be interesting to see what else people cooked up.

[Amphetryon]

Vizzini is strong with this one. I feel like every other build will use either [REDACTED], [REDACTED], or some combination of the two.

[OMG PONIES]

Build submitted; Gnod save us all.


Vizzini is strong with this one. I feel like every other build will use either [REDACTED], [REDACTED], or some combination of the two.

Forsooth. Hopefully they're avoided by all, as we've seen them used enough with this particular archetype.

[Chronos]

I dunno; [REDACTED] is pretty obvious to me, but I don't think others like it nearly as much as I do (and even if they do, I doubt they'll use it the same way I am). And [REDACTED] is pretty well-known: It doesn't actually contain any GSS, but will probably be a source of inspiration to many.

[The Viscount]

Build submitted; Gnod save us all.



Forsooth. Hopefully they're avoided by all, as we've seen them used enough with this particular archetype.

I have the terrible feeling I know what you're thinking of, and that I'm using it.

[OMG PONIES]

I dunno; [REDACTED] is pretty obvious to me, but I don't think others like it nearly as much as I do (and even if they do, I doubt they'll use it the same way I am). And [REDACTED] is pretty well-known: It doesn't actually contain any GSS, but will probably be a source of inspiration to many.

I agree. And damn it all, my second build idea just came together! Quickly, to the drawing board!

EDIT: Second build submitted.

[dysprosium]

It looks like I'm gnot going to be getting an entry in this round.

I'll post my ideas after the reveal.

[Afgncaap5]

Ugh... why did I suddenly have the urge to compete in one of these for once? And with... 14 hours to go? ...is that 9:59 GMT in the morning? (I assume so, since the 0 before the 9 suggests military time.)

I might try rushing something in if I can get WiFi access tonight. If not... ah, well. Perhaps the gnext one.

(Is it standard wealth by level for these things, or is gear not considered a big part of the build? Looks mixed when I look at entries in previous competitions.)

[Zaq]

I have a premise and a bit of a gimmick, but I'm having a hard time turning it into an actual character. Everything I want to put in it comes at the hefty expense of something else. It feels like trying to set up a tent with only one pole.

[Sian]

thats merely a question of tightening the ropes well enough Zaq.

as long as you don't except anything fancy (say pavilion tents) tent only need 1 pole even if they often have at least 2 for length

[Zaq]

Well, I was never in the Boy Scouts. I would personally have a hard time putting up a tent with the normal number of poles, and it would get really ugly if I had only one.

My point is that everything I want to add to this character seems to really neglect some other aspect of the character. I'm having a hard time finding build elements that support the whole thing, rather than just their own little facet.

[Chronos]

OK, now I'm really wondering if we've got the same idea, because I'm feeling the same way. I just can't fit in everything I'd like, and some of the things I'd like to use work at cross-purposes in other ways. But I'm pretty sure I'll get something submitted, anyway.

[Zaq]

Things are actually coming together better than I had anticipated. It's not going to be at all pretty, but sometimes the victory is just in entering, rather than in medaling.

There's still room for something to go wrong. My entry's far from done. But I just might be able to pull it off. Fingers crossed.

[Amphetryon]

And, submitted. Hopefully, my use of [REDACTED] in conjunction with [REDACTED] is at least vaguely original.

[Deadasadoor]

Second build submitted. It seems like this is going to be a tough competition with lots of entries. Good luck to everyone!

[Zaq]

Submitted. I am fully expecting to do poorly (this was one of my most rushed entries ever, and I wasn't super-duper inspired to begin with), but I'm happy to get it out there at all. Good luck to everyone!

[The Viscount]

Entry is in, and at a reasonable time, no less. I'm eager to see what we thought of this round.

[Afgncaap5]

Ahh... as much fun as it'd be to stay up for the next three hours to see if I could hammer it out in time, methinks I'm going to just scrap what I've got and save it as a fun build for a future game.

And now that the pressure's off, I can sit back, relax, and see if anyone else does what I was planning on doing.
:smallcool:

[Chronos]

Psst, Heliomance, your PM inbox is full. I'll submit mine as soon as you can receive it.

And ugh, I did not mean to stay up this late finishing it.

[Temotei]

Oh, poop. I forgot to do this. Oh well. :smallfrown:

I'm looking forward to seeing the entries, though.

[Macabaret]

Heliomance has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.


Which is to say that I tried to enter on time.

[Heliomance]

Oh, dammit. Inbox cleared. I'll hold off on the reveal for a few hours to give people time to re-submit.

[Macabaret]

Oh, dammit. Inbox cleared. I'll hold off on the reveal for a few hours to give people time to re-submit.

Thank you.
Entry sent.

[Chronos]

Likewise. And I was only about three class levels and four feats short of what I wanted to do.

[KrimsonNekros]

Life got in the way for me. If no one else posted something similar (which I would be highly surprised by) i'll share my stubs.

[The Viscount]

I hope that full inbox wasn't from too many entries. I'm all for the spirit of competition, but only when I can still win.

[Akal Saris]

ugh, I did not mean to stay up this late finishing it.

I've never had a IC entry where I didn't feel that way when I was done with a submission :P

Congrats to everyone who submitted the build in time - let's hope for some interesting builds!

[Heliomance]

I hope that full inbox wasn't from too many entries. I'm all for the spirit of competition, but only when I can still win.

Oh, it was.

Entries will now follow Apologies, I'm doing this rapidly between waking up and going to work I'm afraid my pithy one-liners probably won't be up to snuff.

[Heliomance]

First entry

Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker"

Martial Rogue 4/ Swashbuckler3 /Blade Bravo 3/ Gnome Giant Slayer10

Backstory

Shadowflicker is a gnome who would rather step over someone’s body than be talked down to. He has spent some of his wealth training in the art of hunting and slaying giants of every type. While it may be common to find other gnomes with grudges against larger folk, few hate quite as much as Shadowflicker, who watched his father and entire village killed by human giants and came close to death himself at the hands of their leader, a gruesome bald human with a scar and burned head. Shadowflicker is a valiant defender of all little people and hopes someday to avenge his father’s murder by slaying the human giant that killed him.


Racial

Whisper Gnome (RoS p94)
small
speed 30ft
Low-Light Vision
Darkvision 60ft
Str -2 Dex +2 Con +2 Cha –2
+1 size ac * attack rolls
+4 size hide checks
+1 racial bonus on attack rolls against kobolds and goblinoids
+2 racial bonus on Listen and Spot checks
+4 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks
+4 dodge bonus to Armor Class against monsters of the giant type
Spell-Like Abilities: 5/day—silence
treat gnome hooked hammers as martial weapons
Languages: Common, Elven, Draconic, Gnome, Giant

Alignment: Chaotic Good

32 point buy
str 16 dex 12 con 08 int 15 wis 10 cha 15

Racial
str 14 dex 14 con 10 int 15 wis 10 cha 13

Improvments
04 str 14 dex 14 con 10 int 16 wis 10 cha 13
08 str 14 dex 14 con 10 int 16 wis 10 cha 14
12 str 14 dex 15 con 10 int 16 wis 10 cha 14
16 str 14 dex 16 con 10 int 16 wis 10 cha 14
20 str 14 dex 16 con 11 int 16 wis 10 cha 14


Shadowflicker





Level
Class

Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save

Ref Save
Will Save
Skills

Feats

Class Features





1st
Martial Rogue

0
0
2
0

Balance 4, Bluff 4, Disable Device 4, Escape Artist 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Open Lock 4, Search 4, Sense Motive 4, Tumble 4, Use Rope 4

Combat Expertise, Nymph’s Kiss (BoED p44)

Bonus Feat, Trapfinding






2nd
Martial Rogue

1
0
3
0

Balance 5, Bluff 5, Disable Device 5, Escape Artist 5, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Open Lock 5, Search 5, Sense Motive 5, Tumble 5, Use Rope 5

Dodge

Bonus Feat, Evasion






3rd
Martial Rogue

2
2
3
1

Balance 6, Bluff 6, Escape Artist 6, Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Open Lock 6, Sense Motive 6, Tumble 6, Use Rope 6 [ST: Slipping Past]

Weapon Focus (Rapier)

Trap sense +1






4th
Martial Rogue

3
1
4
1

Balance 7, Bluff 7, Disable Device 6, Escape Artist 7, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Open Lock 7, Search 6, Sense Motive 7, Tumble 7, Use Rope 7

Mobility

Bonus Feat, Uncanny dodge






5th
Swashbuckler

4
3
4
1

Balance 8, Bluff 8, Escape Artist 8, Hide 8cc, Move Silently 8cc, Sense Motive 8, Tumble 8, Use Rope 8

Weapon Finesse (Rapier)

Weapon Finesse






6th
Swashbuckler

5
4
4
1

Bluff 9, Escape Artist 9, Hide 9cc, Move Silently 9cc, Tumble 9, Use Rope 9 [ST: Escape Attack]

Extra Silence (RoS p139)

Grace +1






7th
Swashbuckler

6
4
5
2

Bluff 10, Escape Artist 10, Hide 10cc, Move Silently 10cc, Tumble 10, Use Rope 10 [ST: Timely Misdirection]

-

Insightful strike






8th
Blade Bravo

7
4
7
2

Balance 9, Escape Artist 11, Hide 11cc, Move Silently 11cc, Tumble 11, Use Rope 11 [ST: Easy Escape]

Goad (RoS p140)

Flourish, Goad





9th
Blade Bravo

8
4
8
2

Balance 10, Escape Artist 12, Hide 12cc, Move Silently 12cc, Sense Motive 10, Tumble 12, Use Rope 12

Underfoot Combat (RotW p152)

Mobile fighting





10th
Blade Bravo

9
5
8
3

Escape Artist 13, Hide 13cc, Move Silently 13cc, Open Lock 8cc, Tumble 13, Use Rope 13 [ST: Quick Escape]

Spring Attack

Bonus feat





11th
Gnome Giant Slayer

10
7
8
3

Disable Device 7cc, Escape Artist 14, Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Tumble 14, Use Rope 14

-

Favored enemy (giant) +2





12th
Gnome Giant Slayer

11
8
8
3

Disable Device 8cc, Escape Artist 15, Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Tumble 15, Use Rope 15

Confound the Big Folk (RotW p153)

Crafty fighter





13th
Gnome Giant Slayer

12
8
9
4

Disable Device 9cc, Escape Artist 16, Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Tumble 16, Use Rope 16

-

Slippery





14th
Gnome Giant Slayer

13
9
9
4

Disable Device 10cc, Escape Artist 17, Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Tumble 17, Use Rope 17

-

Favored enemy (giant) +4





15th
Gnome Giant Slayer

14
9
9
4

Escape Artist 18, Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Search 7cc, Tumble 18, Use Rope 18

Natural Trickster (RoS p143)

Close shot





16th
Gnome Giant Slayer

15
10
+10
5

Escape Artist 19, Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Search 8cc, Tumble 19, Use Rope 19

-

Fast movement





17th
Gnome Giant Slayer

16
10
10
5

Escape Artist 20, Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Search 9cc, Tumble 20, Use Rope 20

-

Favored enemy (giant) +6





18th
Gnome Giant Slayer

17
11
+10
5

Escape Artist 21, Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Search 10cc, Tumble 21, Use Rope 21

Swarm Fighting (CWar p105)

Improved mobility





19th
New Class Level

18
11
11
6

Escape Artist 22, Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Open Lock 9cc, Tumble 22, Use Rope 22

-

Annoying strike





20th
Gnome Giant Slayer

19
12
11
6

Escape Artist 23, Hide 23, Move Silently 23, Open Lock 10cc, Tumble 23, Use Rope 23

-

Favored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll






Character Information

Martial Rogue: Gain: Bonus feats (as fighter). Lose: Sneak attack. (UA p58)
Swashbuckler (CWar p11)
Blade Bravo (RoS p99)
Gnome Giant Slayer (CWar p36)

HD/HP:(D6x4,D8x3,D10x13= 109 avg.)
Base AC: 14 (10 +1 size +3 Dex) Touch 13 Flat-footed 11
BAB +19
Saves
Fort +12 Ref +11 Will +6
gains a +1 competence bonus on Reflex saves
+3 Int bonus + 2 Str bonus to damage rolls
+8 weapon damage rolls against giants

Skill Tricks
[ST: Slipping Past] : As a swift action, you can ignore the additional movement cost and penalty on attack rolls and to AC when squeezing through a narrow space

[ST: Escape Attack] : When you escape a grapple, you can make a single melee attack with a light weapon as a swift action against the opponent that was grappling you

[ST: Timely Misdirection] : succeed on a Bluff check to feint in combat, your opponent can’t make any attacks of opportunity against you until the start of its next turn

[ST: Easy Escape] :If your opponent is larger than Medium, you gain a circumstance bonus on your Escape Artist check (+4 to +16)

[ST: Quick Escape] : make an Escape Artist check to escape from a grapple or pin as a swift action; make any Escape Artist check that would normally require a full-round action as a move action

Write Up

The character makes full use of all the SI Abilities:

Favored Enemy (Giant) (Ex): A gnome giant-slayer gains a +8 bonus on Bluff, Listen, Sense Motive, Spot, and Survival checks when using these skills against giants

Crafty Fighter (Ex): gains a +4 dodge bonus to his AC against giants, or a +2 dodge bonus against any other (nongiant) creature at least two size categories larger

Slippery (Ex): If grappled by a creature at least two size categories larger than himself, he can add his gnome giant-slayer level as a bonus to Escape Artist checks
a gnome giant-slayer can move through an area occupied by a creature two size categories larger

Close Shot (Ex): a gnome giantslayer does not provoke attacks of opportunity from giants for using a ranged weapon while threatened by them

Fast Movement (Ex): a gnome giant-slayer’s base land speed increases by 10 feet

Improved Mobility (Ex): a gnome giant-slayer gains a +4 dodge bonus to his Armor Class when moving out of or within a giant’s threatened area (stacks with Mobility)

Annoying Strike (Ex): Whenever a gnome giant-slayer damages a giant in melee, that giant is shaken for 1 round.

Defensive Roll (Ex): 1/day when he would be reduced to 0 or fewer hit points by damage in combat (from a weapon or other blow struck by a giant, he can attempt to roll with the damage. To use this ability, he makes a Reflex saving throw (DC = damage dealt; the gnome giant-slayer adds his class level as a bonus on this saving throw)

How does "Shadowflicker" make use of the SI as well as augment its abilities.
While the character gets a full 4 attacks per round if he wants them, he is certainly going to make full use of the skills he has to make the best attack possible while not getting grappled or stomped on. His skill tricks aid in his ability to get into spots where giants just can not fit, avoid the grapple and AoO of giants if needed.

can add his class level to his Bluff checks when feinting in combat.
Goad Will saving throw (DC 24)
if he moves at least 5 feet, he gains a +1 dodge bonus to AC until his next turn

Gnome giant-slayers have proficiency with all simple and martial weapons, with light and medium armor, and with shields
with porper equipment, decent magic light armor, magic longbow & magic rapier "Shadowflicker" can hold his own without party aid in combat, with trap sense he can attempt to open locks and disable devices, out of combat he has decent skills though he is no diplomat, a few different laguages to deal with various races.

[Heliomance]

Soooooper genius


Aprillius Foolius

NE Unseelie Fey Desert Gnome (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertGnomes) Cobra Strike Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cobraStrike) 2 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Avenger (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070401a) 8

http://home.comcast.net/~ftm3/ASMoNM/Aprillius%20Foolius.jpg

Race: Unseelie Fey (Dragon Compendium, pages 222-223) Desert Gnome (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/environmentalRacialVariants.htm#desertGnomes)

Classes: Cobra Strike Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cobraStrike) 2 / Gnome Giant-Slayer (Complete Warrior, page 36) 10 / Avenger (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070401a) 8

Alignment: Neutral Evil

Languages: Common, Gnome, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Giant



Ability
32 Point Buy
Desert Gnome
Unseelie Fey
Increments
Final


Strength
14
-2
-2

10


Dexterity
14

+2

16


Constitution
8
+2
-2

8


Intelligence
18


+5 (all)
23


Wisdom
8



8


Charisma
12

+2

14



Aprillius Foolius was born in the Great Dale but grew up in the desert, always hungry. He sought out Giant running birds for sustenance, only to be cruelly denied time and time again.

Aprillius Foolius got help from the fine goods and services firm ACME. They delivered solutions to his many needs, as follows:

"Pixie Fix": Swap 1 Racial HD for First Class Level

The ability to swap a character's sole racial hit die for their first class level is a characteristic of the Humanoid type (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#humanoidType), and not generally available to other creature types. Inheriting the Unseelie Fey template alters Aprillius Foolius's Humanoid type to Fey, and would normally require the character to keep at least one racial hit die. It's generally more advantageous for character development to derive levels from classes rather than racial hit dice, though, and certainly the case here. Pixies (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/sprite.htm#pixie) are a non-Humanoid race with a similar hit die exchange rule, and this character build leverages that. From Monster Manual on page 236:


Pixies As Characters
A pixie character exchanges its 1 HD of fey for its first class level

Aprillius Foolius hires an ACME spellcaster to cast Polymorph (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/polymorph.htm) on him, turning him temporarily into a Pixie. The limited transformation of this spell changes the character's type, subtype, and racial characteristics. It does not modify the nature of his existing hit dice, but since Aprillius Foolius's hit die is already Fey, this racial substitution just before taking his first class level is enough to qualify for the HD exchange. The "Pixie fix" allows Aprillius Foolius to derive all levels from classes, with no racial hit dice.

The Unseelie Fey template provides the following benefits:
Summer Caress (Su): Nice, but useless against birds!
ACME batlike wings for 2x base speed flight (average maneuverability)
DR 15/cold iron (at 12+ HD)
Iron Vulnerability: touching causes 1 point/round; attacks with iron/steel add +1d6 damage
Darkvision 60'
STR -2, DEX +2, CON -2, CHA +2
+4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks
Alignment: Always Evil
Level Adjustment: +0
Gnome Giant-Slayer Early Entry Shenanigasm


Aprillius Foolius takes Cobra Strike Monk for 2 levels to gain Dodge and Mobility; acquires 3+ ranks each in Escape Artist & Tumble and 1 cross-class rank in Use Magic Device.
When Aprillius Foolius gains 1 XP under the necessary amount to attain 3rd level, he first hires an ACME rules lawyer.
He hires two ACME Bards to sing Inspire Greatness for +2 HD each (6 HD total).
The ACME rules lawyer explains that Inspire Greatness isn't a spell, so the spell stacking limits don't apply; also, the general stacking limits apply to checks and rolls, but not HD computations or class entry requirements.
stack: Combine for a cumulative effect. In most cases, modifiers to a given check or roll stack if they come from different sources and have different descriptors (or no descriptors at all), but do not stack if they have the same descriptors or come from the same source (such as the same spell cast twice in succession).
He hires an ACME Cleric to cast Guidance of the Avatar (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a).
He uses the GotA +20 bonus with Use Magic Device to activate an ACME wand of Divine Power (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/divinePower.htm), gaining BAB +6 for 7 rounds.
He hires an ACME Wizard to cast Heroics (Spell Compendium, page 113) and gains Spring Attack for half an hour.
Aprillius Foolius kills a Rat to level up before Divine Power wears off, and enters Gnome Giant-Slayer.
He adds Spring Attack as his regular 3rd level feat.

When Aprillius Foolius gains 1 XP under the necessary amount to attain 4th level, he first hires an ACME rules lawyer.
He hires an ACME Bard to sing Inspire Greatness for +2 HD (5 HD total).
He hires an ACME Cleric to cast Guidance of the Avatar.
He uses the GotA +20 bonus with Use Magic Device to activate an ACME wand of Divine Power, gaining BAB +5 for 7 rounds.
The ACME rules lawyer gets his Gnome Giant-Slayer lost benefits restored (Complete Warrior, page 16) as he now satisfies all entry requirements.
Aprillius Foolius kills a Cat to level up before Divine Power wears off, and enters the second Gnome Giant-Slayer level.

When Aprillius Foolius gains 1 XP under the necessary amount to attain 5th level, he first hires an ACME rules lawyer.
He hires an ACME Bard to sing Inspire Greatness for +2 HD (6 HD total).
He hires an ACME Cleric to cast Guidance of the Avatar.
He uses the GotA +20 bonus with Use Magic Device to activate an ACME wand of Divine Power, gaining BAB +6 for 7 rounds.
The ACME rules lawyer gets his Gnome Giant-Slayer lost benefits restored as he satisfies all entry requirements again.
Aprillius Foolius kills a Dog to level up before Divine Power wears off, and enters the third Gnome Giant-Slayer level.

When Aprillius Foolius gains 1 XP under the necessary amount to attain 6th level, he first hires an ACME rules lawyer.
He hires an ACME Cleric to cast Guidance of the Avatar.
He uses the GotA +20 bonus with Use Magic Device to activate an ACME wand of Divine Power, gaining BAB +5 for 7 rounds.
The ACME rules lawyer gets his Gnome Giant-Slayer lost benefits restored as he satisfies all entry requirements again.
Aprillius Foolius kills a Badger to level up before Divine Power wears off, and enters the fourth Gnome Giant-Slayer level.
Having both attained BAB +5 and gotten Spring Attack as a permanent feat, Aprillius Foolius pays the ACME rules lawyer and gets on with his Evil plans for killing Giant running birds.

Early Feat Acquirement

While nearing the end of his Gnome Giant-Slayer training, and still having failed to catch and eat a delectable Giant running bird, Aprillius Foolius was already planning his next dastardly tricks. He needed to be sneakier. And so, though he had yet to actually acquire Sneak Attack, he put his giant brain to work and (with some help from ACME) figured a way to acquire a Sneak Attack feat a bit early.


Aprillius Foolius gains 1 XP under the necessary amount to attain 12th level.
He hires an ACME Cleric to cast Guidance of the Avatar (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/sb/sb20010504a).
He uses the GotA +20 bonus with Use Magic Device to activate an ACME wand of Extended (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#extendSpell) Hunter's Eye (Player's Handbook II, pages 114-115) , gaining Sneak Attack for 2 rounds.
Aprillius Foolius kills a Dire Badger to level up before Hunter's Eye wears off, and adds Staggering Strike (Complete Adventurer, page 112) as his 12th level feat.


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


1st
Cobra Strike Monk (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cobraStrike) 1
+0
+2
+2
+2
Balance +4, Disguise (cc) +1, Escape Artist +4, Hide +4, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Spot +4, Tumble +4, Use Magic Device (cc) +1
Improved Unarmed Strike (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#improvedUnarmedStrike), Dodge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#dodge), Magic in the Blood (Player's Guide to Faerûn 40)
Bonus feat (Dodge), Decisive Strike (Player's Handbook II 51), unarmed strike


2nd
Cobra Strike Monk 2
+1
+3
+3
+3
Balance +1(=5), Disguise (cc) +1½(=2½), Escape Artist +1(=5), Hide +1(=5), Jump +1, Listen +1(=5), Move Silently +1(=5), Spot +1(=5), Tumble +1(=5)
Mobility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#mobility)
Bonus feat (Mobility), Invisible Fist (Exemplars of Evil 21)


3rd
Gnome Giant-Slayer 1 (Complete Warrior 36)
+2
+5
+3
+3
Disguise (cc) +½(=3), Escape Artist +1(=6), Hide +1(=6), Jump +1(=2), Move Silently +1(=6), Tumble +1(=6)
Spring Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#springAttack)
Favored enemy (giant) +2


4th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 2
+3
+6
+3
+3
Disguise (cc) +½(=3½), Escape Artist +1(=7), Hide +1(=7), Jump +1(=3), Move Silently +1(=7), Tumble +1(=7)

Crafty fighter


5th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 3
+4
+6
+4
+4
Disguise (cc) +½(=4), Escape Artist +1(=8), Hide +1(=8), Jump +1(=4), Move Silently +1(=8), Tumble +1(=8)

Slippery


6th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 4
+5
+7
+4
+4
Escape Artist +1(=9), Hide +1(=9), Jump +2(=6), Move Silently +1(=9), Tumble +1(=9)
Improved Flight (Races of the Wild 151)
Favored enemy (giant) +4


7th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 5
+6
+7
+4
+4
Escape Artist +1(=10), Hide +1(=10), Jump +2(=8), Move Silently +1(=10), Tumble +1(=10)

Close shot


8th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 6
+7
+8
+5
+5
Escape Artist +1(=11), Hide +1(=11), Jump +3(=11), Move Silently +1(=11), Tumble +1(=11)

Fast movement


9th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 7
+8
+8
+5
+5
Escape Artist +1(=12), Hide +1(=12), Jump +1(=12), Move Silently +1(=12), Tumble +1(=12), Use Rope +2
Snap Kick (Tome of Battle 32)
Favored enemy (giant) +6


10th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
+9
+9
+5
+5
Escape Artist +1(=13), Hide +1(=13), Jump +1(=13), Move Silently +1(=13), Tumble +1(=13), Use Rope +2(=4)

Improved mobility


11th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 9
+10
+9
+6
+6
Escape Artist +1(=14), Hide +1(=14), Jump +1(=14), Move Silently +1(=14), Tumble +1(=14), Use Rope +2(=6)

Annoying strike


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
+11
+10
+6
+6
Escape Artist +1(=15), Hide +1(=15), Jump +1(=15), Move Silently +1(=15), Tumble +1(=15), Use Rope +2(=8)
Staggering Strike (Complete Adventurer 112)
Favored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll


13th
Avenger (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/prc/20070401a) 1
+11
+10
+8
+6
Hide +1(=16), Jump +1(=16), Listen +2(=7), Move Silently +1(=16), Spot +2(=7), Tumble +1(=16), Use Rope +1(=9)

Sneak attack +1d6, death attack, poison use, spells


14th
Avenger 2
+12
+10
+9
+6
Hide +1(=17), Jump +1(=17), Listen +2(=9), Move Silently +1(=17), Spot +2(=9), Tumble +1(=17), Use Rope +1(=10)

+1 save against poison, uncanny dodge


15th
Avenger 3
+13
+11
+9
+7
Hide +1(=18), Jump +1(=18), Listen +2(=11), Move Silently +1(=18), Spot +2(=11), Tumble +1(=18), Use Rope +1(=11)
Craven (Champions of Ruin 17)
Sneak attack +2d6


16th
Avenger 4
+14
+11
+10
+7
Hide +1(=19), Jump +1(=19), Listen +2(=13), Move Silently +1(=19), Spot +2(=13), Tumble +1(=19), Use Rope +2(=14)

+2 save against poison


17th
Avenger 5
+14
+11
+10
+7
Hide +1(=20), Jump +1(=20), Listen +2(=15), Move Silently +1(=20), Spot +2(=15), Tumble +1(=20), Use Rope +2(=16)

Improved uncanny dodge, sneak attack +3d6


18th
Avenger 6
+15
+12
+11
+8
Hide +1(=21), Jump +1(=21), Listen +2(=17), Move Silently +1(=21), Spot +2(=17), Tumble +1(=21), Use Rope +2(=18)
Favored in Guild (Dungeon Master's Guilde II 227) for Jaezred Chaulssin (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070425a)
+3 save against poison


19th
Avenger 7
+16
+12
+11
+8
Hide +1(=22), Jump +1(=22), Listen +3(=20), Move Silently +1(=22), Spot +3(=20), Tumble +1(=22)

Sneak attack +4d6


20th
Avenger 8
+17
+12
+12
+8
Hide +1(=23), Jump +1(=23), Listen +2(=22), Move Silently +1(=23), Spot +2(=22), Tumble +1(=23), Use Rope +2(=20)

+4 save against poison, hide in plain sight



See the ACME catalog.

We only need one snapshot here. Level 20 is the sweet spot. Up until now Aprillius Foolius has benefited greatly from Defensive Roll, mostly in connection with vehicle impacts. But he's finally gotten Hide in Plain Sight. He's ever so sneaky now. His Death Attack DC is raised +4 by Favored in Guild applied to Jaezred Chaulssin. (It hasn't worked yet, but it's bound to now.) His Gnome Giant-Slayer favored enemy boosts more than make up for his scrawny build. He's also got +4d6+20 sneak attack, before any ACME augments. If he gets in even a single hit on a Giant running bird it's going to be both staggered (Staggering Strike) and shaken (GG-S Annoying Strike). There's just no way he can fail to catch, cook, and enjoy a succulent Giant running bird. Aprillius Foolius is going to be one stuffed, happy Super Genius!

Spells per Day / Spells Known


Level
1st
2nd
3rd
4th


13th
2 / 2
—
—
—


14th
3 / 3
—
—
—


15th
4 / 3
1 / 2
—
—


16th
5 / 4
3 / 3
—
—


17th
5 / 4
4 / 3
1 / 2
—


18th
5 / 4
5 / 4
2 / 3
—


19th
5 / 4
5 / 4
3 / 3
1 / 2


20th
5 / 4
5 / 4
4 / 4
2 / 3


Level 1 Avenger Spells Known
Disguise Self (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/disguiseSelf.htm)
Feather Fall (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/featherFall.htm)
Obscuring Mist (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/obscuringMist.htm)
True Strike (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/trueStrike.htm)
Level 2 Avenger Spells Known
Alter Self (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/alterSelf.htm)
Fox's Cunning (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/foxsCunning.htm)
Invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibility.htm)
Spider Climb (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/spiderClimb.htm)
Level 3 Avenger Spells Known
Deep Slumber (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/deepSlumber.htm)
Magic Circle Against Good (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/magicCircleAgainstGood.htm)
Misdirection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/misdirection.htm)
Nondetection (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/nondetection.htm)
Level 4 Avenger Spells Known
Clairaudience/Clairvoyance (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/clairaudienceClairvoyance.htm)
Greater Invisibility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/invisibilityGreater.htm)
Locate Creature (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/locateCreature.htm)

[Heliomance]

I'm blue babadee babadye


Luna Indigo

Ferral Forest Gnome: NG: Ranger 6/ Gnome Giant-Slayer 10/ Beastmaster 2

Character Background

Luna Indigo, so named for she was born at the very moment of the very rare occasion of a blue moon that caused a complete solar eclipse.
Luna like most girls went to school and learned that which was taught. As she came of age she was permitted to take part in the tests of the local ranger academy to see if she would be worthy to obtain training as a fang ranger. Luna Indigo has won the competition! was the last thing her final opponent heard as her blows struck true knocking him to the ground in an unconscious heap. Luna began the rigors of training putting all she had into learning the art and quickly surpassed the expectations of her instructors. It was not long before a great master decided to give her specialized training and a graceful art to go with her combat prowess.
with her trust wolf she quickly found the loacl brute giants to be unskilled and quickly drove them out of the area.


Character Atributes

Atributes
Racial
Str +2 Dex -2 Con +4 Int -4 Wis +2 Cha 0

32 point buy
Str 13 Dex 15 Con 08 Int 17 Wis 08 Cha 14

Atributes
Str 15 Dex 13 Con 12 Int 13 Wis 10 Cha 14

@ Level 20
Str 16 Dex 14 Con 13 Int 14 Wis 10 Cha 16

Level 4 +1 Int
Level 8 +1 Dex
Level 12 +1 Str
Level 12 +1 Con
Level 16 +1 Cha
Level 20 +1 Cha


Build
Effective Character Levels



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


1st
Ferral Level Adjustment
0
0
0
0
-
Dodge
Improved grab, Pounce, Rake, Rend, Darkvision 120ft, Fast Healing 5


2nd
Ranger
1
2
2
0
Escape Artist 5, Handle Animal 4, Knowledge (nature) 4, Ride 4, Survival 4, Tumble 4
Track,
Gnome favored enemy (Giant), Track, wild empathy


3rd
Ranger
2
3
3
0
Escape Artist 6, Handle Animal 6, Knowledge (nature) 5, Ride 5, Survival 5, Tumble 5
Two Weapon Fighting, Mobility
Two Weapon Fighting Style, +2 on Move Silently checks


4th
Ranger
3
3
3
1
Escape Artist 7, Handle Animal 7, Knowledge (nature) 7, Ride 7, Survival 6, Tumble 6
Endurance,
Endurance


5th
Ranger
4
4
4
1
Escape Artist 8, Handle Animal 8, Knowledge (nature) 8, Ride 8, Survival 8, Tumble 8
Spring Attack
Animal companion


6th
Ranger
5
4
4
1
Escape Artist 9, Handle Animal 9, Intimidate 1cc, Knowledge (nature) 9, Ride 9, Survival 9, Tumble 9
Natural Bond
Gnome favored enemy (Giant)


7th
Ranger
6
5
2
2
Escape Artist 10, Handle Animal 10, Intimidate 2cc, Knowledge (nature) 10, Ride 10, Survival 10, Tumble 10
Improved Two Weapon Fighting
Improved Two Weapon Fighting style


8th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
7
7
5
2
Escape Artist 11, Intimidate 4, Tumble 11
Power Attack
Favored enemy (giant) +2


9th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
8
8
5
2
Escape Artist 12, Intimidate 6, Tumble 12
Improved Favored Enemy (giant)
Crafty fighter


10th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
9
8
6
3
Escape Artist 13, Intimidate 8, Tumble 13
-
Slippery


11th
Demon Bloodline
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
10
9
6
3
Escape Artist 14, Intimidate 10, Tumble 14
Nemesis (giant)
Favored enemy (giant) +4, Strength +1


13th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
11
9
6
3
Escape Artist 15, Intimidate 12, Tumble 15
-
Close shot


14th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
12
10
7
4
Handle Animal 11cc, Intimidate 14, Tumble 16
-
Fast movement


15th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
13
10
7
4
Handle Animal 12cc, Intimidate 16, Tumble 17
Favored Power Attack
Favored enemy (giant) +6


16th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
14
11
7
4
Handle Animal 13cc, Intimidate 18, Tumble 18
-
Improved mobility, Resistance to electricity 5 (Ex)


17th
Gnome Giant-Slayerl
15
11
8
5
Handle Animal 15cc, Intimidate 19, Tumble 19
-
Annoying strike


18th
Gnome Giant-Slayer
16
12
8
5
Knowledge (nature) 12cc, Intimidate 20, Tumble 20
Mounted Combat
Favored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll


19th
Beastmaster
17
14
10
5
Knowledge (nature) 14cc, Intimidate 21, Tumble 21
-
Animal companion, wild empathy


20th
Beastmaster
18
18
15
5
Knowledge (nature) 15, Intimidate 23, Ride 11, Tumble 23
Alertness
Alertness, Demon affinity +2




Additional Stuff

Animal Companion
Level HD NA S/D Tricks Special
1st–2nd +0 +0 +0 1 Link, share spells
3rd–5th +2 +2 +1 2 Evasion
6th–8th +4 +4 +2 3 Devotion
9th–11th +6 +6 +3 4 Multiattack
12th–14th +8 +8 +4 5
15th–17th +10 +10 +5 6 Improved evasion
18th–20th +12 +12 +6 7

Bloodline levels get added to every other class level for determining level-dependent class features
Effective Druid Level: Ranger 3 + Fangs 2 + NB 3 + BM 5 + BL 8 = 21 (20)
Animal Companion - 7th Level or Higher (Level –6) Dire wolf

DIRE WOLF
Large Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+18 (45 hp) <18d8+54>
Initiative: +2<+5>
Speed: 50 ft.
Armor Class: 14 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +3 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 12 <AC: 19 (-1 size, +5 dex, +15 natural) touch 14 flat-footed 24>
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+15 <+13/+27>
Attack: Bite +11 <+23> melee (1d8+10)
Full Attack: Bite +11 <+23> melee (1d8+10)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +8 <+11>, Ref +7 <+10>, Will +6 <+6>
Abilities: Str 25<31>, Dex 15<21>, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +0<+7>, <Jump +3>, Listen +7, Move Silently +4<+7>, Spot +7, Survival +2<+7>* <2 + -4 = 1; 1 x 18 = 18 skill points>
+2 racial bonus on Hide, Listen, Move Silently, and Spot checks.
*It also has a +4 racial bonus on Survival checks when tracking by scent
Trip (Ex): A dire wolf that hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent (+11 check modifier) as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity
Feats: Alertness, Run, TrackB, Weapon Focus (bite) <9 Power Attack 12 Improved Bull RUSH, 15 POWERFUL CHARGE, 18 AWESOME BLOW>

Tricks:
Advanced Fighting (DC 20): assist attack, attack, down, hold, stay, subdue
Assist Attack (DC 20):
Attack (DC 20)
Down (DC 15)
Hold (DC 20)
Stay (DC 15)
Subdue (DC 20)
Come (DC 15)
Defend (DC 20)
Guard (DC 20)
Heel (DC 15)
Hunt (DC 15)
Stalk (DC 20)


Breakdown

Ranger levels for the feats, skills and animal companion, help get the Luna going early game
Gnome Giant-Slayer falls withing the sweet spot of the build where most of her abilities take effect
Beastmaster levels to finish the animal companion levels to max making her dire wolf an able ally in combat
With the level adjustment for ferral and losing a level to the blood line the build still manages a full four attacks a round
while optimized for two weapon fighting and setting her wolf up for flanking, she can also make use of the mounted combat and get some decent charge action

Optional Gear:
Serpent Armor: wearer gains Combat Reflexes feat
Eager Weapon enchantment on: weapons of choice
S.A.K.

Mount:
Exotic Military Saddle
Collar of Umbral Metamorphosis


Sources

SRD
Forest Gnome (MM p132)
Feral Creature (Savage Species p116)
Demon Bloodline Minor (UA p10)
Champion of the wild (CC p50)
Gnome Ranger Racial Substitution Level 1st (RoS p149)
Gnome Giant-Slayer (Cwar p36)
Beastmaster (CAdv p26)

[Heliomance]

That is one ugly gnome.


Tubesock the Gigantifier

http://i515.photobucket.com/albums/t358/Gothenem/Psurlon1.png

Race: Phaerimm Hatchling
Build Stub: Ranger 1/Cloistered Cleric 1/Stoneblessed 3/Ordained Champion 3/Gnome Giant Slayer 10
Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 18
Ability Increases: Cha 19 (6th), Cha 20 (10th), Cha 21 (14th), Cha 22 (18th)
Languages: Common, Gnome, Giant
Alignment: NE
Multiclass Penalty: No.


As the procession of svirfneblin warriors entered the Great Hall, King Pavelpym rose to his feat, his grave and chiseled face suddenly stretching taught with worry and agitation. The rest of the assembled ministers and courtiers, caught off guard by the King rising unexpectedly, awkwardly followed suit, but adherence to courtly decorum was not an immediate concern to the King. Rather than wait for the procession to reach the dais, the King hurried down the steps and met them half-way into the hall.

The warriors paused, most of them unsure how to respond to this breach of etiquette, but Captain Vriebershim quickly called his warriors to parade attention and motioned his personal guard to bring up the spoils. The ranks of warriors parted as four svirfneblin dragged a large bloody burlap sack foward. As they struggled to untie the top of the bag, King Pavelpym confronted Captain Vriebershim.

"My son!" demanded the King. "Why is he not among you?"

Vriebershim cleared his throat, and said, "Glorious is this day! Your Most Exalted Highness, I bring you most triumphant--"

The King cut him off. "My scouts have informed me of your bloody victory, but they also told me my son fell in battle. Where is he?"

Vriebershim tried again. "The Crown Prince delivered upon our enemies a vengeful reckoning so wrathsome--"

"Stuff it, Vriebershim!" commanded the King. "Grippleplum! My son? Does he live?"

A squat svirfneblin enrobed with the sacred vestments of Hextor stepped through the ranks of warriors and quickly knelt before the King. "The Crown Prince was grievously wounded, Your Eminence, but the blood of Hextor flows strongly through his veins. He lives, and I believe he will recover."

The four svirfneblin wrestling with the bloody sack finally had it open, and Vriebershim, hoping to regain the favorable opinion of the King, presented the contents: a large bloody head, dark grey skin the color of weathered tombstones, yellow teeth sharpened like ivory chisels, and a single black-feathered arrow sprouting from a ruined eye-socket.

The King looked puzzled. "That is a stone giant, not a cave troll."

Vriebershim cleared his throat again. "Your Most Exalted Highness, as you are no doubt aware, we knew the cave troll raids were being directed by some unknown agent. As we now have proof, the stone giants are behind this."

"How many dead?" asked the King.

Vriebershim cleared his throat twice. "Ahem. Our most valiant and devoted forces--"

The King cut him off again. "Corporal Bilperbin! How many dead?"

Corporal Bilperbin stepped out from the ranks and snapped a sharp salute. "Seventeen, Your Highness."

The King motioned toward the bloody head. "And this... thing, I am told. This is what struck down my son? This stone giant... who landed the killing blow?"

Corporal Bilperbin kept his chin high, but his eyes flickered toward his feet. "Well, Your Highness... it was really a group effort."

The King turned back to Vriebershim. "And your mission? The High Wizard Vilthzigor, he was slain? And all of the experiments he spoke of, the weapons he promised would be of use against the cave trolls?"

Vriebershim coughed, and said, "Vilthzigor was slain, your highness. The cave trolls had already overrun his tower by the time we got there. We salvaged what we could, but most of it had already been destroyed."

Corporal Bilperbin looked up and addressed the King. "Actually, there was one experiment that survived, Your Highness... and if it hadn't stunned that stone giant with a little bit of rainbow sparkle, the Crown Prince would have died along with the rest of us."

Vriebershim broke in with a sniff, "Your Highness, you must remember that Vilthzigor was always regarded as something of an eccentric--"

"Enough!" snapped the King. "This experiment... bring it to me."

The ranks of soldiers parted again, and Tubesock was brought forward. Unfamiliar with his surroundings, Tubesock's leaflike fringes around his mouth vibrated in agitation, but then calmed as he was presented to the King. This new svirfneblin, the one that the other warriors regarded with so much fear and admiration, this one they called King. Tubesock could feel that this King was not afriad of him, not like the others.

"By the scarlet blood of Hextor," the King said. "What is this?"

"Well," Corproral Bilperbin answered, "The mates have been calling him Tubesock. We think he's mostly phaerimm, although we're not sure exactly what else Vilthzigor might have mixed in, his notes didn't exactly make much sense even before he went off the deep end... but one thing we do know for sure, is he really, really hates giants."





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


1st
Ranger 1
+1
+3
+5
+1
Appraise 2, Concentration 4, Craft:Stoneworking 4, Escape Artist 2, Know:Dungeon 4, Know:Nature 4, Know:Religion 2, Tumble 4
Human Heritage, Track
Favored Enemy (Giant), Spiritual Connection ACF, Skilled City-Dweller ACF (Tumble), Detect Magic, Immunity to Polymorph/Petrification, SR 11


2nd
Cloistered Cleric 1
+1
+5
+5
+3
Craft:Stoneworking 5, Know:Nature 5, Know:Religion 5
Weapon Focus: Flail, Knowledge Devotion (Nature)
War Domain, Destruction Domain


3rd
Level Adjustment 1
+1
+5
+5
+3





4th
Level Adjustment 2
+1
+5
+5
+3





5th
Stoneblessed 1
+1
+7
+5
+3
Know:Nature 6, Know:Religion 6
Dodge
Stonebond: Gnome


6th
Stoneblessed 2
+2
+8
+5
+3
Know:Nature 7, Know:Religion 7

Racial Battle Technique: +1 attack vs kobolds/goblins


7th
Stoneblessed 3
+3
+8
+6
+4
Escape Artist 3, Know:Nature 8

Stoneborn: speak with animals 1/day


8th
Ordained Champion 1
+4
+10
+6
+6
Speak Language: Giant 1, Tumble 5
Mobility, Spring Attack, EWP: Whip Dagger
Bonus Domain (Evil), Combat Feats (Destruction, Evil), Cont. Advancement, Mod. Spont. Casting, Skilled City Dweller ACF (Tumble)


9th
Ordained Champion 2
+5
+11
+6
+7
Know:Nature 9, Tumble 7
Diehard
Smite


10th
Ordained Champion 3
+6
+11
+7
+7
Know:Arcane 1, Know:Nature 10, Know:Planes 1

Channel Spell, Divine Bulwark


11th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 1
+7
+13
+7
+7
Tumble 10
Underfoot Combat
Favored Enemy (giant) +4


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 2
+8
+14
+7
+7
Know:Nature 13

Crafty Fighter


13th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 3
+9
+14
+8
+8
Know:Nature 14, Tumble 12

Slippery


14th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 4
+10
+15
+8
+8
Know:Nature 15, Tumble 14
Confound the Big Folk
Favored Enemy (giant) +6


15th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 5
+11
+15
+8
+8
Know:Nature 16, Tumble 16

Close Shot


16th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 6
+12
+16
+9
+9
Hide 1, Know:Nature 17, Tumble 17

Fast Movement


17th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 7
+13
+16
+9
+9
Hide 2, Know:Nature 18, Tumble 18
Minor Shapeshift
Favored Enemy (giant) +8


18th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
+14
+17
+9
+9
Hide 3, Know:Nature 19, Tumble 19

Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 9
+15
+17
+10
+10
Hide 4, Know:Nature 20, Tumble 20

Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
+16
+18
+10
+10
Hide 5, Know:Nature 21, Tumble 21
Arcane Strike
Favored Enemy (giant) +10, Defensive Roll





Sorcerer Spells per Day/Known (by HD)


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


1st
5/4
4/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
6/5
5/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
6/5
6/3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
6/6
7/3
4/1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
6/6
7/4
5/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
6/7
7/4
6/2
4/1
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
6/7
7/5
7/3
5/2
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
6/8
7/5
7/3
6/2
4/1
-
-
-
-
-


9th
6/8
7/5
7/4
7/3
5/2
-
-
-
-
-


10th
6/9
7/5
7/4
7/3
6/2
4/1
-
-
-
-


11th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/3
5/2
-
-
-
-


12th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/3
6/2
3/1
-
-
-


13th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/3
4/2
-
-
-


14th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/3
5/2
3/1
-
-


15th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/4
6/3
4/2
-
-


16th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/4
6/3
5/2
3/1
-


17th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/4
6/3
6/3
4/2
-


18th
6/9
7/5
7/5
7/4
7/4
7/4
7/3
6/3
5/2
3/1



Sorcerer Spells Known
0lvl: acid splash, arcane mark, dancing lights, electric jolt (SC), ghost sound, launch bolt (SC), mage hand, prestidigitation, ray of frost
1st: color spray, enlarge person, lesser spider form (DotU), magic missile, ray of enfeeblement
2nd: alter self, cloud of knives (PHBII), glitterdust, ice darts (Frostburn), wings of cover (RotD)
3rd: dispel magic, haste, heart of water (CMag), spider form (DotU), least dragonshape (Dragon Magic)
4th: enervation, Evard's hentai collection, heart of stone (CMag), polymorph
5th: arcane fusion (CMag), greater spider form (DotU), magic jar, shadow evocation
6th: acid fog, disintegrate, globe of invulnerability
7th: arcane spellsurge (Dragon Magic), greater shadow conjuration, limited wish
8th: greater arcane fusion (CMag), greater shadow evocation
9th: shapechange

Cleric Spells per Day


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


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


2nd
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
3
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
4
3+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
4
3+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-



Typical Cleric Spells Prepared
0lvl: create water, guidance, read magic, resistance
1st: blade of blood (PHBII), ice slick (Frostburn), spider hand (BoVD), magic weapon{D}
2nd: bull's strength, spiritual weapon{D}



Let's get some ruleswankery out of the way. Yes, human-descended phaerimm is a stretch if not outright illegal. But I can't find anything in the source material that says phaerimm weren't descended from humanoids. And even if that suid won't fly, there's the klunky but well-worn "A Wizard Did It (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AWizardDidIt)" trope. But the pretext is largely pnambic. I needed HD-based arcane casting to get the Channel Spell combo to work, and phaerimm was the most efficacious way to get there. Along the way, I discovered that this involved perhaps too much fromagerie for even my standards, which was shocking in itself: I had standards?!?! As horrifying as that realization was, the dilemma remained... should I put this gimmick on the shelf and maybe save it for a more appropriate contest, or submit the build and take my lumps? After some reflection, I says Churchill space ponies I'm making gravy without the lumps. Judges: Yes, I expect to lose some points over the phaerimm/Human Heritage thing. Audentes Fortuna Iuvat.

The Ranger is there to establish Tubesock's giant-hating bona fide's, followed by a level of Cloistered Cleric to get him into Ordained Champion after establishing himself as a gnome. Since a group of good gnomes worshipping Heironymous seemed like too much of a stretch, might as well make them Hextor-worshipping svirfneblin, because what goes better with evil than full-on crazy?



Ordained Champion gives Tubesock another domain from Hextor's portfolio, and then lets him trade two of those domain powers for fighter bonus feats. This gets him Spring Attack and EWP: Whip Dagger. But that's not what we're here for. Channel Spell allows Tubesock to use a move action to load any of his spells into his whip dagger, and then circumvent some of the spell parameters by replacing them with the target of a melee attack. Channel Spell doesn't specify divine, so he can channel his arcane spells as well, and with 8 character levels he now has access to 4th level Sorcerer spells... including polymorph. What happens when you run out of giants to slay? Well, you MAKE MORE GIANTS. Or rather, more half-giants, as they are the least-scary specimens of the giant type. If half-giant isn't enough of a downgrade, he can also turn his opponents into a toad or octopus. In addition to abusing the Target: line, Tubesock can also channel Range: Personal spells into opponents, such as lesser spider form, alter self, least dragonshape, or not-so-lesser spider form. On the divine side of things, spider hand is probably the most amusing.



I picked this level as the Sweet Spot because this is where Tubesock gets "Close Shot". While he can already make opponents miserable by polymorphing them into half-giants and then wailing on them from up to 15' away, Close Shot makes his life a little easier as he no longer provokes AoOs against giants when using his whip dagger. Oho, you say, but whips are melee weapons that provoke, how does Close Shot apply? To which I submit to you, PHB page 121: "Using a whip provokes an attack of opportunity, just as if you had used a ranged weapon." (emphasis added). At ECL 11, Underfoot Combat allows Tubesock to enter any square occupied by an opponent medium-sized or larger without provoking and get a +4 AC bonus, which stacks with both the +4 from Mobility and +2/+4 from Crafty Fighter (Ex). At ECL 14, Confound the Big Folk gives Tubesock two new combat options, "Knee Striker" (rendering foes flat-footed and giving a +4 bonus to confirm crits) and "Unsteady Footing" (Dex-based trip attack without size bonuses). While inside a giant creature's square, he can make three whip dagger attacks with a +6 damage bonus. Once Knee Striker kicks in next round, he can cast spells (flat-footed opponents don't threaten AoOs) such as magic missile or ice darts to pepper his foes with Favored Enemy/Knowledge Devotion damage.



Tubesock finally finishes off Gnome Giant-Slayer. Let's see what he can do with everything:

Favored Enemy (Giant): +10 damage vs. giants, and if he runs out of giants, he can create more.

Crafty Fighter: As a tiny creature, +2 AC against anything that's at least medium-sized or larger comes in quite handy. When he turns creatures into half-giants, the +4 AC vs giants helps offset the +2 Str increase: the newly-morphed half-giant will hit harder, but miss more often against Tubesock.

Slippery: This is used mostly to get out of grapples, as Underfoot Combat already allows moving through larger opponents' spaces.

Close Shot: Allows Tubesock to use his whip dagger against giants without worrying about provoking AoOs.

Fast Movement: This doesn't improve his 30' flight speed, but does improve his ground speed to 20', which puts him on par with most gnomes if he's inclined to stick to the pavement.

Improved Mobility: Another +4 AC bonus, which stacks with Mobility, Underfoot Combat, and Crafty Fighter. This is useful when using his whip dagger or spells against non-giant opponents (which can provoke AoOs) or on the first round when he enters a giant's square and "Knee Striker" hasn't kicked in yet.

Annoying Strike: Automatic shaken effect, no save! As if Tubesock weren't annoying enough already!

Defensive Roll: It's hard to predict how useful this will be, but just a chance to turn a fatal blow into half damage is better than no chance at all. Since Tubesock can create his own giants, it's likely that one of them is going to eventually get a lucky crit, and this could take some of the sting out of that.

Against giants (and formerly-non-giant giants) Tubesock is an unholy terror: 4 iterative attacks with his whip dagger, +10 damage on all his attacks from Favored Enemy, +4 damage (average roll) from Knowledge Devotion, +8 AC when in their square, and +16 AC on AoOs when in their square.

On top of all that, Tubesock casts as an 18th-level Sorcerer, and he's added Minor Shapeshift for some situational buffs and Arcane Strike to convert his non-polymorph spell slots into attack/damage buffs.



Arms & Equipment Guide: Whip Dagger
Cityscape Web Enhancement: Skilled City-Dweller ACF (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
Complete Champion: Ordained Champion, Knowledge Devotion, Spiritual Connection ACF
Complete Mage: Minor Shapeshift
Complete Warrior: Arcane Strike
Expanded Psionic Handbook: Half-giant
Lost Empires of Faerun/Player's Guide to Faerun: Phaerimm hatchling
Races of Stone: Stoneblessed
Races of the Wild: Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk
Unearthed Arcana: Cloistered Cleric

Spells
Book of Vile Darkness: spider hand
Complete Mage: arcane fusion, greater arcane fusion, heart of water, heart of stone
Dragon Magic: arcane spellsurge, least dragonshape,
Drow of the Underdark: lesser spider form, spider form
Frostburn: ice slick, ice darts
PHBII: blade of blood, cloud of knives
Races of the Dragon: wings of cover
Spell Compendium: electric jolt, launch bolt

[Heliomance]

Lizardy lizard.



Pebble Underfoot, The Kung Fu Lizard
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ab/09/93/ab0993ff7dc2278a470aae4b81a192f3.jpg


Background


Oh-hoh-hoh-hoah
Oh-hoh-hoh-hoah
Oh-hoh-hoh-hoah
Oh-hoh-hoh-hoah

[Chorus:]
Everybody was Giant Fighting
Those throws were fast as lightning
In fact, it was a little bit frightening
But they fought with expert timing

There were funky Giant men from funky Gianttown
They were tossing them up
They were tossing them down
It's an ancient Gnomish art
And everybody knew their part
From a feinting, to a slip
And a throwin' from the hip
Everybody was Giant fighting
Those throws were fast as lightning
In fact it was a little bit fright'ning
But they fought with expert timing

Pebble has had a hard life. His tribe was mostly devastated by a nomadic tribe of Darfellans, and had it not been for a scout from a nearby community of gnomes, his life would also have been short. Life with the gnomes has been all Pebble has ever known, and he is fiercely protective of his adoptive family and kin. When it came time for him to earn his keep, his small size didn't do a thing to dampen his excitement for the martial ways of "his people". And so he embarked upon the path of the Giantslayer with the reasoning that since everyone he would fight would be a giant to him, he should have an innate advantage from the start. Imagine his instructors surprise when his named turned out to be more than a humorous adjective, and something that he managed to turn into an oddly effective fighting tactic.


Build
Pebble Underfoot, The Kung Fu Lizard
NG Muckdweller Unarmed Swordsage 7/Stoneblessed 3/Gnome Giant Slayer 10



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


1st
Unarmed Swordsage 1
+0
+0
+2
+2
Appraise (2), Balance 4, Concentration 4, Craft(Stoneworking) 4, Escape Artist (2), Knowledge(Nature) 4, Move Silently 4, Tumble 4
Dodge, Weapon FinessB
Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus - Setting Sun)


2nd
Unarmed Swordsage 2
+1
+0
+3
+3
Balance 5, Concentration 5, Craft(Stoneworking) 5, Escape Artist (2.5), Hide 1, Knowledge(Nature) 5, Move Silently 5, Tumble 5

AC Bonus


3rd
Stoneblessed(Gnome) 1
+1
+2
+3
+3
Escape Artist (3), Hide 4
Mobility
Stonebond (+2 bonus on Listen and Craft(Alchemy) checks


4th
Stoneblessed(Gnome) 2
+2
+3
+3
+3
Escape Artist (3.5), Hide 5, Speak Language (Giant)

Racial Battle Technique (+4 Dodge bonus to AC vs. Giants, +1 bonus on attack rolls vs. Kobolds and Goblinoids)


5th
Stoneblessed(Gnome) 3
+3
+3
+4
+4
Escape Artist (4), Hide 6, Tumble (6)

Stoneborn (+2 Con, Speak With Animals 1/day as a 1st level Druid)


6th
Unarmed Swordsage 3
+4
+4
+4
+4
Concentration 7, Escape Artist (4.5), Knowledge(Nature) 6, Move Silently 6, Tumble 9
Spring Attack



7th
Unarmed Swordsage 4
+5
+4
+5
+5
Concentration 10, Escape Artist (5), Hide, Knowledge(Nature) 7, Move Silently 8, Tumble 10

Discipline Focus (Insightful Strike - Setting Sun)


8th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+6
+6
+5
+5
Escape Artist 7, Move Silently 9, Tumble 11

Favored Enemy (Giant) +2


9th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+7
+7
+5
+5
Escape Artist 9, Move Silently 10, Tumble 12
Underfoot Combat
Crafty Fighter


10th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+8
+7
+6
+6
Escape Artist 11, Move Silently 11, Tumble 13

Slippery


11th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+9
+8
+6
+6
Escape Artist 13, Move Silently 12, Tumble 14

Favored Enemy (Giant) +4


12th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+10
+8
+6
+6
Escape Artist 15, Move Silently 13, Tumble 15
Combat Expertise
Close Shot


13th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+11
+9
+7
+7
Escape Artist 16, Hide 7, Move Silently 14, Tumble 16

Fast Movement


14th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+12
+9
+7
+7
Escape Artist 17, Hide 8, Move Silently 15, Tumble 17

Favored Enemy (Giant) +6


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+13
+10
+7
+7
Escape Artist 18, Hide 9, Move Silently 16, Tumble 18
Improved Trip
Improved Mobility


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 9
+14
+10
+8
+8
Escape Artist 19, Hide 10, Move Silently 17, Tumble 19

Annoying Strike


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 10
+15
+11
+8
+8
Escape Artist 20, Hide 11, Move Silently 18, Tumble 20

Favored Enemy (Giant) +8, Defensive Roll


18th
Unarmed Swordsage 5
+15
+11
+8
+8
Escape Artist (21), Hide 12, Knowledge(Nature) 8, Move Silently 19, Tumble 21, Quick Escape Skill Trick
Pebble Underfoot
Quick to Act +2


19th
Unarmed Swordsage 6
+16
+12
+9
+9
Escape Artist (22), Hide 13, Knowledge(Nature) 9, Move Silently 20, Tumble 22, Easy Escape Skill Trick




20th
Unarmed Swordsage 7
+17
+12
+9
+9
Escape Artist (23), Hide 14, Knowledge(Nature) 10, Move Silently 21, Tumble 23, Escape Attack Skill Trick

Sense Magic



Racial Benefits:
Tiny Monstrous Humanoid - +2 Size Bonus to AC, +2 Size Bonus to Attack Rolls, +8 Size Bonus on Hide checks.
Speed - 20ft., Swim 20ft.
-6 Str, +6 Dex, -2 Wis, -2 Cha
+3 Natural Armor
Bite Attack (1d3)
Squirt (Ex): Up to 25 feet away, Reflex save or be blinded for 1 round. (DC 10 + Dex mod)
Weapon Finesse as a Bonus Feat
+8 Racial Bonus on Swim Checks, uses Dex instead of Strength for Swim checks, can always take 10 on a swim check, can run while swimming in a straight line.
Languages: Draconic
Bonus Languages from Intelligence: Gnome, Terran


Ability Scores

Starting Ability Scores (including racial adjustments):
Str - 6
Dex - 22
Con - 14
Int - 14
Wis - 12
Cha - 6

Final Ability Scores:
Str - 6
Dex - 27 (4th, 8th, 12th, 16th, 20th)
Con - 16
Int - 14
Wis - 12
Cha - 6


Maneuvers/Stances Known

Maneuvers/Stances Known:


Level
Initiator Level
Maneuvers Known:
Stances Known:
Maneuvers & Stances


1
1
6
1
Wolf Fang Strike, Moment of Perfect Mind, Counter Charge, Mighty Throw (retrained to Soaring Throw at 18th level), Shadow Blade Technique (retrained to Shadow Jaunt at 7th level), Stone Bones, Island of Blades Stance


2
2
7
2
Charging Minotaur, Hunter's Sense Stance


3
2
7
2



4
3
7
2



5
3
7
2



6
4
8
2
Mountain Hammer


7
5
9
2
Devastating Throw, (Retrain Shadow Blade Technique to Shadow Jaunt)


8
6
9
2



9
6
9
2



10
7
9
2



11
7
9
2



12
8
9
2



13
8
9
2



14
9
9
2



15
9
9
2



16
10
9
2



17
10
9
2



18
11
10
3
Ballista Throw, (Retrain Mighty Throw to Soaring Throw), Assassin's Stance


19
12
11
3
Scorpion Parry


20
13
12
3
Ancient Mountain Hammer




Breakpoints

Level 5

At 5th level, Pebble is now effectively a Gnome (albeit a tiny one) due to his time in the Stoneblessed prestige class. He is pretty sneaky (with a great Hide modifier due to his size), has some mobility skills, and makes a great ally in combat with his Island of Blades stance. That stance lets him be a flanking buddy, because it only requires that he be adjacent to a foe, not threatening them. Mobility helps him get into his opponent's space with minimal difficulty. He's also got an array of useful maneuvers that give him a little defense (Moment of Perfect Mind, Stone Bones), battlefield control (Mighty Throw, Counter Charge), and utility (Hunter's Sense).

Level 10

3 levels into the SI, and Pebble is much more of a pain to deal with, particularly for Giants. Favored Enemy is a minor boost at this point for damage, but Crafty Fighter and Slippery are wonderful for him. Now he is not only difficult to hit or get ahold of for Giants, but anything Medium size or larger also has a rough time with him. Mountain Hammer Strike gives him a bit of surprise damage as we bobs and weaves through the legs of the big guys, and Devastating Throw adds to his battlefield control. Underfoot Combat gives him a big boost as well - he no longer suffers attacks of opportunity when entering the space of any creature Medium size or larger, and he gets a nice defensive bonus while he's in another creature's space (AC 29 before armor for Medium+ non-giants, AC 35 before armor vs. giants). Any foe who chooses to ignore him will expose themselves to flanking on all sides, a decent chunk of unavoidable damage, and likely wind up on the ground. He continues to be sneaky, and adds the Shadow Jaunt maneuver for a little extra mobility.

Level 15

This level isn't very exciting, but it is important. Favored Enemy boosts his maneuver damage by a good amount, and Improved Mobility helps keep his AC annoyingly high when closing on his target at top speed. Improved Trip is the important bit here, as it helps to ensure that his throws are competitive. He keeps his stealth capabilities high, and is all but impossible to keep hold of in a grapple.

Level 20, "Sweet Spot"

At the top of his game, Pebble is a real pain for Giants to face. His maneuvers are deadly, with Ancient Mountain Hammer providing a solid heavy damage hit, and Ballista Throw, Soaring Throw, and Devastating Throw providing battlefield control. Scorpion Parry can redirect a strike against Pebble into another foe, and when we're talking about Giants, that isn't a small chunk of damage. Defensive Roll really amps up Pebble's survival, and he's got a trio of skill tricks that really punish a foe that manages to grab him in a grapple. The final element that tops this off is the Pebble Underfoot feat, which makes his throwing capability nearly unmatched.


Sources

Player's Handbook (Combat Expertise, Dodge, Improved Trip, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse)
Tome of Battle (Swordsage)
Races of Stone (Stoneblessed)
Races of the Wild (Underfoot Combat)
Complete Scoundrel (Skill Tricks)
Complete Warrior (Gnome Giant Slayer)
Dragon Compendium (Pebble Underfoot)
Unapproachable East (Muckdweller race)

[Heliomance]

Tallest gnome I ever saw.


Jorus "Tallfellow" Goldear
1 eneko/6 factotum/3 stoneblessed/10 gnome giant slayer
STR 14-2 DEX 15-2 CON 14+2 INT 14+4(+2) WIS 10 CHA 12-2+4(+2)
Charisma is done at 4 and 8 HD, intelligence after


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




1st
Eneko 1
+0
+0
+0
+0
-
-
Poweful Build, 1/day Endure elements, 1/day Pass Without Trace


2nd
Factotum 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
4 Bluff, 4 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature), 4 Listen, 4 Move Silently, 4 Spot, 4 Tumble, 4 UMD, Speak(Giant), 4 Sense Motive, 1 Spellcraft
Darkstalker
Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding


3rd
Factotum 2
+1
+0
+3
+0
5 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature), 5 Listen, 5 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 5 UMD, Speak(Giant), 5 Sense Motive, 3 Spellcraft, 2 craft(alchemy)
-
Arcane Dilettante 1/spell


4th
Factotum 3
+2
+1
+3
+1
6 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature), 5 Listen, 6 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 5 UMD, Speak(Giant), 5 Sense Motive, 3 Spellcraft, 6 craft(alchemy), 4 Hide
Dodge
Brains over Brawn, Cunning Defense


5th
Factotum 4
+3
+1
+4
+1
6 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature), 5 Listen, 6 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 5 UMD, Speak(Giant), 5 Sense Motive, 3 Spellcraft, 6 craft(alchemy), 4 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist
-
Arcane Dilettante 2 spells, cunning strike


6th
Factotum 5
+3
+1
+4
+1
8 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature), 5 Listen, 8 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 8 UMD, Speak(Giant), 5 Sense Motive, 3 Spellcraft, 8 craft(alchemy), 4 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 1 intimidate
-
Opportunistic Piety


7th
Factotum 6
+4
+2
+5
+2
9 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 7 Listen, 9 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 9 craft(alchemy), 8 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 3 intimidate
Mobility
-


8th
Stoneblessed 1
+4
+4
+5
+4
10 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 10 Listen, 9 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 10 craft(alchemy), 9 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 3 intimidate
-
Stonebond 1(gnome)


9th
Stoneblessed 2
+5
+5
+5
+5
11 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 11 Listen, 9 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 11 craft(alchemy), 11 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 3 intimidate, 1 jump
-
Racial battle technique


10th
Stoneblessed 3
+6
+5
+6
+5
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 9 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 12 craft(alchemy), 12 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 3 intimidate, 3 jump
Spring attack
+2 CON, speak with animals


11th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+7
+7
+6
+5
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 10 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 13 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 3 escape artist, 5 intimidate, 3 jump
-
Favoured enemy (giant) 2


12th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+8
+8
+6
+5
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 10 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 14 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 5 escape artist, 8 intimidate, 3 jump
-
Crafty Fighter


13th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+9
+8
+7
+6
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 10 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 15 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 6 escape artist, 12 intimidate, 3 jump
imperious command
Slippery


14th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+10
+9
+7
+6
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 10 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 10 escape artist, 13 intimidate, 3 jump
-
Favoured enemy (giant) 4


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+11
+9
+7
+6
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 12 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 13 escape artist, 14 intimidate, 3 jump
-
Close Shot


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+12
+10
+8
+7
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 13 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 13 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 15 escape artist, 15 intimidate, 3 jump, Easy Escape
Trickery Devotion
Fast movement


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+13
+10
+8
+7
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 14 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 5 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 15 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 16 escape artist, 16 intimidate, 3 jump, Easy Escape, Never Outnumbered
-
Favoured enemy(giant) 6


18th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+14
+11
+8
+7
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 15 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 6 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 15 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 17 escape artist, 17 intimidate, 3 jump, Easy Escape, Never Outnumbered, open lock 1
-
Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant Slayer 9
+15
+11
+9
+8
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 16 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 8 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 16 craft(alchemy), 16 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 18 escape artist, 18 intimidate, 3 jump, Easy Escape, Never Outnumbered, open lock 1
Bounding Assault
Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant Slayer 10
+16
+12
+9
+8
12 Bluff, 5 Balance, 4 Disguise, 2 Know(Nature),2 Know(Arcana), 12 Listen, 17 Move Silently, 5 Spot, 8 Tumble, 9 UMD, Speak(Giant), 8 Sense Motive, 5 Spellcraft, 18 craft(alchemy), 17 Hide, 2 appraise, 5 craft(stoneworking), 19 escape artist, 19 intimidate, 3 jump, Easy Escape, Never Outnumbered, open lock 1
-
Defensive Roll, Favoured enemy(giant) 8


Dear judges - sorry for this eyesore



Running. That was the only thought on a young giant’s mind as he stole away from his former home. Times were hard and his tribe was desperate and had decided to cull the herd, so to speak. His natural curiosity and keen intellect was frowned upon by the brutes who only respected strength of arms. Even his magical gifts meant nothing to them.

Lungs burning, he stopped to lean on a tree. The longer he stayed the more the pain rose in his wounded side. The giant sighed. Either his tribe members would track him down from the blood trail or some horrible jungle beast would make a snack of him.

1 eneko/4 factotum
Jorus starts off as a primordial eneko factotum. With our high INT we make an excellent factotum to start off, and our other abilities aren't bad either. We get invisibility as an at-will spell-like because if you're gonna sneak around as an 8 foot tall giant, you’re gonna want some help. At this level Jorus is a pretty standard Factotum using a guisarme to trip from range, since we get a +4 size bonus and +INT to it. Though we never take Improved Trip in this build, we can still trip effectively. Otherwise we have strong stealth and social skills. Dodge and Darkstalker are taken at levels 1 and 3.

That same night, three gnomes were out on the nightly patrol. The night was quiet in the jungle, easy to pick out a giant’s blundering footsteps.
“One more pass over and we go back. Gibble was eaten by a spider last week. We can’t have a repeat of that.” whispered Gumble Goldear, the leader of the mission.
The other two nodded in agreement.

“Boss. Blood over here.” The second gnome, an alchemist named Stubbs, took a sniff. “Giant. Should we follow?”

“One less giant to worry about! I’ll race you for the kill!” shouted Gillen, a hotheaded fighter. He took off in a sudden burst of speed.


Gumble sighed. Always so reckless... It was a surprise Gillen wasn’t paste on some ogres club. He moved to catch up with the others, and found a young giant being kicked into the dirt by Gillen.

Before Gillen could deal the final blow, Gumble moved just in time to catch his arm.
“That is a child! Giant or not, do you want to stoop to their level?” He pushed his comrade away.
“Come child, tell me why you are so far from home. I will not hurt you.”

The child told Gumble how his kin tried to kill him, and of his run through the jungle.

“If you are truly alone, then come with us, we will keep you safe.”


6-10
1 half giant/6 factotum/3 stoneblessed/
We take 3 levels on Stoneblessed to embrace our Gnome side, gaining more CON, +4 dodge against giants, and Speak With Animals. After that we go back into Factotum for 2 more levels. We get mobility and spring attack at 6 and 9.
Our combat strategy now is running through an opponents threatened area, hitting/tripping them with Spring Attack, and then running away so that we can’t be full attacked. Something runs up to you? Hit them with an AoO. Rinse and repeat.
With Mobility and the +4 ac bonus against giants, this adds +8 AC since dodge bonuses from different sources stack. This becomes even more effective later on in the build when we get Improved Mobility and Crafty Fighter for a total of +16 AC. I would have loved to pick up karmic strike for this, but the feats would come online to late to be truly effective nor do we have the DEX to make it work.

Years passed and a giant named Jorus sat in the living room of his too-small house with his adoptive father. The boy was about to graduate from school, top of his class. After his introduction to the gnome community, Jorus grew quickly among his peers, learning anything he could. There was only one snag. In the gnome city of Treetop, all graduates were required to make a choice: Join the military or choose a profession. Jorus had been mulling over his choice for months, but had finally decided.
“Father. I want to join the Giant Slayers” he said suddenly.

Gumble wasn’t surprised at the boy wanting to see the outside world. He knew that a single profession would never be able to satisfy the boy. What truly surprised him was the desire to slay ones kind. Jorus had always been kind, never intending harm for anyone. Gumble put his paper down. “You really want to kill giants?”
“Yes.” replied Jorus.
You want to stab at their knees until they collapse and then slice away at the weak points?”
“Yes!” shouted Jorus.
Gumble lept up from his chair to stare his son in the eye. “Do you want to enter every fight knowing that if a giant gets a hold of you he’ll squeeze the jelly from your eyes and eat your head?”
“Of course!” roared Jorus.
Gumble sat back down. “Well, it looks like we’ve got ourselves a Giant Slayer.”


11-15
1 half giant/6 factotum/3 stoneblessed/5 Gnome Giant Slayer
Gnow we egnter the secret ignrediegnt and leargn how to really slay giagnts. Favoured enemy keeps our social skills relevant since it adds bonuses to lots of useful skills, keeping up the infiltration game. We get even more AC against giants, getting close to the point where its very difficult for anything to hit us. Close Shot is useful for alchemical splash weapons, since we have the skills to make and use them. Slippery helps us on the grappling front since our STR isn’t great, even though we count as large. Combining it with 12 ranks in Escape Artist, and +10 from GGS, +4(or more) from easy escape and then cunning surge we can get away pretty easily from most giants. We get Imperious Command to scare pretty much anything out of its boots. Since Powerful Build counts towards opposed checks, we can use it for Intimidate. That means we don’t take a -4 to intimidating large creatures.

Jorus stood, overlooking the ogre encampment. His mission was to take out an ogre mage who had long been a threat to Treetop. In the past years, the giants had been less of a threat due to dwindling numbers and supplies, but they had been making a resurgence in the past months.

There were few guards posted. Even less were paying attention. Though he had the natural gift of invisibility, the giant assassin made sure to stay quiet. Jorus slipped into the largest tent, which hosted a dragon skull above its door. The tent was empty save for what passed for a table. He waited for a time, until a skittish ogre runt came into the tent with a roasted goat and set it down, only inches away from Jorus. Perfect. After the ogre left, Jorus prepared a concoction of paralyzing toxins and Trollbane to ensure the mage would stay down when killed.

Surely enough, the mage bumbled into his tent and immediately grabbed for the goat. He sniffed it, and looked hesitant for a second before putting most of it into his mouth. He fell almost immediately, trying to yell but only managing a “Grock poison me aga-”. Jorus uncloaked. He sized up the giant. There was a knife on his belt. A knife that was very familiar to Jorus. The same knife that almost took his life so many years ago. Sliding it out of the sheath, Jorus whispered two words in giant: “Hello Father”.

16-20
1 half giant/6 factotum/3 stoneblessed/10 Gnome Giant Slayer
We finish off Gnome Giant Slayer. Fast movement gets a little more flexibility with Spring Attack, and Improved Mobility jacks our AC up further. We can get a lot of use out of Annoying Strike. Imperious Command already makes most things cry, but it makes foes shaken in the next round. Hit them in melee again to make giants cry and scream and run away. It isn’t clear, but iterative attacks may allow you to escalate fear effects in the same round. Defensive roll isn’t the greatest capstone, but since we fight largely giants, it has its uses, especially when boosted with Cunning Surge. For our last 2 feats we get Trickery Devotion and Bounding assault. Trickery Devotion is a very fun feat, useful for scouting and distractions. Normally I would have picked Titan Fighting to push our AC up to crazier levels, but we need the extra attack from Bounding Assault.


The prerequisites are pretty bad, but we can still use them to their fullest effect.

Every ability has a place here. Lets take a look.

Favoured enemy- +8 damage and common skills? Nice. Keeps our skill checks up to date because GGS doesn’t have spot, listen, or sense motive as class skills for some reason.

Crafty Fighter- More AC is never a bad thing. Since we count as medium, we can move through any foe that is Huge or larger. We’re not small, but we can still use this effectively.

Slippery- Though we get 16 BaB and powerful build, we’re still susceptible to grapples from big nasties. Its only against Huge or larger foes, but we can augment it with Easy Escape.

Close Shot- We take a lot of ranks in craft(alchemy). This lets us use some of the items in close quarters without being punished for it. Eggshell Grenades in particular are devastating as they are a ranged touch attack with a no save blindness effect.

Fast movement - we’re an agile fighter based on hit-and-run tactics. Being faster gives us a lot more flexibility. This actually gets our speed even to the average giants So that we can actually run away from them if needed.

Improved Mobility- Keep stacking that AC. Using the hit-and-run tactics, most giants will have great difficulty hitting us.

Annoying Strike- Making giants shaken for a simple melee attack? Very nice. Even better, it has synergy with intimidate and Imperious Command.

Defensive Roll- We fight a lot of giants. A few bad dice rolls may get us in the danger zone. Though reflex is a bad save for giant slayers, we can cover that with Cunning Surge.

The big question- Why do we take the secret ingredient? Why take this over Factotum?
Well like I said before, it synergizes with everything. While we would get more inspiration points and uses for them out of factotum, the main appeal is augmenting our particular combat style. Full BaB, more AC, and extra bonuses against giants are all good things. The fact that most abilities also extend to creatures larger than us is gravy.

Primoridial Giant- SoX
Gnome Giant Slayer- CA
Eneko- SoS
Factotum- Dungeonscape
Font of Inspiration-
Trickery Devotion- CC
Darkstalker- LoM

[Heliomance]

Oh hey, an actual gnome!


Skeeter
Mad Gnome Swordsage 3/Psychic Warrior 6/Elocater 1/Gnome Giant Slayer 10

http://www.zlok.net/wp-content/uploads/finaxs-david-goliath.jpg
Credit: Gustave Doré

"Will there be any skeeters in heaven?"

The little gnomish boy looks expectantly to his grandfather as he slaps an insect off his arm in annoyance. The two are sitting in a crudely crafted boat that rocks back and forth with the young boy's movement, sending ripples across the otherwise still lake. As the two talk, they hold fishing poles and wait for a bite.

His grandfather, more beard than gnome at this point in his life, chuckles and asks a deceptively simple question: "Why not?"

The grandson scoffs and says, "Because they're annoying! They're always flitting around, bothering everyone. The world would be a better place if they weren't in it." Grandfather laughs before explaining, "Sure, mosquitoes carry disease and nobody likes to get bitten. But they were in these parts long before us...and I'd bet they'll be here long after we're gone. But we need mosquitoes. Their young feed on algae, and fish feed on their young. Fish like the bass you like to eat so much..."

"Okay, fine," the boy concedes, "but why do they have to bite me if they like fish?" His grandfather quickly retorts, "Because you have fish smell coming out of your veins from eating it so much!" The two laugh and the grandfather tussles the younger one's hair before continuing: "older mosquitoes drink blood to eat. To you and me, it is a matter of annoyance. To them, it is a matter of survival." Survival. The word itself seems to be enough to quiet the boy and his grandfather. The young gnome doesn't know how to respond, while his grandfather is sent into a quiet reverie, gazing off into the distance as if recalling something at once nostalgic and harrowing.

The two are stone still until the boat settles and the last of the ripples has worked its way to the edges of the lake. The younger gnome finally takes a chance on speaking. "A matter of survival like...like the war?" he asks hesitantly.

His grandfather's eyes don't move from whatever holds them off in the middle distance, but his voice breaks as he tells the tale: "This lake used to be ours. I would fish here with my grandfather when I was about your age. Then the giants came. They claimed ownership of the lake and surrounding lands, driving us out as far as the scorched farmland of the humans. There was nothing left for us, so we pleaded to stay on the shores--just a small enough encampment to fish and feed our families...but the giants refused. They lashed out in anger, destroying our towns and killing some of us. It was clear that it would not stop unless we left, but if we left we would surely starve. They began to stamp us out like bugs."

"So what did you do?" the little gnome asks, hearing his grandfather speak openly of the great Giant War for the first time.

"We became mosquitoes," the grandfather says. "We buzzed around the giants when they worked and when they slept, biting them occasionally. We spread disease and death among them. We never gave up. And in the end, we drank their blood. For them, it was a matter of annoyance but for us..." His voice falters, but both gnomes know how the sentence ends.

The grandfather turns back to his grandson. While his mouth smiles, his eyes are still distant and there are tears in their corners. "Yes, there will be mosquitoes in heaven, by Garl," the grandfather assures his grandson, "and they will be buzzing around annoying us even then. But we will not slap them away any longer, because we know what it is like to be the smaller one. What it is like to be threatened. What it is like to have your family nearly wiped out. What it is like to have intruders in your home. What it is like to eat fish. What it is like to survive." As he finishes his story, a mosquito quietly bites the older gnome and buzzes off across the lake and into the sky.

Stats
StatPoints SpentBaseRaceLevelsAgeOtherTotalMod
STR08-20006-2
DEX13172500247
CON4120000121
INT5130000131
WIS10160000163
CHA0800008-1
Levels
LevelClassBABFortRefWillSkillsFeatsClass Features
1Swordsage 1+0+0+2+2Bluff 2 (cc), Concentration 4, Escape Artist 2 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 4, Tumble 4Expeditious Dodge, Weapon Focus (Shadow Blade) [B]Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus), Speak Giant (from +1 INT mod)
2Psychic Warrior 1+0+2+2+2Bluff 2 (cc), Concentration 5, Escape Artist 2.5 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 4.5 (cc), Tumble 4Mobility [B]Bonus Feat
3Psychic Warrior 2+1+3+2+2Bluff 2 (cc), Concentration 6, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 5 (cc), Tumble 4Shadow Hand, Weapon Finesse [B]Bonus Feat
4Psychic Warrior 3+2+3+3+3Bluff 2 (cc), Concentration 7, Escape Artist 3.5 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 5.5 (cc), Tumble 4
5Psychic Warrior 4+3+4+3+3Bluff 2 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 4 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 6 (cc), Tumble 4
6Psychic Warrior 5+3+4+3+3Bluff 3.5 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 4 (cc), Jump 4, Listen 4, Sense Motive 6, Tumble 4Stygian Archon, Stygian Power [B]Bonus Feat
7Psychic Warrior 6+4+5+4+4Bluff 4 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 4 (cc), Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 6, Tumble 5
8Swordsage 2+5+5+5+5Bluff 5.5 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 5.5 (cc), Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 7, Tumble 5AC bonus
9Swordsage 3+6/+1+6+5+5Bluff 6 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 6 (cc), Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 12, Tumble 5Spring Attack
10Elocater 1+6/+1+6+7+7Bluff 6.5 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 11, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 13, Tumble 5Sidestep Charge [B]Scorn Earth, Sidestep Charge
11Gnome Giant Slayer 1+7/+2+8+7+7Bluff 7 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 11, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 13, Tumble 5, Escape AttackFavored enemy (giant) +2
12Gnome Giant Slayer 2+8/+3+9+7+7Bluff 7 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 11, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 13.5 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape AttackShi'Quos SchoolCrafty fighter

13Gnome Giant Slayer 3+9/+4+9+8+8Bluff 7.5 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 12, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 14 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape AttackSlippery
14Gnome Giant Slayer 4+10/+5+10+8+8Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 13, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 14.5 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape AttackFavored enemy (giant) +4
15Gnome Giant Slayer 5+11/+6/+1+10+8+8Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 15, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 15 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape AttackInstant ClarityClose Shot
16Gnome Giant Slayer 6+12/+7/+2+11+9+9Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 16, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 15 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape Attack, Quick EscapeFast movement
17Gnome Giant Slayer 7+13/+8/+3+11+9+9Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 18, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 15.5 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape Attack, Quick EscapeFavored enemy (giant) +6
18Gnome Giant Slayer 8+14/+9/+4+12+9+9Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 20, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 16 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape Attack, Quick EscapeWolfpackImproved mobility
19Gnome Giant Slayer 9+15/+10/+5+12+10+10Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 22, Jump 5, Listen 4, Sense Motive 16.5 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape Attack, Quick EscapeAnnoying strike
20Gnome Giant Slayer 10+16/+11/+6/+1+13+10+10Bluff 8 (cc), Concentration 8, Escape Artist 23, Jump 6, Listen 4, Sense Motive 17 (cc), Tumble 5, Easy Escape, Escape Attack, Quick EscapeFavored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll
Maneuvers
LevelManeuvers KnownReadiedStancesSample ManeuversSample Stances
1641Burning Blade, Sudden Leap, Mighty Throw, Stone Bones, Sapphire Nightmare BladeIsland of Blades
2641
3641
4641
5641
6641
7641
8742Feigned OpeningGiant Killing Style
9852Baffling Defense
10852
11852
12852
13852
14852
15852
16852
17852
18852
19852
20852
Psionics
LevelPowers KnownPPMax Power LevelSample Powers
100
2111stCompression
3241stCall Item
4371stStygian Discernment
54112ndStygian Weapon
65142ndStrength of my Enemy
76202ndHustle
86202nd
96202nd
107253rdTelekinetic Boomerang
117253rd
127253rd
137253rd
147253rd
157253rd
167253rd
177253rd
187253rd
197253rd
207253rd

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of the build, a note of explanation: I sought to make a NEW Killer Gnome, so I intentionally avoided most of the tricks that sprang readily to mind. Instead, I tried to bring something slightly different to the table by avoiding staples like Elusive Target, Underfoot Combat, and Confound the Big Folk. That being said, let's take a look.

Tactics by Level
1-5: Offensively, free Weapon Finesse & Weapon Focus boost your accuracy while Shadow Hand, Burning Blade, and Sapphire Nightmare Blade boost damage and Mighty Throw provides some battlefield control. Stygian Weapon deals negative levels (albeit temporarily). Defensively, Expeditious Dodge with a double move & Mobility can keep you alive. On the utility side of things, Sudden Leap provides instant movement and Stygian Discernment gives the ability to detect undead. Compression is an awesome power as it boosts your DEX and to hit (accuracy and damge), your AC (defense), and lets you fit into smaller spaces (utility)...but the real winner is Call Item, as you can summon up pretty much anything. Hello, poison! You can also augment it to summon & sell nonmagical items of up to 1,000 gp!
6-10: On offense, Stygian Power lets us start demoralizing without worrying about our size penalty to Intimidate. Feigned Opening lets us turn missed AoOs against us into actual attacks, bolstered by Giant Killing Style. As the icing on the cake, Strength of my Enemy makes the bigger guys weaker with each passing hit, and Telekinetic Boomerang makes you a formidable ranged opponent with your daggers without investing a ton of feats into ranged combat. Defensively, Swordsage's AC bonus comes online along with sidestep charge & Baffling Defense to replace your AC with a Sense Motive check. In utility, Hustle provides extra move actions while scorn earth provides at-will levitation! Your manifester level is now high enough that you can augment compression to take you down to Fine size, allowing you to treat your fellow Small creatures as "two sizes larger."
11-15: Offensively, Shi'Quos school lets you knock prone foes at lower elevation. Due to Scorn Earth, EVERYONE ON EARTH is now at a lower elevation so you can activate this on every spring attack to knock foes prone unless they succeed on a DEX-based reflex save that scales with level. You can utilize Stygian Power more often as Instant Clarity allows you to regain psionic focus as a swift action. Since you're now in the Secret Ingredient, more info on those class features can be found below.
16-20: Congrats, you're able to achieve the all-important fourth iterative attack! Wolfpack is online for teaming up and not being such a lone w--you know. Again, for more information please see UoSI below.
UoSI:
Requirements: The Mad Gnome (from Dragonlance) was chosen for two reasons: first, it has a DEX bonus without a WIS penalty. Second, it allows us to have an odd spread of swordsage & psychic warrior levels without worrying about multiclass penalties. Four iterative attacks are upheld using the BAB requirement, Escape Artist is maximized (and synergized with skill tricks), while Tumble is taken to a natural breakpoint at 5 ranks for skill synergies. Instead of using Dodge, we use Expeditious Dodge (which partners nicely with the class' fast movement and the Quick trait). Not only that, but Dodge/Mobility/Spring Attack serve as prerequisites for other items throughout the build, from Elocater to Shi'Quos School to Wolfpack. As above, Shi'Quos School + Scorn Earth allow us to knock prone anyone we Spring Attack without worrying about pesky trip checks. It's just a Reflex save that scales with level based on our DEX, which giants notoriously bad at. Speak Language is snagged at character creation via INT bonus so there is no need to spend additional skill ranks on it.
Favored enemy (giants): Skill ranks are invested in Bluff to power Wolfpack's Distract Foe option, which is bolstered by the +8 bonus. This option allows you to turn one attack from you into many AoOs from your allies that also flank the giant. Luckily you've got Island of Blades, so all you and your allies have to worry about is being adjacent to the giant for flanking! Also, the boost to Sense Motive checks vs. giants translates to a flat +8 AC bonus whenever you use Baffling Defense! Lastly, Giant-Killing stance is, wouldn't you know, useful against our favored enemy: giants.
Crafty fighter: Another +4 AC vs giants is good, but +2 vs anyone 2 size categories or more larger is great! Using an augmented compression you can shrink to Fine size, so anyone Small or larger counts as "two size categories larger." Plus, based on the wording of this you can still wear light armor...which means you can still reap the benefits of the armor as well as your swordsage AC bonus while using crafty fighter!
Slippery: As above, augmented compression lets this work on Small or larger creatures, whether you're moving through their spaces or escaping from their grapples. Not only do you have max ranks in Escape Artist, but the Easy Escape & Quick Escape skill tricks should make using it a bit easier. Even better, Escape Attack lets you turn a swift action into an attack in the same round in which you escape a grapple! You can also use Quick Escape if you'd rather escape as a swift action and then full attack, but each is only 1/encounter.
Close shot: Between this and our Telekinetic Boomerang power, you can turn your dagger into a returning dagger and dole out a full ranged attack within 20 ft without having to worry about AoOs, Quick Draw, etc. If you can get back some feats through the things mentioned in our Adaptation & Gear sections, the Two-Weapon Fighting feats might be worth a look to increase the number of attacks you can get from this.
Fast movement: In conjunction with the "Quick" trait from Unearthed Arcana, this boosts your speed up to 40 ft and allows you to reap the benefits of Expeditious Dodge--twice as nice as regular Dodge!
Improved mobility: Why does not getting hit with AoOs actually MATTER? With the Feigned Opening Maneuver, when your opponent misses you with an AoO, YOU get to take an AoO against your opponent. So all those bonuses to AC vs AoOs are basically ensuring that YOU get to hit your opponent rather than the other way around. Even if they DO manage to land their AoO, they're still getting hurt with this maneuver, since then they provoke an AoO from any of your allies who threaten them. Ask your DM whether that should read "any one of your allies" or "all of your allies" like Wolfpack.
Annoying strike: This is really the best part of the class vs. giants. Any time you deal even 1 point of damage to a giant in melee, they're shaken for 1 round. No save, just shaken. Shaken itself isn't the best condition, but when we can escalate it to frightened good things happen. However, we're not going to try boosting Intimidate or using Imperious Command, since we're at a disadvantage to intimidate on account of being so darned small. Instead, we're going to frighten these giants with our mind powers! Stygian Power Stygian Weapon (say that five times fast) allows us to escalate that 1 round of being shaken to 1 full minute of being frightened along with 1d4 temporary negative levels if the giant in question fails a Will save. Even on a passed save, they're shaken for a round and still take the negative levels. With Instant Clarity, you can initiate a martial strike the next round and use your swift action to regain psionic focus. As long as you've got power points to spend and giants to damage in melee combat, you can use this move every other round!
Defensive roll: It's interesting to have this rogue-like class feature on a class that has bad Reflex saves. Luckily, the presence of classes with good Reflex saves like Swordsage and Elocater help us buff that up a bit! Also, we get a bonus on the save equal to our Gnome Giant Slayer class level, so that's a +10 bonus. All told, that's a +29 bonus to our Reflex save before items when fully compressed vs a DC of damage dealt. We auto-succeed if the "killing" blow does 1-29 damage, and we've got a shot at success on anything that deals 30-49 damage.
Gear:
Mobility armor: If you want to gain back a feat, talk to your DM about putting this on some light armor. You can still use all of your class features, plus you gain back a feat slot! Psicrystal Affinity or Two-Weapon Fighting, maybe?
Claw Gloves: These are treated as punching daggers, so you can still get your damage boost from Shadow Hand. Even better, these allow you to make an extra attack on every Shi'Quos Spring Attack! You don't need to invest in a feat like Bounding Assault, and you get twice as many chances to knock your opponents prone!
Adaptation
LA Buyoff: If this rule is in play, I'd recommend Phrenic. This template from the XPH gives great psi-like abilities, along with some stat bonuses & power resistance.
Flaws: Pick up Shadow Hand earlier in the game, free up a psychic warrior bonus feat, or gain something like Two-Weapon Fighting.
Fractional BAB/saves: If this rule is in place, BAB becomes +17 and saves become +11/+9/+9.
Multiclass penalties: Even if your DM uses this rule, you've got nothing to fear and no need to change a thing...which is important because the swordsage levels are timed to arrive in time to snag a 3rd-level stance.

Sources Used
Complete Psionic (Stygian Archon, Stygian Power, powers)
Complete Warrior (Gnome Giant Slayer)
Dragonlance Campaign Setting (Mad Gnome)
Drow of the Underdark (Shi'Quos School)
Expanded Psionics Handbook (Elocater, Psychic Warrior, Sidestep Charge, powers)
Magic Item Compendium (gear)
PHB (Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse)
Races of the Wild (Expeditious Dodge, Wolfpack)
Tome of Battle (Swordsage, Instant Clarity, Shadow Hand, maneuvers & stances)
Unearthed Arcana (traits)
Web archive: http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20040827e (Call Item)

[Heliomance]

...oh Glod why


MC Hooked Hammer
CG Gnome Cloistered Cleric 3/Thug Fighter 2/Divine Prankster 5/Gnome Giant Slayer 10
"U Can't Touch This!"
http://media2.giphy.com/media/kgKrO1A3JbWTK/giphy.gif

Haters gonna hate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otCpCn0l4Wo

Stats
StatPoints SpentBaseRaceLevelsAgeOtherTotalMod
STR08-20006-2
DEX10160000163
CON4122000142
INT5130000131
WIS10160000163
CHA3110500163
Levels
LevelClassBABFortRefWillSkillsFeatsClass Features
1Cloistered Cleric 1+0+2+0+2Bluff 4, Diplomacy 3, Escape Artist 2 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 4, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 4, Sleight of Hand 2 (cc), Speak Language 1 (Giant), Tumble 2 (cc)Apprentice: Entertainer, Knowledge Devotion (nature) [B]Lore, Turn Undead, Trickery Domain, Gnome Domain
2Cloistered Cleric 2+1+3+0+3Bluff 5, Diplomacy 3, Escape Artist 2.5 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 5, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 5, Sleight of Hand 2.5 (cc), Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 2.5 (cc)
3Thug Fighter 1+2+5+0+3Bluff 6, Diplomacy 3, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 5, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 6, Sleight of Hand 4.5, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 2.5 (cc)Dodge
4Thug Fighter 2+3+6+0+3Bluff 7, Diplomacy 4, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 5, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 7, Sleight of Hand 6.5, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 2.5 (cc)Mobility [B]Bonus feat
5Cloistered Cleric 3+3+6+1+3Bluff 8, Diplomacy 5, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 5, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 8, Sleight of Hand 8 (cc), Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 3 (cc)
6Divine Prankster 1+3+6+3+5Bluff 8, Diplomacy 7, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 7, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 9, Sleight of Hand 9, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 3.5 (cc)Combat ExpertiseComedic performance 1/day, Inspire courage
7Divine Prankster 2+4+6+4+6Bluff 8, Diplomacy 9, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 9, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 10, Sleight of Hand 10, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 4 (cc)Comedic performance 2/day
8Divine Prankster 3+4+7+4+6Bluff 8, Diplomacy 11, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 11, Know: Planes 1, Perform: comedy 11, Sleight of Hand 11, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 4.5 (cc)Comedic performance 3/day, Disguise spell (somatic)
9Divine Prankster 4+5+7+5+7Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 12, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 12, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 12, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 5 (cc)Spring AttackComedic performance 4/day
10Divine Prankster 5+5+7+5+7Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 13, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 13, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 13, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 6 (cc), Mosquito's BiteComedic performance 5/day, Enrage enemies
11Gnome Giant Slayer 1+6/+1+9+5+7Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 14, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 13, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 14, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 7, Mosquito's BiteFavored enemy (giant) +2
12Gnome Giant Slayer 2+7/+2+10+5+7Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 15, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 13, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 15, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 8, Mosquito's BiteTrickery DevotionCrafty fighter
13Gnome Giant Slayer 3+8/+3+10+6+8Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 16, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 13, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 16, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 9, Mosquito's BiteSlippery
14Gnome Giant Slayer 4+9/+4+11+6+8Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 17, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 13, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 17, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteFavored enemy (giant) +4
15Gnome Giant Slayer 5+10/+5+11+6+8Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 18, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 14, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 18, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteUnderfoot CombatClose shot
16Gnome Giant Slayer 6+11/+6/+1+12+7+9Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 19, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 15, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 19, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteFast movement
17Gnome Giant Slayer 7+12/+7/+2+12+7+9Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 20, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 16, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 20, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteFavored enemy (giant) +6
18Gnome Giant Slayer 8+13/+8/+3+13+7+9Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 21, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 17, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 21, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteConfound the Big FolkImproved mobility
19Gnome Giant Slayer 9+14/+9/+4+13+8+10Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 22, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 18, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 22, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteAnnoying strike
20Gnome Giant Slayer 10+15/+10/+5+14+8+10Bluff 8, Decipher Script 1, Diplomacy 23, Escape Artist 3 (cc), Know: Arcana 1, Know: Nature 19, Know: Planes 1, Know: Religion 1, Perform: comedy 23, Sleight of Hand 12, Speak Language 1 (Giant), Spellcraft 1, Tumble 10, Mosquito's BiteFavored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll
Spellcasting
Level0 level1st level2nd level3rd level4th level5th level6th level7th level8th level9th levelSample Spells
131+1Read Magic, Detect Magic, Light, Sanctuary, Silent Image
242+1Cure Minor Wounds. Lesser Vigor
342+1
442+1
542+11+1Divine Insight, Invisibility
653+12+1Mending, Shield Other
753+12+11+1Minor Image, Dispel Magic
853+13+12+1Lore of the Gods
964+13+12+11+1Divine Power, Minor Creation
1064+13+13+12+1Magic Circle Against Evil, Recitation
1164+13+13+12+1
1264+13+13+12+1
1364+13+13+12+1
1464+13+13+12+1
1564+13+13+12+1
1664+13+13+12+1
1764+13+13+12+1
1864+13+13+12+1
1964+13+13+12+1
2064+13+13+12+1

Tactics by Level
1-5: Offensively, Knowledge Devotion starts powering to-hit and damage vs. giants. Against others, it provides a small boost, but they're your niche. Turn Undead also helps against that type Sanctuary and Invisibility prevent you from being attacked while Lesser Vigor can help to heal up any wounded party members Divine Insight makes you more of a skillmonkey, while Read & Detect Magic allow you to fuss with scrolls and other magic items. Silent Image is only bound by your imagination. Also, Lore is a great class feature, as it allows you to make a bunch of utilitarian knowledge checks without needing to invest ranks in all the Knowledge skills. Lastly, Bluff and Diplomacy allow you to play the party face, while Sleight of Hand gives you a...source of income. Yeah, that's it.
6-10: Spring Attack lets you get in and get out, while Comedic Performance and Divine Power allow you to boost your to-hit and damage more. Enrage Enemies is a fun ability, as it allows you to start drawing aggro, and Minor Creation lets you start making poison Mosquito's Bite is a fun skill trick, as it causes enemies to think you missed them. This can prevent them from paying attention to you…until you want them to. While you have an enemy enraged, popping up a Sanctuary spell means they can only attack you AND they have to make a Will save to do so. Recitation can help to boost your allies' attacks as well as their defenses, so use it liberally. Shield Other can also be applied to any allies that still find themselves getting attacked if enemies don't get the point and target you. Lore of the Gods boosts your Knowledge skills, while mending and minor image lend more utility power…not to mention Minor Creation (again)!
11-20: We're in the Secret Ingredient! See UoSI, below.

UoSI
Favored enemy (giants): Hammer's kind of a liar, and the +8 to Bluff helps when dropping a whopper on giants. Also, the bonus damage stacks with that from Knowledge Devotion and Inspire Courage! But if only there was a way to make all your foes giants...well you know what they say, "When all you have is a hammer everything looks like a nail." Hammer picks up Trickery Domain to have Polymorph Any Object on his class spell list, thereby letting him use scrolls of it to turn ANY foe into a giant and reap the benefits of his class features against them. This is particularly hilarious on sneaky rogues and spellcasters. It may not be a cheap tactic, but it allows us to reliably use our class features. It also completes the Secret Ingredient and maintains versatility, which my initial idea of Gnome Ranger 5/Gnome Giant Slayer 2/Divine Crusader 3/Contemplative 6/Gnome Giant Slayer +4 did not.
Crafty fighter: Using the above trick, we guarantee ourselves a +4 bonus to AC vs. a PaO'd foe. Couple this with Enrage Enemies and we guarantee not only that our foes are going to try attacking us, but that it's going to be that much harder for them!
Slippery: Moving through the space of larger creatures is what this character is all about! We move into their spaces with Underfoot Combat for soft cover bonuses, then we just start using our Combat Expertise with Confound the Big Folk's Underfoot Defense option--even a -1 penalty to attacks gives us a 50% chance that enemy attacks vs us will hit the idiot we're sharing a space with instead! Usually, this would cause enemies to ignore us, but with Enrage Enemies we can make sure they don't have a choice but to come after us and attack us each other. Get wrecked, giants everyone.
Close shot: Honestly, I ignored this class feature as we won't be making too many ranged attacks.
Fast movement: When we're kiting foes with our Enrage Enemies ability, it helps to have enough speed to move out of their threatened area routinely. This enables us to keep giants on a leash.
Improved Mobility: As above, we want our foes to attack us and miss. This helps to ensure that they'll miss even more, and we're going to keep our Underfoot Defense going via Combat Expertise to ensure that even an attack that would penetrate our sky-high AC has a 50% chance to hit the idiot we're sharing a space with.
Annoying strike: Imposing the shaken condition with no save is fun, but imposing the frightened condition with no save is better. Trickery Devotion pairs with Annoying Strike to make TWO gnomes running around damaging and frightening giants everyone in melee. Due to the straightforward wording of the ability, when these two gnomes both deal 1+ point of damage in melee, the fear conditions stack and the giant runs away for one round...but if you're playing your cards right you've already Enraged this enemy, so all they can do next round is come back for more. Keep in mind, this no-save fear yo-yo can work EVERY ROUND against ANY FOE not immune to polymorphing thanks to Trickery Domain's access to scrolls of PaO. Trickery Devotion can be used 3/day if we burn turn attempts on it, so we can use this routine throughout most fights.
Defensive roll: Hopefully, this won't come into play too often for you, but it WILL come into play for your Trickery Devotion double given their lower HP total. This ability basically becomes "Keep Double Alive" 1/day. Given the power we can pull out of having an active double, that's a VERY good thing.

Sources Used
CC (Knowledge Devotion, Trickery Devotion)
CW (Gnome Giant Slayer)
DMGII (Apprentice)
PHB (cleric, fighter, Dodge, Mobility, Combat Expertise, Spring Attack)
RoS (divine prankster)
RotW (Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk)
SC (spells)
UA (class variants)

[Heliomance]

I'm not saying it was giants, but... it was giants!



GnoMor Giants!

(originally Gnaerow Morianthy Gyras, AKA "Shadow")

LE Stonehunter GnomeDM8 Gnome RangerRoS149 1 / Fighter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/fighter.htm) 4 / Gnome Giant-SlayerCW36 10 / Heir of SiberysECS80 3 / Shadowdancer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/shadowdancer.htm) 2

http://6.t.imgbox.com/wAfzM15d.jpg (http://imgbox.com/wAfzM15d)

Strength: 14 -> 12 (-2 race) -> 13 (boost @ 16)
Dexterity: 14 -> 18 (boosts @ 4/8/12/20)
Constitution: 14 -> 16 (+2 race)
Intelligence: 14
Wisdom: 14
Charisma: 10

Birthplace: House Sivis, Korranberg, ZilargoECS212
Languages: Common, Gnome, Draconic, Giant

GnoMor Giants! is a mean, surly racist. Has been ever since his sister was killed by an Ocean Giant as the siblings strolled along the Korranberg shore. (The Giant was practicing her rock throwing on the beach, and claimed to have made an innocent, though tragic, error. GnoMor knew better.) His goal thereafter has been simply to kill all Giants, in an orderly, proficient, military manner.

GnoMor learned to hunt with Copper Dragons, but that was an expedient means to an end for him. Hunting is generally about the challenge and putting meat on the table. For Copper Dragons it's also about showing off and making jokes. For GnoMor hunting is a skillset which gets him close enough to ambush Giants and avoid "fair" fights. As GnoMor sees it, Giants are intrinsically too big and dangerous to leave wandering around. Maybe some of them could be sent back to Xen’drik where they belong and allowed to live (in controlled and guarded enclaves, of course), but letting such dangerous creatures lumber about unsupervised in Khorvaire is just asking for trouble. Better to kill them all and eliminate the risk. GnoMor's grim, focused demeanor was at odds with Copper Dragons' playfulness, and he was encouraged to continue his training elsewhere.

After his brief foray into hunting GnoMor undertook serious soldiering: a strict regimen tailored toward getting into this militia he'd heard about, of Gnomes who lived to slay Giants. A little pain wasn't going to deter him from fighting his chosen foes, so he also had his body stretched and limbered until he could match reach with your average Hill or Frost Giant.

When he was accepted as a Gnome Giant-Slayer (one of the youngest), GnoMor was happier than he'd been at any time since his sister's brutal slaughter. He'd start by learning to detect Giants better, and hit them harder. He'd improve his ability to avoid Giants' blows, and slip away from their clumsy grasp. GnoMor had learned to hunt with a bow; now he would learn how to shoot without letting his guard down even when close enough to feel a Giant's foetid breath on his face.

As he trained and fought with other Gnome Giant-Slayers, GnoMor found himself at odds with the mostly older bunch. Many of them, he thought, were suckers. They'd run at their Giant foes and try to pound them head-on. That might work for the odd Gnome-Bonded Stoneblessed Goliath, but GnoMor sought out dirtier tricks. He developed his reflexes to keep up with the larger number of possible enemies his greater reach could encompass: now 20' with a glaive; soon to be 30' with a spiked chain (after some more rack torture stretching). But all too soon, GnoMor could see that he would exhaust what he could learn in the GG-S militia and they would part ways.

When he had been a happy child growing up in House Sivis, Gnaerow Morianthy learned that the Gnomes of his House carry the Mark of Scribing. Having failed to develop even a least dragonmark, GnoMor knew there was an even more powerful dragonmark possible in his future: a Siberys Mark. As he came to the end of his GG-S enlistment GnoMor could see that manifestation coming. He knew exactly what to do with it.

The Improved Siberys Mark of Scribing grants the Spell-Like Ability Symbol of Death (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/symbolOfDeath.htm) twice each day. This SLA can have all the usual triggering conditions (sight, touch, and so on), but it can also have special triggering limitations. For GnoMor the limitation is always the same: that the creature is identified as a Giant. At the end of every day, if he hasn't exhausted both Symbol of Death uses, GnoMor marks things. His home. All his clothing and gear. His wagon. His horse's barding. Many, many tiles so he can encircle his camp with a ring of protection. Each Symbol stays dormant until triggered. While accumulating Symbols nightly, GnoMor also learned to take advantage of another Eberron birthright: the ability to squeeze more activity into a short period of time. That, he hoped, might help him out of the occasional Giant-size pickle.

Symbol of Death only works on creatures with 150 HP or under, and many Giants have more than that. GnoMor sought further ways to stay safe and stay alive while systematically reducing his Giant enemies to 150 HP, at which time his many Symbols would automatically finish them off. (Even tremendously good saves fail 5% of the time, and having to make dozens of saves due to the overwhelming Symbol coverage will take down most any weakened Giant.) The key to staying safe, he thought, is to stay unseen. GnoMor learned to Hide in Plain Sight. He always had low-light vision, but he sharpened his eyes to see in complete darkness as well. There's no such thing as too many dirty tricks when you're trying to slay Giants.

GnoMor Giants! It's not just a name — it's a way of life!
CW = Complete Warrior
DC = Dragon Compendium
DM = Dragon Magic
ECS = Eberron Campaign Setting
FF = Fiend Folio
LoM = Lords of Madness
RoS = Races of Stone
RotW = Races of the Wild
SS = Savage Species


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


1st
Gnome RangerRoS149 1 w/ Skilled City-Dweller (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
+1
+2
+2
+0
Escape Artist cc +2, Hide +4, Knowledge (nature) +1, Listen +4, Move Silently +4, Perform (dance) cc +1½, Spot +4, Survival +4, Tumble +4
Track (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#track)B, Aberration Blood (flexible limbs)LoM178
Gnome favored enemy (giant), Track, Voice of the City (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)


2nd
Fighter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/classes/fighter.htm) 1 w/ Skilled City-Dweller (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
+2
+4
+2
+0
Escape Artist cc +½, Jump +1, Perform (dance) cc +½, Tumble +1
Dodge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#dodge)B
Bonus feat


3rd
Fighter 2
+3
+5
+2
+0
Escape Artist cc +½, Jump +1, Perform (dance) cc +½, Tumble +1
Mobility (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#mobility)B, Extended ReachSS34
Bonus feat


4th
Fighter 3
+4
+5
+3
+1
Jump +2, Perform (dance) cc +½, Tumble +1




5th
Fighter 4
+5
+6
+3
+1
Jump +1, Perform (dance) cc +1, Tumble +1
Spring Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#springAttack)B
Bonus feat


6th
Gnome Giant-SlayerCW36 1
+6
+8
+3
+1
Hide +2, Perform (dance) cc +½, Tumble +1
Combat Reflexes (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#combatReflexes)
Favored enemy (giant) +2


7th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 2
+7
+9
+3
+1
Hide +2, Perform (dance) cc +½, Tumble +1

Crafty fighter


8th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 3
+8
+9
+4
+2
Hide +2, Move Silently +1, Tumble +1

Slippery


9th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 4
+9
+10
+4
+2
Hide +2, Move Silently +1, Tumble +1
Exotic Weapon Proficiency (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#exoticWeaponProficiency) (spiked chain)
Favored enemy (giant) +4


10th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 5
+10
+10
+4
+2
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1

Close Shot


11th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 6
+11
+11
+5
+3
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1

Fast movement


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 7
+12
+11
+5
+3
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1
Inhuman ReachLoM180
Favored enemy (giant) +6


13th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
+13
+12
+5
+3
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1

Improved mobility


14th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 9
+14
+12
+6
+4
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1

Annoying strike


15th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
+15
+13
+6
+4
Hide +1, Move Silently +2, Tumble +1
Heroic SpiritECS55
Favored enemy (giant) +8, defensive roll


16th
Heir of SiberysECS80 1
+15
+15
+8
+6
Spot +4
Action SurgeB ECS50
Additional action points, bonus feat


17th
Heir of Siberys 2
+16
+16
+9
+7
Spot +4
Power Attack (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/feats.htm#powerAttack)B
Siberys mark, Bonus Feat


18th
Shadowdancer (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/shadowdancer.htm) 1
+16
+16
+11
+7
Hide +3, Move Silently +3, Tumble +2
Favored Power AttackDC97
Hide in plain sight


19th
Heir of Siberys 3
+17
+16
+11
+7
Hide +1, Move Silently +1, Tumble +2
Improved Favored EnemyB CW101
Improved Siberys mark, Bonus Feat


20th
Shadowdancer 2
+18
+16
+12
+7
Hide +1, Listen +5, Move Silently +1, Tumble +1

Evasion, darkvision, uncanny dodge


Skilled City-Dweller (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) makes Tumble a class skill instead of Ride.
Skill rank totals: Escape Artist +3, Hide +23*, Jump +5, Knowledge (nature) +1, Listen +9§†, Move Silently +23*, Perform (dance) +5, Spot +12†, Survival +4§†, Tumble +23.
§ +2 racial bonus
* +3 bonus vs. Giants
† +11 bonus vs. Giants
Also +8 bonus to Bluff & Sense Motive vs. Giants
At 10th level GnoMor Giants! is midway through Gnome Giant-Slayer, and loving it. He's got a +8 dodge bonus vs. Giants on top of the regular +1 Dodge feat bonus, and a +7 damage bonus vs. Giants. (Relative superiority of defense vs. offense is a theme throughout the build.) GnoMor's stretched and limbered himself to 10' natural reach, and recently graduated from a glaive to a spiked chain to threaten everything within 20'. Combat Reflexes feat (since level 6) and increased Dexterity (since level 8) let him take advantage of the greater number of AoOs that extra reach will provide.

Nearly done with Gnome Giant-Slayer @ 15th, and Giant damage bonus up to +11. Four levels back he gained Fast Movement, which for him is +50%; that's pretty keen. Bonuses to skills vs. Giants, especially Listen and Spot, help make up for scant skill points. Whenever he damages a Giant they're automatically shaken for a round (Annoying Strike). :smallsmile: GnoMor's (literally) cranked his reach up to 15' (30' using a spiked chain) since level 12. Thanks to his FE bonuses and Track feat GnoMor can follow Giant tracks on nearly any type of ground, so hunting them down and ambushing them is easy.

The level 18 sweet spot is where he adds Hide in Plain Sight to maximum Hide ranks and a +3 bonus vs. Giants from his Gnome Ranger substitution level. If Giants can't Spot him they can be taken down in an orderly, proficient, military manner. He has 4 iterative attacks and is making excellent use of Power Attack. When Giants approach suddenly GnoMor can use Close Shot for a full arrow attack, then Hide with a 5' step; that's better than dropping the bow, taking a move action to draw his spiked chain, and getting only one attack. Last level GnoMor gained his biggest Giant-slaying dirty trick: a Siberys Mark of Scribing (Symbol of Death (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/symbolOfDeath.htm)) as a 1/day SLA, meaning instead of 10,000 gp each instance GnoMor gets them for free! He scribes every Symbol specific to Giants, and just keeps accumulating them. Now all he has to do is knock any Giant within 60' down to 150 HP; his many Symbols will finish them off immediately. That takes the pressure off offensive needs, so GnoMor's Action Surge (extra move or standard action in a round) can be mainly used for defense. GnoMor will let himself be seen through most attacks so those Giants can be exposed to the Symbols on his armor, but he's also dropping Symbol of Death tiles as free actions. He Hides while attacking on the last swing of a full attack, and has a decent chance of succeeding (despite -20 penalty) even vs. Storm Giants.

@ 20th GnoMor has added extra Giant damage and more significant defensive improvements. Giants will see him only when he wants them to. Most area attacks he'll ignore thanks to Evasion and good (+16 total modifier) Reflex saves. His Spot and Listen skills are only middling in ranks, but vs. Giants those skill modifiers both get above 20. GnoMor's finally got enough Tumble skill to go through enemies at full 30' speed, avoiding AoOs even if they've got Storm Giant-like (Spot +25) sight. Since the last level he's been scribing two Symbol of Death Siberys Marks every day, so any down time GnoMor has turns into better 150 HP auto-kill capabilities. He'll take those Giants down to 150 HP safely, savoring their relative impotence against him. Giants can't touch this Gnome!
(Minimums only, not full load-out @ 20.)

GnoMor uses a composite longbow for ranged attacks. Until level 9 he uses a glaive for melee (and takes 5' steps back as necessary to use this reach weapon); after that an adamantine spiked chain accommodates both near and reach attacks.

GnoMor needs light armor so he can still Tumble. Mithral breastplate is a good solution, as it won't reduce his speed or interfere with Evasion.

GnoMor will have a way to fly. Friendly party spellcasting might suffice, or he can get a magic item, or a graft. (His alignment is compatible with Feathered WingsFF210, making that graft an excellent choice.)
Originality
I thought some of this was pretty novel, but entry into the Secret Ingredient in a timely manner (for maximum flavor of the SI in the meal) didn't allow many options. Using Underfoot Combat (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050204a&page=3), Confound the Big FolkRotW153, GiantbaneCW111, and similar feats seemed obvious, so I found a different approach. We'll see what the competition came up with.

Power
With GG-S's favored enemy bonus GnoMor Giants! has the +8 FE baseline of every Gnome Giant-Slayer. He adds to that with a Ranger substitution level and Improved Favored EnemyCW101 for +14 Giant bonus damage total. A two-handed weapon and Favored Power AttackDC97 give him a x3 Power Attack multiplier. He has 4 iterative attacks @ 17. That's all straightforward.

While he's got reasonable offensive capability vs. Giants, GnoMor is focused more on defensive power than offense. Because he's got good perception (+24 Listen, +25 Spot total @ 20) he'll rarely be surprised by Giants. Because he can Tumble at full speed, Move Silently, and Hide in Plain Sight he'll rarely get targeted, let alone hit. His Siberys Mark of Scribing (Symbol of Death) auto-kills Giants at 150 HP or under, so it's reasonable for him to take them down more safely, avoiding full melee attacks, compared to others who have to overcome every single Giant hit point while they're being attacked in turn. It's S.O.P. for him to use the GG-S Spring Attack entry requirement to hit a Giant once, use most of his move action to get behind an obstacle to foil a charge, and then try to Hide; AoOs will make up for the missed iterative attacks, and with all attacks at full AB he can Power Attack for more.

GnoMor's big surprise to those he fights is his outstanding reach: 30' with his spiked chain. He threatens a lot of territory, and will get lots of AoOs due to that reach; and a bit more because, unseen, Giants won't know quite where his threatened area is located. (Symbol of Death auto-killing is more powerful, but too final to be called a surprise. :smallbiggrin:)

GnoMor's got more control over his actions than most, with Action SurgeECS50 giving him an extra move or standard action. He has up to 10 uses of this feat @ 20, so when he needs extra power it's his for the taking: just another dirty trick to thwart Giants.

Elegance
Ranger is the favored class of Stonehunter GnomesDM8, which GnoMor starts with (specifically, a Gnome RangerRoS149 substitution level). I thought it better to season the meal with the SI early than to delay through more Ranger levels merely to avoid "dipping" penalties. All PrCs are either taken to completion (GG-S, Heir of SiberysECS80) or as much as will fit in a 20-level build (Shadowdancer).

Use of Secret Ingredient
Gnome Giant-Slayer is just part of GnoMor's comprehensive approach to slaying Giants. GG-S FE bonuses stack with Gnome Ranger FE and Improved Favored Enemy. GnoMor uses almost every bit of the Secret Ingredient's capabilities, starting early. Most GG-S abilities are always-on defenses (very helpful in a defensive build) or automatic when damaging Giants. He'd prefer not to need the various dodge boosts to AC, but is happy to have them as needed. Ditto for Slippery and its aid to Escape Artist checks to escape a Giant's grapple. Slippery's movement capability is so useful I decided to skip Underfoot Combat (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20050204a&page=3), my usual go-to feat for Gnome melee fighters. One ability GnoMor never wants to need is Defensive Roll :smalleek: — but it's a last-ditch ability perfectly in line with his focus on defense. The offensive abilities (FE damage bonus, Annoying Strike) only function when a Giant is hit, so GnoMor focuses on attacks at full AB: 1 with Spring Attack and up to 5 more as AoOs.

The build is synergistic with the aim of the SI (actively seeking out Giants to slay) rather than just mechanically so. Being able to track Giants, good perception to detect and avoid being surprised by Giants, excellent survivability when facing Giants, threatening an area large enough to include multiple Giants, and auto-killing Giants at 150 HP are all in keeping with Gnome Giant-Slayer principles.

There are mechanical synergies as well. The feat requirements for Shadowdancer are the feat requirements for Gnome Giant-Slayer plus Combat Reflexes (already in place to use GnoMor's great reach to advantage). The increases to DEX for more AoOs also boost GnoMor's best skills, and there's an extra bonus to Hide & Move Silently from Gnome Ranger 1; when he gets Hide in Plain Sight he can immediately put it to use. The skill requirements for Heir of Siberys are met by the skills GnoMor uses to avoid damage from Giants (Hide, Move Silently, Tumble), and which are maximized as GG-S class skills. Those cover most Shadowdancer skills requirements too.

[Heliomance]

Can accurately be described as BAMF.


Hiragnsha, Gnome Swashbuckler (CW 11) 3/Ranger 3/Gnome Giant Slayer (CW 36) 10/Jaunter (EDP 172) 4
Raw stats: STR 14 DEX 15 CON 12 INT 12 WIS 14 CHA 12
Racially-adjusted stats: STR 12 DEX 15 CON 14 INT 12 WIS 14 CHA 12
Boost DEX at 4th, 8th, and 16th level. Boost CON at 12th and 20th.
Languages spoken: Common, Gnomish, Giant

Hiragnsha was not looking forward to this discussion. He knew his mother, Jilagnshi, would object to his becoming an adventurer. She would gnash her teeth - she had before - and her gnarled hands would grip tighter on the knurled knob of her ornamental walking stick. Yet, he needed to do this. The orcs and hobgoblins were invading the city in record numbers, driven by some sort of activity in the mountains. He needed to help clear the city of the aggressors, and then seek out the root of their immigration. He suspected giants.

* * *

Hiragnsha was not happy that his suspicions were right. After he and his companions dealt with the hobgoblins, he’d tracked their path back to an ogre’s lair, and in dealing with the ogre, he found that the ogre had been ‘convinced’ to relocate by an aggressive ettin. Following THAT trail led them on a merry chase through the Ethereal plane, then into the plane of Shadow before they could finally confront and beat it. . . or them. All that chasing convinced him that merely being good at fighting the giants wasn’t all he needed. To really confront adversaries effectively, he needed a way to manipulate the distance to and from them.

Numbers in the chart do not reflect ability score modifiers.


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


1st
Swashbuckler 1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Escape Artist 2, Hide 2.0, Knowledge (the Planes) 2.0, Move Silently 2.0, Survival 2.0, Tumble 2
Weapon Finesse (B), Midnight Dodge (MoI 39)
Weapon Finesse (bonus feat)


2nd
Gnome Substitution Level Ranger (RoS 149) 1
+2
+4
+2
+0
Escape Artist 3.0, Knowledge (the Planes) 2.5, Survival 4, Tumble 3.0
Track (B)
Track (bonus feat), Favored Enemy (Giants) +3, Wild Empathy


3rd
Swashbuckler 2
+3
+5
+2
+0
Escape Artist 4, Knowledge (the Planes) 3.0, Move Silently 3.0, Tumble 4
Mobility
Grace +1


4th
Ranger 2
+4
+6
+3
+0
Escape Artist 5.0, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Tumble 5.0
Two Weapon Fighting (B)
Combat Style (Two Weapon Fighting bonus feat)


5th
Swashbuckler 3
+5
+6
+4
+1
Knowledge (the Planes) 4.0, Survival 5, Tumble 6
-
Insightful Strike +1


6th
Ranger 3
+6
+6
+4
+2
Escape Artist 6.0, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Survival 6, Tumble 7.0
Endurance (B), Spring Attack
Endurance bonus feat


7th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+7
+8
+4
+2
Knowledge (the Planes) 5.0, Tumble 8
-
Favored Enemy (Giant) +2


8th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+8
+9
+4
+2
Hide 6, Tumble 10
-
Crafty Fighter


9th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+9
+9
+5
+3
Move Silently 6, Tumble 12
Cerulean Will (MoI 35)
Slippery


10th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+10
+10
+5
+3
Knowledge (the Planes) 6.0, Tumble 13
-
Favored Enemy (Giants) +4


11th
Jaunter 1
+10
+10
+7
+3
Hide 7, Knowledge (the Planes) 7, Move Silently 7, Survival 7, Tumble 14
-
Travel Power, Benign Transposition


12th
Jaunter 2
+11
+10
+8
+3
Hide 8, Knowledge (the Planes) 8, Move Silently 8, Survival 8, Tumble 15
Azure Enmity (MoI 34)
Baleful Transposition, Fast Movement +10’


13th
Jaunter 3
+12
+11
+8
+4
Hide 9, Knowledge (the Planes) 9, Move Silently 9, Survival 9, Tumble 16
-
Dimension Door, Teleport


14th
Jaunter 4
+13
+11
+9
+4
Hide 10, Knowledge (the Planes) 10, Move Silently 10, Survival 10, Tumble 17
-
Freedom of Movement, Plane Shift


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+14
+11
+9
+4
Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Tumble 18
Shape Soulmeld: Bluesteel Bracers (MoI 40 & 62)
Close Shot


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+15
+12
+10
+5
Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Tumble 19
-
Fast Movement +10’


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+16
+12
+10
+5
Escape Artist 7, Move Silently 13, Tumble 20
-
Favored Enemy (Giants) +6


18th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+17
+13
+10
+5
Escape Artist 8, Hide 13, Tumble 21
Open Lesser Chakra: Arms (MoI 40)
Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant Slayer 9
+18
+13
+11
+6
Survival 11.0, Tumble 22
-
Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant Slayer 10
+19
+14
+11
+6
Survival 12.0, Tumble 23
-
Defensive Roll



At 1st level, Hiragnsha starts his adventuring career as a Swashbuckler, lightly armored in studded leather, carrying a rapier, a light hammer, and a shortbow. His natural intelligence lets him learn the language of one of his people’s historic enemies, Giants. Free Weapon Finesse lets him take advantage of his DEX early, and further incentivizes improving DEX - already vital for his defenses and attacks with that shortbow - later. Midnight Dodge is a straight upgrade over the vanilla PB Dodge, which he needs for his intended progression, and gives him a starting pool of essentia which he can build on for later. He knows confrontations with the giants are in his future, but is probably too squishy at 1st level to prioritize even the weakest of them as an enemy, and the extra couple of HP he gets by starting as a swashbuckler are marginally more important to him at the start than the extra couple of skill points he’d get by starting as a ranger, since he’s not intending to be particularly skill-focused. Those skill points he has are spent on skills related to sneaking and exploration, including exploring other planes. His minor innate magical abilities are quite relevant, at this early stage in the game, in helping him be an asset in combat or noncombat encounters.

At 5th level, Hiragnsha is starting to show both the will and the skill to be a determined, dangerous foe to the giants. With the Gnome Ranger substitution level, taken at 2nd level, he gains a minor but useful flat upgrade in his attack and damage modifier against Giants, his favored enemy. With Swashbuckler 2, he gains another small but significant static bonus, this time to his reflex save, which he’ll statistically have to make more than any other, and which is key to GGS’ capstone ability. He also snags Mobility as a feat tax that does, actually, make him more able in a mobile tank role. Fourth level gets him his combat style, where his multiple little flat bonuses to attack and damage mean he’s relatively ahead of the curve when taking on Giants, which are now starting to be reasonably plausible enemies; this is particularly true when you consider his defensive and mobility-based advantages against these foes and assume reasonable, level-appropriate gear. At fifth level, Insightful Strike adds another little flat bonus which isn’t limited by enemy type, making him a more diverse offensive threat. With more places to put his skill points than he has skill points to spend, Hiragnsha prioritizes Tumble but continues to progress all the skills he picked out at 1st level, as he can.

At 10th level, Hiragnsha has been in Gnome Giant Slayer for as long as possible without gaining any of the prerequisite feats as bonus feats. He did pick up yet another bonus feat, of course, since his 3rd level of Ranger got him Endurance, in addition to letting him grab Spring Attack. This lets him into Gnome Giant Slayer at 7th level; as a bonus, he’s qualified for Jaunter at this point, as well, so all of his remaining skill and feat choices are entirely discretionary. That first level of GGS adds +2 to all of his relevant favored enemy bonuses, which, if you’re counting, means he adds +6 to attack and damage per attack against Giants, before buffs, flanking, or other situational modifiers, while not exactly being a liability against other foes, in melee or at range. 8th level, his 2nd in GGS, essentially doubles his native AC bonus against Giants, while also improving his AC against other big folk. Next, Hiragnsha gains Slippery at character level 9, GGS 3, improving his ability to deal with larger grapplers considerably, and highlighting the reasons he’s invested in Escape Artist, at the same time he picks up Cerulean Will (and note this is the level where his reflex and will go up by one). With this choice, he shores up his weakest save, while the modular nature of the essentia pool means that he can invest more, or less, in his Will save or his Dodge bonus, depending on what sort of adversaries he expects to deal with. In this way, he highlights his versatility and adaptability. 10th level adds another +2 against Giants. All those little flat static bonuses mean that if he chooses to emphasize the hit-and-run nature of Spring Attack and GGS, he’s still doing relevant damage. If only his mobility were on par with his damage potential. . . .

At 15th level, Hiragnsha is approaching the sweet spot of his build progression. Because he’s primarily focused on melee, rather than ranged, combat, GGS 5’s Close Shot ability is not particularly tempting to him. For this reason, he looks for options that have more immediate appeal, given his general approach to combat and choices for feats and skills to date. This, in turn, makes Jaunter a natural, appealing diversion in his GGS progression, since its requirements mesh almost seamlessly with those of GGS, and the fluff requirement is almost trivially easy to achieve by 11th level in a typical campaign and party. After all, Plane Shift is only a 5th level Cleric spell, and that’s just in Core. So, starting Jaunter at 11th level makes it easier to progress the suite of skills Hiragnsha invests in, which he does, and begins to exponentially improve his ability as a mobile tank. Jaunter 1 lets him swap places with willing allies in combat, allowing him to put the most damaging ally closest to the threat, or the most damaged ally furthest from the threat. It also gives him an increase to his AC that’s certainly a nice secondary ability, given how most of his abilities get shut off in heavy armor, and has Reflex as its best save, which, again, will help down the road with GGS’s capstone ability. At 12th level, the Baleful Transposition travel power lets him move enemies as well as allies - but, notably, not Giants - which increases his combat utility in general, rather than further narrowing his focus. He also gains (his first) Fast Movement, which improves the mobility of everyone in the group, thanks to how it interacts with his other abilities. For his 12th level feat, he snags Azure Enmity, giving him an essentia pool of 3 that he can use to add +3 to his AC against an opponent, or his Will save, or his to-hit and damage against an opponent (or mix and match between them); any party member with Divination or similar recon potential is extremely valuable here in helping guide his choices of how to distribute that essentia. In this way, he becomes more dangerous against Giants, and a more credible threat against other opponents, who will have a harder time hurting or influencing him as he harasses them from the front lines. At 13th level, he gets Dimension Door and Teleport as additional options for his travel power, easing the onus on long-range transportation off of the primary casters in the party. The capstone of the 4-level Jaunter PrC nets Hiragnsha Plane Shift, letting the Cleric off the hook for THAT responsibility as well. Yes, had he stayed straight GGS, he could be looking forward to Annoying Strike next level; this is more useful, in more circumstances, over a longer period of time. And now, when Hiragnsha heads back into GGS at 15th level, Close Shot becomes more useful, since he can use the various battlefield mobility options Jaunter and his skill suite opened up to potshot enemies who thought he was over THERE, when he’s now over HERE. He also continues his interest in the incarnum abilities, picking up Shape Soulmeld: Bluesteel Bracers with his feat here, boosting both his initiative and his damage potential - and allowing him to increase his damage potential against foes including, but not limited to, Giants.

At 20th level, Hiragnsha has finished both Jaunter and Gnome Giant Slayer, while taking advantage of GGS’s ability to build off Ranger’s favored enemy and the necessarily mobile combat style emphasized through Spring Attack’s hit-and-run tactics. If the situation instead warrants a full attack routine, he’s generally doing enough damage to make himself seem a legitimate threat. At 16th level, another 10’ of movement is a welcome addition, either by itself or in conjunction with his Jaunter abilities. Yet another bonus to his damage against Giants at 17th makes all that movement especially helpful, since intelligent Giants would probably see him and run. . . except he’s good at stealth, so seeing him coming is in no way guaranteed. Next, at 18th, Hiragnsha takes Open Lesser Chakra (Arms) in order to share his +2 initiative bonus with all of his allies, and further improve his grapple modifier - already pretty good on the defensive end thanks to GGS - so that he can generally choose to initiate a grapple in the sure and happy knowledge that, even if he doesn’t pin the enemy, the enemy’s unlikely to pin him, either. Improved Mobility combines with his other mobility-based abilities to make it such that the only grapples he’s involved in are generally those he initiates. This ability to help his allies, combined with his combat prowess, makes 18th the ‘sweet spot.’ 19th level gives Hiragnsha the aforementioned Annoying Strike, which is darned near an encounter-ender against Giants, locking them down if he gets the drop on them for the entire combat if he just keeps hitting (at a significant to-hit mod, for significant damage). Only its limited number of viable targets and the more broader range of situations where Jaunter’s travel powers are relevant made it worth pushing this ability this late in the build. Finally, at 20th, he picks up the capstone ability of GGS, Defensive Roll, otherwise known as 1/day Evasion vs. melee combat against Giants. Here, again, only its relatively narrow band of usable circumstances, versus the band of usable circumstances for Jaunter’s capstone, made it necessary or worthwhile to wait to get this capstone. Note that, before magic bonuses, Hiragnsha’s bonus to Defensive Roll is over 20 here, so he has reasonable odds of actually reducing the damage of that otherwise deadly blow in a non-TO environment. He’s maxed out Tumble, and kept all his other invested skills at reasonable levels of competency. He’s a truly annoying and deadly adversary against Giants, a capable combatant at melee or range against any other foes, and an asset to his party, with the ability to help get to - and significantly shape the flow of - combat. He can use his tertiary, feat-derived, abilities in order to choose to boost offense, or defense, as necessary. The damage he does helps ensure that enemies will help keep enemies trying - and likely failing - to hit him back.

It’s no accident that all of Hiragnsha’s attributes start with a positive modifier; his playstyle and concept are MAD, relying on STR to help damage, DEX for defense and offense, CON for HP and Fort, INT for skills and damage, WIS for skills and saves, and even CHA as an ancillary method of dealing with foes. If he can get items to boost all of them, he wants those items. Speaking of items, Mobility is available via an armor enhancement these days. Give him access to that enhancement, and the feat retraining rules, and he’ll gleefully retrain Mobility for Soulsight. Give him access to flaws, preferably Shaky and Vulnerable, and he’ll add Sapphire Sprint and EWP: Spiked Chain, swapping his Rapier + Light Hammer fighting style for Spiked Chain + Razor Armor, thereby further increasing his sphere of influence in combat. He’ll also take any AC or damage increasing items he can get his Gnomish hands on.

SRD
Races of Stone - Gnome Ranger Substitution level
Complete Warrior - GGS
Expedition to the Demonweb Pits - Jaunter
Magic of Incarnum - Feats

[Heliomance]

Gilderoy Lockhart springs to mind.


E. Pickenz, Giant Hunter Extraordinaire
CN Stonehunter Gnome
STR 12-2 DEX 14(+5) CON 12+2 INT 16 WIS 14 CHA 10
2 ranger/2 rogue/8 archivist/ 8 gnome giant slayer


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



1st
Ranger 1
+1
+2
+2
+0
Concentration 4, Knowledge Nature 4, Craft(arrowmaking) 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Listen 4, Spot 4, Survival 4, Climb 4
Track, Dodge
Wild Empathy, FE (giant) 3, wild empathy


2nd
Ranger 2
+2
+3
+3
+0
Concentration 5, Knowledge Nature 5, Craft(arrowmaking) 4, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Listen 5, Spot 5, Survival 5, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2
Rapid Shot
Combat Style(archery)


3rd
Rogue 1
+2
+3
+5
+0
Concentration 5, Knowledge Nature 6, Craft(arrowmaking) 4, Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Listen 6, Spot 6, Survival 6, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 3, escape artist 2
Mobility, Point Blank Shot
Trapfinding


4th
Rogue 2
+3
+3
+6
+0
Concentration 5, Knowledge Nature 7, Craft(arrowmaking) 4, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5
-
Evasion


5th
Archivist 1
+3
+5
+6
+2
Concentration 6, Knowledge Nature 8, Craft(arrowmaking) 4, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 1, Knowledge Dungeon 1, Knowledge Religion 1, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 1
Scribe Scroll
Dark Knowledge (tactics) 3/day


6th
Archivist 2
+4
+6
+6
+3
Concentration 7, Knowledge Nature 9, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 1, Knowledge Dungeon 1, Knowledge Religion 1, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 4, Decipher Script 1
Archivist of Nature
Lore Mastery(Nature)


7th
Archivist 3
+4
+6
+7
+3
Concentration 8, Knowledge Nature 10, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 2, Knowledge Dungeon 2, Knowledge Religion 2, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 6, Decipher Script 1
-
Dark Knowledge 4/day


8th
Archivist 4
+5
+7
+7
+4
Concentration 9, Knowledge Nature 11, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 4, Knowledge Dungeon 3, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 7, Decipher Script 1
-
Still Mind


9th
Archivist 5
+5
+7
+7
+4
Concentration 10, Knowledge Nature 12, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 5, Knowledge Dungeon 3, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 8, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 1, Collector of Stories
Knowledge Devotion
Dark Knowledge(Puissance)


10th
Archivist 6
+6
+8
+8
+5
Concentration 11, Knowledge Nature 13, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 5, Knowledge Dungeon 3, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 9, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories
-
Dark Knowledge 5/day


11th
Archivist 7
+6
+8
+8
+5
Concentration 12, Knowledge Nature 14, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 7, Knowledge Dungeon 5, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 10, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories
-
Lore mastery(arcana)


12th
Archivist 8
+7
+9
+8
+6
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 15, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 5, escape artist 5, Knowledge arcana 8, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories,
Spring Attack
Dark Knowledge(foe)


13th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+8
+11
+8
+6
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 16, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 6, escape artist 6, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories
-
FE (giant) +2


14th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+9
+12
+8
+6
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 17, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Listen 7, Spot 7, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 8, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories
-
Crafty Fighter


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+10
+12
+9
+7
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 18, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 8, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories,
Woodland Archer
Slippery


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+11
+13
+9
+7
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 19, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 8, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories, Point it Out
-
FE (giant) +4


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+12
+13
+9
+7
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 20, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 8, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories, Point it Out, Easy escape
-
Close Shot


18th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+13
+14
+10
+8
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 20, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 4, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 10, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories, Point it Out, Easy escape
Manyshot
Fast movement


19th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+14
+14
+10
+8
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 21, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 5, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 11, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories, Point it Out, Easy escape
-
FE (giant) +6


20th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+15
+15
+10
+8
Concentration 13, Knowledge Nature 23, Craft(arrowmaking) 5, Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Listen 7, Spot 8, Survival 7, Climb 5, Knowledge(Geography) 2, tumble 8, escape artist 12, Knowledge arcana 10, Knowledge Dungeon 6, Knowledge Religion 3, Knowledge Local 1, Spellcraft 11, Decipher Script 1, Knowledge Planes 5, Collector of Stories, Point it Out, Easy escape
-
Improved Mobility


Spells per Day/Spells Known


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


1st
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
4
3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


5th
4
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
4
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
4
5
4
3
2
-
-
-
-
-


8th
4
5
4
4
3
-
-
-
-
-


[/table]


An excerpt from the critically acclaimed author, Enitor Pickenz:

“Lets get this out of the way. Most types of giants are the stinkiest, nastiest, DUMBEST creatures to ever walk the Material Plane. They make orcs look like geniuses! So you ask, dear reader, why does someone as illustrious and intelligent as I am hunt them? Well a single rampaging troll can threaten your entire village, devour your spouse, your children and your entire larder. I like to think I make the world a safer place every time I put one down.

It is sport for me though, I will not deny the thrill I get from tracking a giant through the woods, that exhilaration I get when I find an ogre chowing down on a goat he stole, the adrenaline I get from lining up the perfect shot and sending it whistling through his big thick skull. When I was a lad my favourite hobby was hunting with my father. In the early days it was deer, moose, and occasionally a mountain lion. Every time I went out, I made it my mission to hunt something new. He always said it was the dragonblood in our veins that made us such great hunters. One day when I was the tender age of 20, we stumbled across bear tracks leading through the woods. I hadn’t slain a bear yet and wanted to take the opportunity. We tracked it to a small clearing, and came upon the most peculiar sight. An ogre so big he was eating the bear like a leg of mutton! Dear old dad stepped on a branch and alerted the brute to our presence. I tell you, its arms were twenty feet long! It grabbed my father, who was frozen in fear. Oh, but not me! Just as the ogre was about to stuff my dad into his disgusting maw I drew two arrows in my bow and stuck them right through his eyes! Dead! Right there, first try, under intense pressure!

Hunting was never the same after that. I had slain one of gnomekinds greatest foes single handedly, and I was but a boy! I wanted to learn everything about giants, so that I could be the best giant slayer the world had ever seen. I even learned to speak Giant, to taunt them in their own words before sticking an arrow between its eyes.

These days I’m not quite retired, but I hunt less. My town hasn’t even heard whisperings of a giant in years. I think I may have killed them all. I move constantly now, trying to find new types of giants to take down. Sun giants are on my list, but I’ve only heard of them in very old tomes.”

That’s all we have for now! Pick up Enitor Pickenz’s book, ‘The Art of Slaying Giants’ to find out more about the adventures of the worlds greatest giant slayer!

2 ranger/2 rogue/1 archivist
The first few levels are dip-heavy, grabbing the Gnome Ranger substitution level and favoured enemy(giants) to stack with GGS when we get it later on. Archery is the theme of the build, and we also get Rapid Shot from Ranger. After that we take 2 levels in Wilderness rogue, trading sneak attack away for Mobility. Last but not least we jump into Archivist for Dark Knowledge and spells. While it starts off weak, the idea is to transfer the Ranger spell list onto the Archivist side through the use of Scribe Scroll. The Ranger spell list gives us some fantastic choices like Hunter’s Mercy or Mark of the Hunter. Auto-critting giants? Yep.

6-10
2 ranger/2 rogue/6 archivist
We keep with Archivist for better Dark Knowledge and spellcasting. Not much else to say. The focus is on illusion spells to distract giants and keep them away from us. The Trickery, Gnome, and Illusion domains all offer us good spells that do just what we need. We take Archivist of Nature so that we can use Dark Knowledge on giants. Snazzy. After that we get Knowledge Devotion to get knowledge(nature) as a permanent class skill after we take Gnome Giant Slayer. The damage and to-hit bonus is gravy.

11-15
2 ranger/2 rogue/8 archivist/ 3 gnome giant slayer
4th level spells, meaning we now get everything from the ranger spell list. On top of that we get Dark Knowledge(foe) for even more bonus damage against giants. Afterwards the SI is added to the dish, giving more FE, AC, and Full BaB. We take Spring Attack to qualify, and also grab Woodland Archer for sniping shenanigans. This gives us major to hit bonuses if we happen to miss, and we get to ignore concealment if we miss a foe. For even more gravy we get to keep moving while sniping to keep the brutes guessing. This is the sweet spot of the build.

16-20
2 ranger/2 rogue/8 archivist/ 8 gnome giant slayer
The final levels that we take in GGS give us a lot more flexibility. Close Shot lets us stay viable in close range, and Fast Movement gives us more room to work with for Woodland Archer. For our last but not least feat, we get Manyshot. It gives us a not two, not three, but four extra attacks if used with Divine Power. Otherwise it gives 3. Delicious.

You don’t take all levels? Why?
Simple. This isn’t a melee build. As such, Annoying Strike and Defensive Roll have nothing to offer us. Taking these two abilities defeats the purpose of the character, which is [I]staying away from danger[i\].

Pre-reqs- Trash-nasty all around. We can get the skills easily but Dodge, Mobility, and Spring Attack are generally terrible. We get Speak(giant) from a high intelligence score.

Anyways, let’s take a look at what Giant Slayer gives us.
Favoured enemy- Track giants, lie to them, hear and see them. All things useful to us. With Knowledge Devotion + Dark Knowledge + FE that comes out to 4d6+14 damage per hit. If you multiply that on a critical hit from Hunter’s Mercy, its 78 damage average before our other iterative attacks. Basically, we can drop most giants in a single round.

Crafty Fighter- A giant somehow finds us and gets up in our grill for melee? Run away! An AC bonus never hurts, especially when it applies to almost everything in the Monster Manual.

Slippery-
Decent BaB, but low STR. You can bet we’re better off taking Escape Artist. Running through their squares is useful, say if you’re blocked in a cave with with something big and scary.

Close shot-
Though our mantra is “stay away from big things that will eat you”, sometimes that can’t always happen. Close shot covers this and lets us fight in melee without punishment.

Fast movement-
Gnomes are slow. This gives us more flexibility when using Woodland Archer.

Improved mobility-
Paired with mobility and Crafty Fighter, thats a whole 12 AC. We’re a squishy little gnome, not being hit while running away is a boon.

You don’t take Precise Shot?
As the character is built to be self-sufficient, we shouldn’t have allies that we risk shooting. In an actual party environment, yes, Precise Shot would be taken.

You don’t take sneak attack either?
The dream is to not be within 30 feet so we don’t get charged by a giant with a lucky spot check. The only reason point blank shot is taken is to qualify for Woodland Archer.

Why not fighter?
We wouldn’t get tumble,hide, move silently and escape artist as class skills. Essentially we trade a point of BaB and Precise shot for skills.

No Darkstalker?
Again, staying at max range is the dream. Most things that have special senses only have it out to 30-60 feet, which is way under our 110.

What do you take?
The Spring Attack line strangles us for feats. The few that we do have are vital to the build, but Practiced Spellcaster was considered. Fortunately, Divine Power scales with character level and most ranger spells have a definite effect and short duration.

My original build was a wizard/shadowcraft mage crossbow sniper that used heroics to gain extra feats, but I feel that the archivist/ranger combo did it better, especially with a tripled number of attacks.

Gnomes have a beautiful feat named Trivial Knowledge (RoS) that lets them roll 2 d20s for knowledge checks. That would’ve been awesome, but Woodland Archer helps our cause much more.

Hey! Getting the Ranger spell list costs exp!
This was something I was worried about, since Iron Chef only assumes exactly the amount of experience needed to reach level 20. So I asked the chair. This was her response.





Quick question- Say an entry were to be an Archivist and take levels in Ranger, transferring the Ranger spell list onto the Archivist's side through scrolls. Since IC doesn't take WBL into account and assumes exactly enough experience to get to 20 , how should this be handled?
A) go ahead with it and note it in the build, possibly taking an elegance penalty
or
B) don't bother because it's cheesy
Probably A), I'd say. It's as good a way as any to get Archivist spells.

Thanks for the reply. How should I handle the experience cost required to make scrolls then?
Oops, sorry for the late reply. Justhandwave it.


Stonehunter gnome- Dragon Magic
Archivist(of nature)- Heroes of Horror
Knowledge Devotion- Complete Champion
Woodland Archer- Races of the wild
Feat/Wilderness Rogue- Unearthed Arcana

[Heliomance]

Most of these guys focus on fighting from below; this one fights from inside.




Jagt
CN Gnome Factotum 4 / Egoist 1 / Martial Rogue 2 / Marshal 1 / Fighter 1 / Gnome Giant Slayer 10 / Exemplar 1

Stats (32 point buy):
STR: 16 – 2 [+2] (10 pts)
DEX: 14 [+2] (6 pts)
CON: 10 + 2 [+1] (2 pts)
INT: 16 [+3] (10 pts)
WIS: 8 [–1] (0 pts)
CHA: 12 [+1] (4 pts)

Level-up points go to INT at level 4 and level 8, and into CHA at every level thereafter. (This increases skill points earned starting at level 8.)

Languages: Common, Gnome, Giant, Orc, Draconic

Build:



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


1st
Factotum 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
Iaijutsu Focus +4 (4), Disguise +4 (4), Diplomacy +4 (4), Bluff +4 (4), Tumble +4 (4), Escape Artist +4 (4), Balance +4 (4), Sense Motive +4 (4), Concentration +4 (4)
Skill Focus: Diplomacy
Inspiration (2 points), Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding


2nd
Egoist Psion 1
+0
+0
+2
+2
Disguise +1 cc (5), Bluff +1 cc (5), Concentration +1 (5)
No new feats
Change Shape (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070314a)


3rd
Factotum 2
+1
+0
+3
+2
Iaijutsu Focus +2 (6), Bluff +1 (6), Disguise +1 (6), Diplomacy +2 (6), Tumble +2 (6), Balance +1 (5)
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Gnome Quickrazor
Inspiration (3 points), Arcane Dilettante (1 spell)


4th
Factotum 3
+2
+1
+3
+3
Iaijutsu Focus +1 (7), Bluff +1 (7), Disguise +1 (7), Tumble +1 (7), Diplomacy +1 (7), Sense Motive +1 (5), Escape Artist +1 (5), Second Impression (skill trick)
No new feats
Brains Over Brawn, Cunning Defense


5th
Factotum 4
+3
+1
+4
+3
Iaijutsu Focus +1 (8), Bluff +1 (8), Disguise +1 (8), Tumble +1 (8), Diplomacy +1 (8) Escape Artist +2 (7), Social Recovery (skill trick)
No new feats
Arcane Dilettante (2 spells), Cunning Strike


6th
Martial Rogue 1
+3
+1
+6
+3
Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (9), Bluff +1 (9), Disguise +1 (9), Diplomacy +1 (9), Escape Artist +2 (9), Tumble +1 (9), Sense Motive +3 (8)
Dodge, Mobility (Bonus)
Mimic, Bonus Feat (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#rogue)


7th
Marshal 1
+3
+3
+6
+5
Bluff +1 (10), Diplomacy +1 (10), Disguise +1 cc (10), Tumble +1 cc (10), Speak Language (Giant*)
Underfoot Combat (Bonus)
Skill Focus: Diplomacy (traded for Underfoot Combat), Minor Aura (Motivate Charisma)


8th
Martial Rogue 2
+4
+3
+7
+5
Bluff +1 (11), Diplomacy +1 (11), Disguise +1 (11), Iaijutsu Focus +2 cc (11), Escape Artist +2 (11), Sense Motive +1 (9), Assume Quirk (skill trick)
Spring Attack (Bonus)
Evasion, Bonus Feat


9th
Fighter 1
+5
+5
+7
+5
Bluff + 1 cc (12), Disguise +1 cc (12), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (12)
Point Blank Shot (Bonus), Confound the Big Folk
Bonus Feat


10th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+6
+7
+7
+5
Bluff +1 cc (13), Disguise +1 cc (13), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (13)
No new feats
Favored Enemy (Giant) +2


11th
Exemplar 1
+6
+7
+7
+7
Bluff +1 (14), Disguise +1 (14), Iaijutsu Focus +1 (14), Escape Artist +3 (14), Diplomacy +3 (14), Sense Motive +3 (12)
No new feats
Skill Artistry (Disguise), Skill Mastery (Disguise, Bluff, Iaijutsu Focus, Diplomacy, Escape Artist)


12th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+7
+8
+7
+7
Bluff +1 cc (15), Disguise +1 cc (15), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (15)
Psionic Shot
Crafty Fighter


13th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+8
+8
+8
+8
Bluff +1 cc (16), Disguise +1 cc (16), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (16)
No new feats
Slippery


14th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+9
+9
+8
+8
Bluff + 1 cc (17), Disguise +1 cc (17), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (17)
No new feats
Favored Enemy (Giant) +4


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+10
+9
+8
+8
Bluff +1 cc (18), Disguise +1 cc (18), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (18)
Fell Shot
Close Shot


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+11
+10
+9
+9
Bluff +1 cc (19), Disguise +1 cc (19), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (19)
No new feats
Fast Movement


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+12
+10
+9
+9
Bluff +1 cc (20), Disguise +1 cc (20), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (20)
No new feats
Favored Enemy (Giant) +6


18th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+13
+11
+9
+9
Bluff +1 cc (21), Disguise +1 cc (21), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (21)
Return Shot
Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant Slayer 9
+14
+11
+10
+10
Bluff + 1 cc (22), Disguise +1 cc (22), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (22)
No new feats
Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant Slayer 10
+15
+12
+10
+10
Bluff +1 cc (23), Disguise +1 cc (23), Iaijutsu Focus +1 cc (23)
No new feats
Favored Enemy (Giant) +8



*If having a starting language of Giant is good enough to meet Gnome Giant Slayer's prerequisite of “Speak Language: Giant,” replace this with Speak Language: Dwarven.

Psion powers known: Conceal Thoughts, Vigor, Catfall
PP per day: 2 (+ bonus PP from INT)

Tactics and Strategy:
Jagt, like many gnomes, holds a special hatred in her heart for giants and giantkin. Unlike many gnomes, however, she believes that the best way to take down a tribe of giants is from within.

Jagt is very good at disguising herself. Her Change Shape ability gives her a very nice +10 bonus on Disguise checks, usable at will. (Technically, by the strictest RAW, it gives a total bonus of +20: +10 typeless bonus from the Disguise Self effect, and a +10 circumstance bonus from the text of Change Shape, but most GMs limit this to just +10 total.) Add in full ranks, a synergy bonus from Bluff, and the occasional bonus from Cunning Knowledge (once per day, but you shouldn't need it more than once per day anyway; you make a good disguise, and then you keep it up, possibly even for days at a time), and she can do a very convincing job of disguising herself as a giant. Now, you may be thinking that she's going to look a little short for a giant, but that's okay: you only take a –2 penalty for disguising yourself as a different race. It is true that you can't alter your apparent height by more than 10% by using Disguise, but that doesn't matter—she's not pretending to be a 12 foot tall gnome, after all, but rather pretending to be a 4 foot tall giant. This is D&D, after all—it's totally plausible for a giant to have been born a mutant, or to have been cursed by a Wizard, or to have some other effect making them look Small. Jagt has enough Bluff to pull off whatever cover story she needs. Her skill tricks help her in that regard, though her skills are high enough that she shouldn't need them very often, especially once she picks up Skill Mastery from Exemplar.

Anyway, once she finds a tribe of giants living somewhere, Jagt disguises herself as the appropriate kind of giant and tries to join them. She gains their trust slowly, using Bluff and Diplomacy as needed, and she blends in with the locals over a long period of time. Once they know her and trust her, she works her way closer to a position of power within the giant hierarchy, and she starts spreading disinformation. A hint here, a false rumor there, and Jagt slowly turns the giants against one another. She has a lot of bonuses to Bluff (full ranks, a +10 from Conceal Thoughts, a small but helpful bonus from Cunning Knowledge 1/day, and a scaling bonus from Favored Enemy: Giants), and she doesn't try to spread a ton of rumors all at once—she plays the long game, and she very slowly plants the seeds of mistrust in her “fellow” giants' ears.

One way or another, she tears apart the unity of the giant tribe. If she can accomplish this with her words alone, she does so. Her Bluff and Diplomacy will take her pretty far in that regard, and if she can split the tribe into factions, or get them turned against themselves until they are driven away one by one, nothing makes her happier.

Occasionally, of course, things come to blows—giants are impulsive folk, after all, and they often think with their muscles instead of their brains. Whenever Jagt can keep up an innocent facade, she aims to do so—she has a ton of defensive bonuses that make it very hard for giants to hit her (a bonus from their size differential, a +4 racial bonus, the bonus from Crafty Fighter, and so on), so if she can play at being innocent while dodging away and fast-talking her way out of the problem, that's best for her. (Her Fast Movement and Improved Mobility abilities make it easy for her to get out of range of a full attack, as well.) At times, though, she needs to defend herself with force. Underfoot Combat allows her to enter a giant's space without taking an attack of opportunity, and Confound the Big Folk makes them flat-footed when she does so. Since they're flat-footed, they're vulnerable to her Iaijutsu Focus skill (made possible by her gnomish quickrazors). Between Iaijutsu Focus and Favored Enemy: Giant, she can actually bring a fair bit of pain to a giant who crosses swords with her. She isn't likely to take them down in a single round, but with all of her defensive bonuses in play, she can almost certainly outlast them. If she has trouble hitting, she can use her inspiration points to add her INT to her attack rolls, though overall, it isn't too hard to hit consistently flat-footed AC when you have as much of a size differential as Jagt enjoys. If a giant decides to use the time-honored tactic of throwing a rock at her, she can send it right back with Return Shot, usually accompanied with a Bluff to the extent of “you know that giants can catch rocks you throw at them! What did you expect, throwing a rock at a fellow giant?” (Return Shot works on projectiles up to one size category larger than you are, and MM1 pg. 119 specifies that Large giants throw Small rocks and Huge giants throw Medium rocks, so that's absolutely within the limit.)

As I said, Jagt plays the long game. Once she has torn apart a tribe of giants from the inside, she hunts down the scattered members one by one if the circumstances are right for it; if not, she simply moves on to the next tribe of giants, assumes a new identity, and starts the process anew.

Odds and Ends:
Mimic, which Jagt gets from her Rogue levels, is unlikely to stack with Change Shape, but it's not totally useless to have around, and it's more useful to her than Trapfinding. Her level of Marshal allows her to double up on her Charisma bonus, and more importantly, it's instrumental in getting Confound the Big Folk online as soon as possible. Exemplar makes Jagt even better at disguising herself (it is her most important skill, after all), and it allows her to take 10 on her favorite skills even when circumstances conspire against her.

Wish List and Accessories:
Since Jagt relies very heavily on CHA-based skills, anything that makes those skills better is going to be very valuable for her. This can be as simple as a Cloak of Charisma (which is literally doubly valuable in her case, since her Motivate Charisma aura doubles the effectiveness her CHA has on her skills), or it might be something like a Circlet of Persuasion or an Admiral's Bicorne. Although she doesn't like having to rely on her quickrazors to get her out of trouble, it's not a bad idea for her to make sure that they're as magical as she can safely afford. Basic defensive items, like magical armor and a Cloak of Resistance, are as useful to Jagt as they are to everyone else. On a mundane front, a simple disguise kit is worth a +2 to her most important skill, and every +2 counts.

If flaws are allowed, Skill Focus: Disguise is certainly useful, and Psionic Meditation can make Return Shot more reliable, but Jagt functions pretty well as she is.

Sources:
Gnome Giant Slayer: Complete Warrior
Gnome Quickrazors: Races of Stone
Iaijutsu Focus: Oriental Adventures
Mimic: Exemplars of Evil
Factotum: Dungeonscape
Psion, Psionic Shot, Fell Shot, Return Shot: Expanded Psionics Handbook
Shapechanging Egoist: Mind's Eye (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070314a)
Martial Rogue: Unearthed Arcana
Marshal: Miniatures Handbook

[Heliomance]

Fair bit of poetry this round.


Jack Sprat

N Whisper Gnome Warblade 5/Avenging Executioner 4/Gnome Giant-Slayer 6/Warblade 6/Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
Stats
Str 14 (16) (all other increases here)
Dex 14 (12)
Con 14 (12)
Int 15 (first increase here)
Wis 10
Cha 10 (12)
Build


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


1st
Warblade 1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Concentration 4, Escape Artist 2(4), Hide 2(4), Intimidate 4, Move Silently 2(4), Tumble 4
Midnight Dodge
Battle Clarity (Reflex Saves), Weapon Aptitude


2nd
Warblade 2
+2
+3
+0
+0
Concentration 5, Escape Artist 2.5 (1), Hide 2.5 (1), Intimidate 5, Move Silently 2.5(1), Tumble 5

Uncanny Dodge


3rd
Warblade 3
+3
+3
+1
+1
Concentration 6, Escape Artist 3 (1), Hide 3 (1), Intimidate 6, Move Silently 3 (1), Tumble 6
Mobility
Battle Ardor (Critical Confirmation)


4th
Warblade 4
+4
+4
+1
+1
Concentration 7, Hide 3.5 (1), Intimidate 7, Jump 2, Move Silently 3.5 (1), Tumble 7




5th
Warblade 5
+5
+4
+1
+1
Concentration 8, Hide 4 (1), Intimidate 8, Jump 4, Move Silently 4 (1), Tumble 8
(B) Improved Initiative
Bonus Feat


6th
Avenging Executioner 1
+5
+4
+3
+3
Balance 5, Concentration 9, Intimidate 9, Jump 5, Tumble 9
Martial Study (Action Before Thought)
Bloody Blade, Sudden Strike +1d6


7th
Avenging Executioner 2
+6/+1
+4
+4
+4
Concentration 10, Hide 7, Intimidate 10, Move Silently 7, Tumble 10

Rapid Intimidation


8th
Avenging Executioner 3
+7/+2
+5
+4
+4
Concentration 11, Hide 10, Intimidate 11, Move Silently 10, Tumble 11

Sudden Strike +2d6


9th
Avenging Executioner 4
+8/+3
+5
+5
+5
Concentration 12, Hide 12, Intimidate 12, Jump 7, Move Silently 12, Tumble 12
Spring Attack
Dread Blade


10th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 1
+9/+4
+7
+5
+5
Concentration 13, Hide 13, Intimidate 13, Move Silently 13, Tumble 13

Favored Enemy (Giant) +2


11th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 2
+10/+5
+8
+5
+5
Concentration 14, Hide 14, Intimidate 14, Move Silently 14, Tumble 14

Crafty Fighter


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 3
+11/+6/+1
+8
+6
+6
Concentration 15, Hide 15, Intimidate 15, Move Silently 15, Tumble 15
Craven
Slippery


13th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 4
+12/+7/+2
+9
+6
+6
Concentration 16, Hide 16, Intimidate 16, Jump 8, Move Silently 16

Favored Enemy (Giant) +4


14th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 5
+13/+8/+3
+9
+6
+6
Concentration 17, Hide 17, Intimidate 17, Jump 9, Move Silently 17

Close Shot


15th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 6
+14/+9/+4
+10
+7
+7
Concentration 18, Hide 18, Intimidate 18, Jump 10, Move Silently 18
Underfoot Combat
Fast Movement


16th
Warblade 6
+15/+10/+5
+11
+8
+8
Concentration 19, Intimidate 19, Jump 15

Improved Uncanny Dodge


17th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 7
+16/+11/+6/+1
+11
+8
+8
Concentration 20, Hide 19, Intimidate 20, Move Silently 20

Favored Enemy (Giant) +6


18th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
+17/+12/+7/+2
+12
+8
+8
Concentration 21, Hide 21, Intimidate 21, Move Silently 21
Confound the Big Folk
Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 9
+18/+13/+8/+3
+12
+9
+9
Concentration 22, Hide 22, Intimidate 22, Jump 14, Move Silently 22

Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
+19/+14/+9/+4
+13
+9
+9
Concentration 23, Hide 23, Intimidate 23, Jump 15, Move Silently 23

Favored Enemy (Giant) +8, Defensive Roll


Maneuvers
Warblade 1: Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap, Sapphire Nightmare Blade. Punishing Stance (stance), 3 readied
Warblade 2: Moment of Perfect Mind
Warblade 3: Wall of Blades
Warblade 4: Wolf Fang Strike->Rabid Wolf Strike (retrain), Hunter’s Sense (stance), 4 readied
Warblade 5: Iron Heart Surge
Warblade 6 on: Rabid Wolf Strike-> Wolf Climbs the Mountain (retrain), Action Before Thought (from Martial Study)
Backstory
Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean.
And so between them both, you see, they licked the platter clean.

Jack Sprat, who soon begat a son and daughter fine.
Learned fast to defend home and hearth, with family on the line.

Jack Sprat, no diplomat, trained to defend his town.
He learned to fight with sword and shield, and earned no small renown.

Jack Sprat had war down pat, he fought both large and small.
But even he was not prepared when giants came for all.

Jack Sprat, the acrobat dodged, slashed, leapt, bobbed and weaved.
He tried his best but soon before him saw his townsmen cleaved.

Jack Sprat went nearly splat but fled, his body whole.
He swore a bloody, vengeful pact; the same not true his soul.

Jack Sprat fought like hellcat, he hunted down the large.
For other targets money needed; them, he said “No charge.”

Jack Sprat, who loved combat, killed giants just for thrill.
And to this day you'll hear him say say he’ll never have his fill.
Level 5
Warblade is an excellent way to start a build. Skill points, lots of health, full BA, and something to do with points in Int. Whisper Gnome is the best of gnomes: 30 ft speed, good skill bonuses, and SLAs you will easily find ways to use every day, especially silence and ghost sound.

Feats right now are going toward the SI. I chose Midnight Dodge because normal Dodge is a bit dull. Remember all your dodge bonuses stack, this will come up later. Warblade’s bonus feat from the list is Improved Initiative, which is always appreciated, and increases the chance you can get sudden strike damage in the first round (remember characters are flatfooted until they act); strike first, strike last.

As for maneuvers, Sudden Leap is tactical teleportation, especially since you have good mod on tumble. Sapphire Nightmare Blade is most important for rendering flatfooted, meaning sudden strike damage. Wall of Blades negates attacks by attacking them, great with your full BA and it applies to everything that makes a roll, even rays. Iron Heart Surge is the classic status-ender, adding a lot of endurance to the character. Moment of Perfect Mind props up your Will saves by replacing them with Concentration.
Punishing Stance is only a sometimes stance, but more damage is more damage, and it can make all the difference at early levels, when it’s like having slightly better Shock Trooper. Hunter’s Sense, your other stance, is never bad, as scent is good for anti-sneak (and invisibility) measures.
Level 10
Now things begin to get interesting. Avenging Executioner is a way to really add some bite to fighting giants. Bloody Blade targets Will Saves, which are poor in giants and always a good target. Sudden strike, sneak attack’s cousin, simply applies whenever the target does not have their Dex to AC. It becomes really useful when Dread Blade lets you treat shaken creatures as flatfooted for sudden strike, which means it will happen a lot, and once you land a hit you can keep the cycle going. If your groove gets thrown off you can use Rapid Intimidation to get back on track and make a strike in the same round, which if they fail the save means they get kicked up to frightened and can start fleeing. See if Bloody Blade can stack up with itself. If it can, the multiple round duration means you can jack up enemies to panicked, at which point you've essentially won.

A little clause that’s easy to miss says you can apply your Favored Enemy bonus to Intimidate checks, which is great since the SI gives you FE (giants). This means you can negate the irritating penalty for intimidating enemies larger than you, which is supremely fitting for a Gnome Giant Slayer, who should be able to strike fear into their quarry.

I hear you asking, “Why didn't you finish Avenging Executioner?” The answer is that the last level doesn't give a lot. Bloody murder won’t come up that much, and another level of Warblade gives another point of BA and the ability to trade in for a maneuver of higher level, which wins over one more die of sudden strike. Plus it means you can enter the SI sooner.

Martial Study serves two purposes, the first is to gain another maneuver, Action Before Thought, which replaces a Ref save with Concentration. The second is to make Concentration a class skill for the rest of the build, allowing you to keep Diamond Mind maneuvers with a high rate of success.

First level of Gnome Giant Slayer gives Favored Enemy (giant), of which the most interesting aspects are the damage bonus and indirectly the bonus to Intimidate. But hey, bonus to Spot and Listen is always useful, it helps cover your skills which are mostly tied up. In case you were wondering, speaking Giant was coming from the Int bonus, Giant is among the bonus languages for gnome.

Skills are going in a number of places, Intimidate to keep it useful, Tumble for moving around, sneak skills for sneaking (if the enemy cannot detect you he is flatfooted), and Concentration to keep Diamond Mind maneuvers useful.
Level 15
More levels of the SI under the belt, so now some tricks start working. Crafty Fighter stacks for moar AC, and notably applies to non-giants as well. Uncanny Dodge means that you can’t lose your Dex to AC, which means you also can’t lose this bonus, or any of your dodge bonuses for that matter. Slippery helps escape grapples, which is very good, because you don’t want to be there. You’re better off using your grapple mod, since decent strength and high BA make for a good mod, even better with the bonus from the SI. Moving through your enemies opens up a lot of space on the battlefield (remember giants take up lots of space) and your tumble mod is good, so feel free to tumble through their spaces (or not once Underfoot Combat kicks in). Fast movement means higher bonus to sudden leap, so better “teleport.”

Close Shot deserves a brief discussion of its own. It negates AoOs for using ranged weapons, which is very useful. This raises a question, which is what happens if you use a whip or whip-dagger. They provoke AoOs just like ranged weapons (due to their previous status as ranged weapons), so might be affected by this. If so, the whip-dagger becomes a viable strategy worth investing a feat in proficiency, as the reach is large and allows for Bloody Blade to trigger all over the place. I have constructed the build under the assumption that it will not, which is fine. You can just use normal ranged weapons like longbows (which the SI gives proficiency with); trick arrows like the ones that cause small explosions might be enough to cause a distraction and thus allow you to hide. You can also just use the bow for normal bow stuff, which becomes more useful later.

At this point your AC vs a giant you’re fighting is potentially as high as armor +1(Small) +4(racial) +1(midnight dodge) +4(Crafty Fighter) +2(Dex) +2(cover) +4(Mobility), a grand total of 18 above your armor, which is very nice. If you’re not trying your hardest, it’s still 11 above your armor, still nice. Note that everything you have only restricts you to medium armor, so that’s a few more points above your average sneak, and there are many ways to negate the small ACP.

Craven is a must-have for anyone with precision damage, and really adds a punch to your sudden strike. Now giants really have a reason to be afraid. As per the rules for sudden strike, you can use it to qualify for any feat that calls for sneak attack. Underfoot Combat is partially for its own benefit and partially for the next feat. It’s similar to Slippery, but a careful reading shows 2 differences, the first being it lets you move into the space of a Large+ enemy, and the second being negating AoOs for movement, so it dovetails nicely with the SI there.
Level 20
Finished the SI, and an extra warblade level for some fun. We’ll address that first. The main benefit of this level is trading in Rabid Wolf Strike (which serves its purpose of extra damage fine until now) for Wolf Climbs the Mountain. It deals bonus damage, puts you in the enemy’s space, provokes no AoO, and sets you up for Confound the Big Folk. A final note on its use is gaining cover from being in an enemy’s space (note that it The bonus to armor is great, but there’s another important thing. You know what you can do in cover? Hide. As long as you can provide a momentary distraction (like with your ghost sound SLA) you can suddenly hide, and use that to reposition or sudden strike someone.

Back to the SI. Improved Mobility improves your AC bonus above to armor +22, which is very nice, an important update in the face of rising enemy to-hit bonuses. Annoying Strike is just plain hilarious. Any time you damage a giant in melee the giant is shaken, thus susceptible to sudden strike. No save, no nonsense, just shaken. Importantly, this is not a fear effect or a mind affecting affect, unlike Bloody Blade, which means no negating it. This means sudden strike will basically apply to every attack you make against giants, and that 2d6+20 adds up quickly, especially with all your iteratives from near full BA and bonus damage from favored enemy. Defensive roll is an odd duck as far as capstones go, but not without use. Again, because you cannot be denied Dex to AC, you can always use the ability. At this point Action Before Thought really earns its place. Your modifier from Concentration is nice and high so you’re usually better off using that. You likely can’t add your class level to this check, but if you can it will make the class feature go much farther. That being said your normal reflex save can be nearly as high, especially with the bonus from cover. The class feature denies use of evasion, so it might not allow you to apply battle clarity to it, but it’s worth asking. Don’t worry about saving it too much, it’s more situational DR than it is last minute trump card.

In the feats category we bring in Confound the Big Folk, which is all kinds of useful, since it’s a tactical feat; the first two uses are the really useful ones. Knee Striker lets you treat a foe as flatfooted after entering his square (as with Wolf Climbs the Mountain, or just by walking in with no AoO from Underfoot Combat) and so serves as another means of entering the perpetual sudden strike machine. Underfoot Defense is a highly useful attack strategy, fighting defensively is a relatively small investment that you can afford, and with 5 ranks in tumble you nearly make back your investment in yet another dodge bonus. Your reward for fighting defensively is that attacks have a 50% chance of hitting your enemy instead of you. Note this isn’t attacks that miss you, this is just any attack made against you. It is here that bow work becomes more useful, as you can remain in your safe nest under your foe while you attack others. Investing in a reach weapon like a duom is a good idea as well. Obviously this isn’t a plan for all situations, but you have other strategies for those, and this is too hilarious not to pass up when you can.
Sources
Warblade, Martial Study: Tome of Battle
Avenging Executioner: Complete Scoundrel
Midnight Dodge: Magic of Incarnum
Mobility, Spring Attack: srd
Craven: Champions of Ruin
Underfoot Combat, Confound the Big Folk: Races of the Wild

[Heliomance]

That does not sound like a fun job


The Piss Boy
Stonehunter Gnome
Lawful Neutral
Ranger 1/Hexblade 4/Avenging Executioner 2/Gnome Giant Slayer 10/Avenging Executioner +3


He swished his mop back and forth across the floor. The room was mostly clean now, deep into the night, after the party had concluded and everyone in the castle was lost to slumber. Well, everyone but he guards. And himself, of course.

The giants had taken power in the region long ago. They held rule with an iron fist, maintaining order with cruel violence. They belittled, they battered, they tortured anyone who refused to submit to their strength. And so they held the kingdom by their code, with those of greater size holding higher stature.

He stopped at a window, leaning against his mop as he looked out into the darkness of the night, gazing back into the depths of time. He could remember clearly that night, his first night of servitude, when he was made to hold the bucket at a ball. The Piss Boy, they'd called him. Ogres, hill giants, and trolls alike had called him forth and he'd been expected to hold that bucket aloft for the post-mead unleashings. With his size, he'd stand underneath kilts or skirts, shifting left and right as drunkards showed their lack of aim. And, after the party had ended, he'd would dutifully get his mop and clean up any splashings and spills.

And so he had done for years.

He focused his gaze, bringing his mind back to the present. Out there, somewhere, in the darkness, a resistance was forming. Or so he'd heard. The little folk were massing -- his fellow gnomes, halflings, even some dwarves. The Knee-High Resistance, gathering in secret meetings, preparing to overthrow their humungous despots.

With a sigh, he looked back over the grand hall. The floor was still slick with soap-water and reflected the soft glow of the candles of the chandeliers above. He leaned down, fingers slipping into his mop bucket, feeling the firm handle of the knife he'd swiped from the kitchens. The table knife of a giant was as a dagger to him, and its presence reassured him, reminded him of his plan, told his heart stories of daring glory to be had beyond the walls. He would leave this place, violently if need be, and venture forth into the land beyond the castle walls.

He would find the Knee-High Resistance, join, and lead them all back here. And in these halls, he would find his revenge for a life looked down on!



Str 14 -2 12
Con 14 +2 16
Dex 14 -- 14
Int 14 -- 14
Wis 10 -- 10
Cha 14 -- 14

Increases: 4th (Cha); 8th (Cha); 12th (Cha); 16th (Cha); 20th (Cha)





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


1st
Gnome Ranger 1
+1
+2
+2
+0

4 Climb
4 Hide
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
4 Tumble (via Skilled City-Dweller)
4 Spot
4 Survival

1st: Dodge; B: Track
Favored Enemy (Giant) +3; Wild Empathy


2nd
Hexblade 1
+2
+2
+2
+2

4 Climb
4 Hide
4 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
4 Tumble
4 Spot
4 Survival

--
Hexblade's Curse 1/day


3rd
Hexblade 2
+3
+2
+2
+3

2 Bluff
4 Climb
4 Hide
6 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
4 Tumble
4 Spot
4 Survival

3rd: Mobility
Arcane Resistance


4th
Hexblade 3
+4
+3
+3
+3

5 Bluff
4 Climb
4 Hide
7 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
4 Tumble
4 Spot
4 Survival

--
Mettle


5th
Hexblade 4
+5
+3
+3
+4

5 Bluff
4 Climb
4 Hide
8 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
4 Spot
5 Survival

--
Dark Companion


6th
Avenging Executioner 1
+5
+3
+5
+6

5 Bluff
4 Climb
5 Escape Artist
4 Hide
9 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
4 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
4 Spot
6 Survival

6th: Spring Attack
Bloody Blade; Sudden Strike +1d6


7th
Avenging Executioner 2
+6/1
+3
+6
+7

5 Bluff
5 Climb
5 Escape Artist
4 Hide
10 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
7 Survival
2 Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Rapid Intimidation


8th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 1
+7/2
+5
+6
+7

5 Bluff
5 Climb
6 Escape Artist
4 Hide
11 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
8 Survival
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Favored Enemy (Giant) +5


9th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 2
+8/3
+6
+6
+7

5 Bluff
5 Climb
7 Escape Artist
4 Hide
12 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
9 Survival
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

9th: Imperious Command
Crafty Fighter


10th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 3
+9/4
+6
+7
+8

5 Bluff
5 Climb
8 Escape Artist
4 Hide
13 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
9 Survival
2 Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Slippery


11th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 4
+10/5
+7
+7
+8

5 Bluff
5 Climb
9 Escape Artist
4 Hide
14 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
9 Survival
2 Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Favored Enemy (Giant) +7


12th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 5
+11/6/1
+7
+7
+8

5 Bluff
5 Climb
10 Escape Artist
4 Hide
15 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
10 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

12th: Frightful Presence
Close Shot


13th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 6
+12/7/2
+8
+8
+9

5 Bluff
5 Climb
11 Escape Artist
4 Hide
16 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
11 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Fast Movement


14th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 7
+13/8/3
+8
+8
+9

5 Bluff
5 Climb
12 Escape Artist
4 Hide
17 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
12 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Favored Enemy (Giant) +9


15th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
+14/9/4
+9
+8
+9

5 Bluff
5 Climb
13 Escape Artist
4 Hide
18 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
13 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

15th: Arterial Strike
Improved Mobility


16th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 9
+15/10/5
+9
+9
+10

5 Bluff
5 Climb
14 Escape Artist
4 Hide
19 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
14 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Annoying Strike


17th
Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
+16/11/6/1
+10
+9
+10

5 Bluff
5 Climb
15 Escape Artist
4 Hide
20 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
15 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Favored Enemy (Giant) +11; Defensive Roll


18th
Avenging Executioner 3
+17/12/7/2
+11
+9
+10

5 Bluff
5 Climb
20 Escape Artist
4 Hide
21 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
5 Tumble
5 Spot
16 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

18th: Bounding Assault
Sudden Strike +2d6


19th
Avenging Executioner 4
+18/13/8/3
+11
+10
+11

5 Bluff
5 Climb
22 Escape Artist
4 Hide
22 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
1 Open Lock
5 Tumble
5 Spot
18 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Dread Blade


20th
Avenging Executioner 5
+18/13/8/3
+11
+10
+11

5 Bluff
5 Climb
23 Escape Artist
4 Hide
23 Intimidate
4 Knowledge: Nature
5 Listen
4 Move Silently
1 Open Lock
5 Tumble
5 Spot
21 Survival
Skill Trick: Easy Escape
Skill Trick: Escape Attack
Skill Trick: Never Outnumbered

--
Bloody Murder; Sudden Strike +3d6





Full BAB character here with a few little goodies. Arcane Resistance and Mettle are nice to have on any character, really. One Hexblade spell per day doesn't seem like much (because it isn't, really), but having levels in both Hexblade and Ranger opens PB to being able to use wands from both classes (which can be quite beneficial).
Favored Enemy: Giants is a precursor for what lies ahead.



FE get a bit of a boost from GGS, and has another utility: Tickletoes can add his FE bonus to intimidate checks to demoralize giants via Avenging Executioner's Rapid Intimidation. This'll help to offset the size penalty to demoralize giants. With Imperious Command and Never Outnumbered, PB can spook a few big guys, which opens up Sudden Strike and Bloody Blade (which'll only freak 'em out more).

Slippery and Escape Attack come at the same level. If grappled, PB can attempt to escape using Slippery, which would set off Escape Attack, which would be a Sudden Strike attack, which would set off Bloody Blade. He could then follow that up with a move action to demoralize.



Annoying Strike is really more than just an annoyance! Starting from being grappled, PB can attempt an Escape Artist check (aided by Slipperyand Easy Escape) then attack (via Escape Attack) causing Annoying Strike to make the giant shaken. Frightful Presence and Bloody Blade (if a lower HD enemy) stack their effects onto the fear and effect everyone in radius. Demoralize after that (with Never Outnumbered and Imperious Command) and many giants will be in need of their own mops!

Is it all fool-proof? Will everyone be cowering? No. Frightful Presence won't affect everyone. Some might save against Bloody Blade. Others might beat the Intimidate check. Enter Spring Attack. PB can rush after giants fleeing around the battle field and attack (hopefully setting off more Bloody Blade issues for those that saved against it before), then move on to a position on the battle field to block exits. Add in a bit (or a lot) of Arterial Strike and PB gets the satisfaction of watching his enemies run around in terror literally bleeding to death.



More of the same, really. Dread Blade makes the shaken/frightened/panicked condition of PB's enemies more deadly (setting off more and more Arterial Strikes) and Bloody Murder sparks more fear after a coup de grace (from cowering foes).



Stonehunter Gnome -- Dragon Magic
Gnome Ranger Racial Substitution -- Races of Stone
Skilled City-Dweller -- Cityscape Web Enhancement (archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
Hexblade -- Complete Warrior
Dark Companion Hexblade (4th level) -- Player's Handbook II
Avenging Executioner -- Complete Scoundrel
Imperious Command feat -- Drow of the Underdark
Frightful Presence feat -- Draconomicon
Arterial Strike feat -- Complete Warrior
Bounding Assault feat -- Player's Handbook II

[Heliomance]

They kin take oor lives, but they kin never take OOR TROOSERS!



Gronk the Runt
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/66/18/c4/6618c4b458dff1e4b9a5c7ee6664fa7f.jpg


It's rough beikng raised amokng giaknts, whekn you're smaller aknd weaker thakn everyokne else. It's knot Gronk's fault that his father was humakn. It's knot his fault that his mother was a throwback to the earlier days of the giaknt empire. But that knever stopped akny of the other giaknt childrekn (all of them at least twice his size) from pickikng okn him. That leaves scars, both physical aknd emotioknal. Scars eknough for a persokn to reject his borkn heritage, aknd seek out aknother. Scars eknough to reject that bigger is always better. Aknd know, they will all pay. Oh, yes, they will.


Primordial half-giant factotum 2 / stokneblessed 3 / factotum +1 / psychic warrior 1 / swordsage 2 / knome giaknt slayer 10
Str 6 (0 pts -2 racial)
Dex 14 (10 pts -2 racial)
Con 14 (6 pts)
Int 20 (10 pts +4 racial) plus level-up poiknts
Wis 14 (6 pts)
Cha 12 (0 pts +4 racial)



ECL
Class
Base Attack Boknus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
LA
+0
+0
+0
+0


Low-light vision, +2 saves vs. fire, powerful build, 2 power points, Stomp 1/day, Invisibility at-will, +1 CL on spell-like abilities, Knowledge (Nature) as a class skill, +2 Spellcraft and UMD


2nd
Factotum 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 4, Jump 4, Concentration 4, Escape Artist 4, Tumble 4, Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Search 4, Open Lock 4, Disable Device 4
Dodge
Inspiration (2), Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding


3rd
Factotum 2
+1
+0
+3
+0
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 5, Concentration 5, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 5, Hide 5, Move Silently 5, Search 5, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 5, Knowledge: Nature 1

Arcane Dilettante (1 spell, 0 level), Inspiration (3)


4th
Stoneblessed 1
+1
+2
+3
+0
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 6, Concentration 5, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 5, Hide 6, Move Silently 5, Search 6, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 6, Knowledge: Nature 2
Weapon Finesse
Stonebond (gnome)


5th
Stoneblessed 2
+2
+3
+3
+0
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 7, Concentration 5, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 5, Hide 7, Move Silently 5, Search 7, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 7, Knowledge: Nature 3

Racial battle technique (+4 AC vs. giants, +1 attack vs. goblins and kobolds)


6th
Stoneblessed 3
+3
+3
+4
+1
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 8, Concentration 5, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 5, Hide 8, Move Silently 5, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 4

Stoneborn: +2 Con, counts as gnome, Speak with Animals 1/day


7th
Unarmed Swordsage 1
+3
+3
+6
+3
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 9, Concentration 9, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 9, Hide 9, Move Silently 6, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 4
Mobility, Improved Unarmed Strike
Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus, 6 maneuvers, 1 stance


8th
Swordsage 2
+4
+3
+7
+4
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 10, Concentration 10, Escape Artist 5, Tumble 10, Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 7

AC bonus, 7 maneuvers, 2 stances


9th
Factotum 3
+5
+4
+7
+5
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 11, Concentration 11, Escape Artist 11, Tumble 11, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 8

Brains over Brawn, Cunning Defense, 1st-level spell


10th
Psychic Warrior 1
+5
+6
+7
+5
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 12, Concentration 12, Escape Artist 12, Tumble 11, Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 12
Spring Attack, Craven
+1 power point, 1 power known


11th
Gnome Giant Slayer 1
+6
+8
+7
+5
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 13, Concentration 12, Escape Artist 13, Tumble 13, Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 12

Favored Enemy (Giant) +2


12th
Gnome Giant Slayer 2
+7
+9
+7
+5
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 14, Concentration 14, Escape Artist 14, Tumble 14, Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 13

Crafty Fighter


13th
Gnome Giant Slayer 3
+8
+9
+8
+6
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 15, Concentration 15, Escape Artist 15, Tumble 15, Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 14
Underfoot Combat
Slippery


14th
Gnome Giant Slayer 4
+9
+10
+8
+6
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 16, Concentration 16, Escape Artist 16, Tumble 16, Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 15

Favored Enemy (Giant) +4


15th
Gnome Giant Slayer 5
+10
+10
+8
+6
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 17, Concentration 17, Escape Artist 17, Tumble 17, Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 16

Close Shot


16th
Gnome Giant Slayer 6
+11
+11
+9
+7
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 18, Concentration 18, Escape Artist 18, Tumble 18, Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 17
Confound the Big Folk
Fast Movement


17th
Gnome Giant Slayer 7
+12
+11
+9
+7
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 19, Concentration 19, Escape Artist 19, Tumble 19, Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 19

Favored Enemy (Giant) +6


18th
Gnome Giant Slayer 8
+13
+12
+9
+7
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 20, Concentration 20, Escape Artist 20, Tumble 20, Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 20, Listen 1

Improved Mobility


19th
Gnome Giant Slayer 9
+14
+12
+10
+8
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 21, Concentration 21, Escape Artist 21, Tumble 21, Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 21, Listen 2
Combat Expertise
Annoying Strike


20th
Gnome Giant Slayer 10
+15
+13
+10
+8
Speak Language: Gnome, Speak Language: Terran, Appraise 2, Craft (stone) 5, Jump 22, Concentration 22, Escape Artist 22, Tumble 22, Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Search 8, Open Lock 5, Disable Device 8, Knowledge: Nature 22, Listen 3

Favored Enemy (Giant) +8, Defensive Roll


Power known: Psionic Lion's Charge
Maneuvers known: Wolf Fang Strike, Sudden Leap, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Moment of Perfect Mind, Emerald Razor, Mountain Hammer, Child of Shadow
Soaring Raptor Strike, Assassin's Stance


As sookn as he cakn afford it (910 GP), Gronk will purchase a castikng of Returkn to Knature, which will iknstakntakneously reduce his size to Small, aknd give him a +2 size boknus to Dex, aknd a -2 size peknalty to Strekngth (though his Powerful Build meakns that he will still couknt as Medium whekn advakntageous). This spell cakn arguably stack multiple times (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?109065-quot-Return-to-Nature-quot-The-World-s-Smallest-Giant-Warlocks-Rejoice); if this is allowed, he will also purchase three more castikngs, reducikng him to Fikne. This will result ikn all of his abilities based okn oppokneknts beikng larger thakn him workikng agaiknst almost all oppokneknts.

The first few levels will be rough— Gronk's LA will especially hurt him early okn, aknd ukntil he gets Weapokn Fiknesse at ECL 4, he's goikng to be useless with aknythikng but raknged weapokns. Okn the other haknd, at-will iknvisibility from the Primordial Giaknt template aknd factotum levels will make him a competeknt skillmoknkey.

Oknce he gaikns swordsage makneuvers at ECL 7 aknd 8, combat optiokns start to opekn up. His knatural power poiknts from Half-Giaknt eknable him to psioknically focus, which he cakn expeknd to take 15 okn cokncekntratiokn checks with diamoknd miknd makneuvers. Assassikn's Staknce gives him Skneak Attack, which is greatly eknhaknced by the Cravekn feat at ECL 10. Braikns over Brawkn makes him competeknt at trippikng aknd quite good at Dex-based skills. He cakn also at this level routiknely move aknd make multiple attacks ikn the same rouknd, betweekn Psioknic Liokn's Charge, Suddekn Leap, aknd Wolf Fakng Strike.

By ECL 16, he's picked up the key feats Uknderfoot Fightikng aknd Coknfouknd the Big Folk. A typical combat at this poiknt will start with him movikng iknto akn oppokneknt's space (from akn ikncreased distaknce, due to his speed), usikng okne attack to trip them usikng Dex aknd Iknt, followed by the rest of his attacks agaiknst their flatfooted AC (thus gaiknikng Skneak Attack). Okn subsequeknt rouknds, he will 5' step iknto aknother okne of his eknemy's squares aknd repeat.

ECL 20 plays ikn much the same way, except that know he cakn also trigger the Uknderfoot Defeknse (makikng eknemies oftekn hit his target iknstead of him) tactic by takikng a mere -1 peknalty to hit via Combat Expertise.

If LA buyoff is allowed, Gronk cakn at this poiknt take okne more level. This would be a secoknd level of Psychic Warrior, takikng Improved Trip as his feat, aknd Skate as his secoknd power knowkn.


Core (Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Weapon Finesse, Combat Expertise)
Expanded Psionics Handbook (Half-Giant, Psychic Warrior)
Secrets of Xen'drik (Primordial Giant template)
Eberron Campaign Setting (Return to Nature)
Complete Warrior (Gnome Giant Slayer)
Dungeonscape (Factotum)
Races of Stone (Stoneblessed)
Races of the Wild (Underfoot Fighting, Confound the Big Folk)
Champions of Ruin (Craven)

[Heliomance]

That's your lot! Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go get up...

[Sian]

The idea i was looking at, but couldn't get to fit was Swashbuckler 1 / Barbarian 2 / Fighter 2 / Dervish 5 / GGS 10, with Wolf Totem (for Improved Trip), Whirling Frenzy and Darksong Knight (for having Preform as a class skill on Fighter 2).

But i just couldn't get the fluff to fit, specially the Swashbuckler vs Barbarian parts and the fact that the character would have had to hang around Eilistraee worshipping Drows (for Darksong Knight), nor did I get around taking the time to sit down working it through, although i had already asked the Chair if Extra Rage would work on Whirling Frenzy (which it would have had).

[Chronos]

That's, what, fifteen entries? What's the record for an Iron Chef?

[Sian]

Anointed Knight was somewhere around 25 IIRC, and Dwarven Defender was also up there somewhere in the 20s

[dysprosium]

Hmmm

My entry would have been tibbit Psychic Rogue/Stoneblessed/GGS.

Tactics would have been something like giants get tripped by the iddy biddy kitty at their feet.

[OMG PONIES]

Hmmm

My entry would have been tibbit Psychic Rogue/Stoneblessed/GGS.

Tactics would have been something like giants get tripped by the iddy biddy kitty at their feet.

Would you have used the Fabulous Cats! Feats? Because I considered doing the same thing and just couldn't fit all the feats I wabted.

[SinsI]

Wanted to make some kind of Changeling spy that tries to instigate Gnomes to fight against Giants (as one of the races Changelings can't emulate, they are among the greatest threats for them), but ran out of decent options and classes to maximize and take advantage of those Intimidate, Bluff and Spot checks... GGS is too terrible for such a role, and requires too big a feat tax :(.

[Curmudgeon]

Name
Alignment
Race
Classes
Gnome Giant-Slayer Entry


Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker" (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102456&postcount=73)
CG (Exalted)
Whisper Gnome
Martial Rogue 4 / Swashbuckler 3 / Blade Bravo 3 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
11


Aprillius Foolius (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102463&postcount=74)
NE
Desert Gnome (Fey)
Cobra Strike Monk 2 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Avenger 8
3


Luna Indigo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102468&postcount=75)
NG (Exalted)
Forest Gnome (Monstrous Humanoid)
Ranger 6 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Beastmaster 2 / Bloodline 1 / LA +1
7


Tubesock the Gigantifier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102487&postcount=76)
NE
Phaerimm Hatchling (Aberration)
Ranger 1 / Cloistered Cleric 1 / Stoneblessed 3 / Ordained Champion 3 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / LA +2
9


Pebble Underfoot, The Kung Fu Lizard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102492&postcount=77)
NG
Muckdweller (Monstrous Humanoid)
Unarmed Swordsage 7 / Stoneblessed 3 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
8


Jorus "Tallfellow" Goldear (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102497&postcount=78)
??
Eneko (Giant)
Factotum 6 / Stoneblessed 3 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / LA +1
10


Skeeter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102507&postcount=79)
??
Mad Gnome
Swordsage 3 / Psychic Warrior 6 / Elocater 1 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
11


MC Hooked Hammer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102510&postcount=80)
CG
Rock Gnome
Cloistered Cleric 3 / Thug Fighter 2 / Divine Prankster 5 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
11


GnoMor Giants! (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102519&postcount=81)
LE
Stonehunter Gnome
Ranger 1 / Fighter 4 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Heir of Siberys 3 / Shadowdancer 2
6


Hiragnsha (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102527&postcount=82)
??
Rock Gnome
Swashbuckler 3 / Ranger 3 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Jaunter 4
7


E.Pickenz (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102532&postcount=83)
CN
Stonehunter Gnome
Ranger 2 / Rogue 2 / Archivist 8 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 8
13


Jagt (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102540&postcount=84)
CN
Rock Gnome
Factotum 4 / Egoist 1 / Martial Rogue 2 / Marshal 1 / Fighter 1 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / Exemplar 1
10


Jack Sprat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102542&postcount=85)
N
Whisper Gnome
Warblade 6 / Avenging Executioner 4 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
10


The Piss Boy (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102550&postcount=86)
LN
Stonehunter Gnome
Ranger 1 / Hexblade 4 / Avenging Executioner 5 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10
8


Gronk the Runt (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19102555&postcount=87)
??
Half-Giant (Giant)
Factotum 3 / Stoneblessed 3 / Psychic Warrior 1 / Swordsage 2 / Gnome Giant-Slayer 10 / LA +1
10





Times Used
Class
Total Levels


1
Archivist
8


1
Avenger
8


1
Beastmaster
2


1
Blade Bravo
3


1
Cobra Strike Monk
2


1
Divine Prankster
5


1
Egoist
1


1
Elocater
1


1
Exemplar
1


1
Heir of Siberys
3


1
Hexblade
4


1
Jaunter
4


1
Marshal
1


1
Ordained Champion
3


1
Shadowdancer
2


1
Warblade
6


2
Avenging Executioner
9


2
Cloistered Cleric
4


2
Psychic Warrior
7


2
Swashbuckler
6


3
Factotum
13


3
Fighter
7


3
Rogue
8


3
Swordsage
12


4
Stoneblessed
12


6
Ranger
14


15
Gnome Giant-Slayer
148

[Amphetryon]

Curmudgeon, thanks for the compilation. It looks like your 'times used' tally is missing at least one base Class listing, as two entries used Swashbuckler.

[Curmudgeon]

Curmudgeon, thanks for the compilation. It looks like your 'times used' tally is missing at least one base Class listing, as two entries used Swashbuckler.
Fixed. Let me know if you spot any other errors. The biggest hurdle was getting all the classes listed with the same formatting and separators; after that, it's just running some editor macros.

[Amphetryon]

Fixed. Let me know if you spot any other errors. The biggest hurdle was getting all the classes listed with the same formatting and separators; after that, it's just running some editor macros.

Only spotted Swashbuckler because it was in the first listed entry. :smallsmile:

[dysprosium]

Would you have used the Fabulous Cats! Feats? Because I considered doing the same thing and just couldn't fit all the feats I wabted.

I absolutely would have. I believe I had some convoluted set up with Confound the Big Folk too. I just couldn't get the time to do the write up.

[Deadasadoor]

Woah, that's a lot of entries. The phaerimm was unexpected. Good luck to everyone who managed to get a build in.

I managed to cover both of my ideas thoroughly, and I'm pretty happy with them. I'll talk about my alternates(class level wise) after the reveal.

[The Viscount]

I'm, surprised we only had two Whisper Gnomes, and equally surprised that we had only two Avenging Executioners. Made all the funnier by the fact that they'er next to each other. I in no way expected this many entries for such a terrible class.

[Zaq]

Fifteen entries?! I'm glad I decided to enter rather than judge. You've got your work cut out for you, judges. I don't expect to score very well, but like I said, I'm happy just to get the build done and submitted in time. Not my finest work, but what's done is done.

[Edited for prudence's sake until we hear from the Chair.]

[Sian]

Fifteen entries?! I'm glad I decided to enter rather than judge. You've got your work cut out for you, judges. I don't expect to score very well, but like I said, I'm happy just to get the build done and submitted in time. Not my finest work, but what's done is done.

I do find it interesting that a lot of the entries do not strictly meet the requirements of Gnome Giant Slayer. I wonder how many judges will pick up on that.

at a quick glancethrough i spotted 4 that for one reason or another didn't seem to qualify for GGS. Might have missed how they were able to, might have missed some that weren't able to, but still, thats a surprisingly large procentage, as its a fairly straightforward class to enter

[Zaq]

at a quick glancethrough i spotted 4 that for one reason or another didn't seem to qualify for GGS. Might have missed how they were able to, might have missed some that weren't able to, but still, thats a surprisingly large procentage, as its a fairly straightforward class to enter

Edited for prudence's sake until we hear from the Chair.

[WhamBamSam]

at a quick glancethrough i spotted 4 that for one reason or another didn't seem to qualify for GGS. Might have missed how they were able to, might have missed some that weren't able to, but still, thats a surprisingly large procentage, as its a fairly straightforward class to enterI spotted two on my first skim over, though upon rechecking, one of them is at least doing a (more than a little sketchy) thing to qualify. I'm going to try to judge if I have time, and I'll certainly at least be giving everything a more thorough read-through, so I might catch the others.

[dysprosium]

Oh Zaq, using your truenaming language skills on us . . .

By the way I think I know of what you speak . . .

[Troacctid]

Don't be coy, man, just say which ones don't qualify. The judges have enough gnomework already. :smalltongue:

[Zaq]

Don't be coy, man, just say which ones don't qualify. The judges have enough gnomework already. :smalltongue:

Without the Chair telling me it's okay to point fingers more than I've already pointed them, I'll stick with what I've said so far.

I could just point out the requirement that people are missing, though, if the general consensus is that it's okay for a contestant to do that. (An opinion from the Chair would be excellent here.) I'd do it in a heartbeat if I were an observer (or a judge, for that matter), but since I'm a contestant, I want everything here to be on the up-and-up.

[Afgncaap5]

Ah, impressive list of entries there. Glad I'm not competing against all that.

The build I had in mind was a Ninja 5/Dragon Shaman (Copper Totem) 5/GGK 10 build with a focus on Skill Tricks, Feinting, and Alchemy (for poisons and eggshell grenades) built around distracting enemies while the townsfolk fled and whittling massive hitpoints away from a distance and/or in melee while unseeable through one of three or four different methods (and the at-will Spider Climb is nice for skill tricks and tactics against tall things). Flavor-wise less of a "ninja" and more of a "Tomb Bombadil," ideally.

[dysprosium]

Without the Chair telling me it's okay to point fingers more than I've already pointed them, I'll stick with what I've said so far.

I could just point out the requirement that people are missing, though, if the general consensus is that it's okay for a contestant to do that. (An opinion from the Chair would be excellent here.) I'd do it in a heartbeat if I were an observer (or a judge, for that matter), but since I'm a contestant, I want everything here to be on the up-and-up.

I believe in rounds past it was considered bad form for contestants to explicitly call out possible failures to qualify, especially before any judges have stepped in.

However I could be wrong or mis-remembering.

[Zaq]

Sounds like we need a ruling from the Chair. If necessary, I'll edit my posts to remove what I've already said, if that's what Heliomance wants me to do.

[The Viscount]

I believe i see what you're talking about, though I would care to disagree based on how this sort of requirement is written for some feats.

[Deadline]

I'm keen to see what the judges have to say. I think I've spotted the obscure bit Zaq was talking about, but I don't think that will actually have an effect here (I doubt folks will read it that strictly). I'm with Sian in that I'm surprised at the turnout and percentage that have issues, but given our past Chair guidance about such matters, I'm going to zip my lip and wait for the judges to do their thing.

[Zaq]

I've gone and edited my posts. If the Chair says it's okay for a contestant to point out a requirement that a lot of builds are missing, I'll go ahead, but I'll just play it safe and keep mum for now. The last thing I want is to be accused of impropriety. This is a friendly competition, right?

[Deadline]

The last thing I want is to be accused of impropriety. This is a friendly competition, right?

You bet it is! Just as long as I win. :smalltongue:

[KrimsonNekros]

My main idea was a swift hunter tempest ggs. Seemed like a good build to try and maximize damage.

[Sian]

minor note... I'm positive that the problems i've spotted are something other than what i'm certain Zaq is alluding to, and at least 3 have made the exact same mistake

[Thurbane]

I couldn't find my build stub to enter, but it was something like Muckdweller Duskblade/Barbarian/Stoneblessed/Dragon Disciple/Gnome Giantslayer, pumping STR as much as possible, and Leap Attacking.

Not very exciting - the gag was pumping the STR score on a Tiny creature as high as possible...

Good to see a Muckdweller made it in anyway! :smallbiggrin:

[Heliomance]

Pretty sure Zaq is claiming that the Giant language needs to be picked up via ranks in the Speak Language skill. Personally, I'm skeptical, and I wouldn't rule it that way, but I'll leave it up to individual judges to rule as they see fit.

[Curmudgeon]

Pretty sure Zaq is claiming that the Giant language needs to be picked up via ranks in the Speak Language skill. Personally, I'm skeptical, and I wouldn't rule it that way, but I'll leave it up to individual judges to rule as they see fit.

You can purchase Speak Language just like any other skill, but instead of buying a rank in it, you choose a new language that you can speak.
The skill will only let you speak a new language. If you already speak it, Speak Language does not allow you to choose that language.

[Troacctid]

Character
Gnome
BAB +5
Dodge and Mobility
Spring Attack
Escape Artist and Tumble 3 ranks each
Speak Language (Giant)
Qualifies for GGS?


Depplo Nilare
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
??? (due to poor editing in Races of Stone, automatic and bonus languages are omitted from the Whisper Gnome racial traits, so it may not be a legal choice)
Maybe


Aprillus Foolius
Yes
Yes (for 42 seconds via a partially charged wand of divine power and two 8th level hirelings' stacked Inspire Greatness)
Yes
Yes (for half an hour via a 3rd level Wizard hireling's heroics)
Yes
Yes
That's the joke


Luna Indigo
Yes
Yes
Sort of (listed at the wrong levels in the table)
No (taken illegally at Ranger 4)
Yes (incorrectly listed as class skills, but halving the listed ranks still meets the prerequisite)
No (languages are unlisted)
No


Tubesock the Gigantifier
No (unless you think these guys (http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Phaerimm) can be Human-Descended)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Probably not


Pebble Underfoot
??? (due to poor editing in Serpent Kingdoms, bonus languages are omitted from the Muckdweller entry, so he may not qualify for Stoneblessed)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Maybe


Jorus "Tallfellow" Goldear
No (does not speak Gnome, so Stoneblessed is taken illegally)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No


Skeeter
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


MC Hooked Hammer
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


GnoMor Giants!
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


Hiragnsha
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


E.Pickenz
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


Jagt
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes


Jack Sprat
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
??? (due to poor editing in Races of Stone, automatic and bonus languages are omitted from the Whisper Gnome racial traits, so it may not be a legal choice)
Maybe


The Piss Boy
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
??? (languages are unlisted)
Probably


Gronk the Runt
Yes (via Stoneblessed)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (languages are unlisted, but Int is too high to not take Giant as a bonus language)
Yes




Let me know if I missed anything.

Bonus languages are included in the Speak Language skill, so having Giant as a bonus language counts as having Speak Language (Giant). You could maybe arguably rule otherwise, if you are a terrible judge. :smallwink:

[Curmudgeon]

Let me know if I missed anything.
You've got "Spring Attack and +4 BAB" listed as a requirement. BAB +4 is only a requirement for Spring Attack, so if that feat is legally obtained then BAB +4 is redundant. BAB +5 is a requirement to enter Gnome Giant-Slayer.

[Troacctid]

You've got "Spring Attack and +4 BAB" listed as a requirement. BAB +4 is only a requirement for Spring Attack, so if that feat is legally obtained then BAB +4 is redundant. BAB +5 is a requirement to enter Gnome Giant-Slayer.

Whoops, you're right. Fixed.

[Curmudgeon]

Another one, regarding "taken illegally without prerequisites" for Aprillius Foolius: there is consideration of prerequisites; see the "Story" spoiler. (It's perhaps in the same realm of plausibility as the Jagt "born a mutant" explanation under the "Tactics and Strategy" spoiler.)

I just checked, and there's no mention of "Human" or "Humanoid" for Phaerimm in either Lost Empires of Faerûn (pages 187-189) or Player's Guide to Faerûn Web Enhancement (pages 8-9). There's also no "or by character class" in their Advancement entry, which puts that squarely at odds with the following "Phaerimm Characters" section. :smallconfused:

[Troacctid]

Another one, regarding "taken illegally without prerequisites" for Aprillius Foolius: there is consideration of prerequisites; see the "Story" spoiler. (It's perhaps in the same realm of plausibility as the Jagt "born a mutant" explanation under the "Tactics and Strategy" spoiler.)

I just checked, and there's no mention of "Human" or "Humanoid" for Phaerimm in either Lost Empires of Faerûn (pages 187-189) or Player's Guide to Faerûn Web Enhancement (pages 8-9). There's also no "or by character class" in their Advancement entry, which puts that squarely at odds with the following "Phaerimm Characters" section. :smallconfused:

Edited, although I don't know if I'd equate Aprillus Foolius's stuff with the "born a mutant" thing, since that's just a Bluff that Jagt might use to fool giants, not an actual game mechanic being exploited.

[SinsI]

Just noticed that you can qualify for Stoneblessed by being a Giant.
So, Giant Gnome Giant Slayer, anyone? :)

[Curmudgeon]

So, Giant Gnome Giant Slayer, anyone? :)
See Jorus "Tallfellow" Goldear and Gronk the Runt.

[Heliomance]

A note from Gronk:


In response to Troacctid's table of entry legalities, Gronk's knowledge of Gnome and Terran (required for Stoneblessed) is specified as coming from the Speak Language skill. I neglected to mention that he took Giant as a bonus language at character creation, but it's literally impossible for him not to have taken it: His starting Int grants him five bonus languages, and half-giants only have four choices for bonus language, one of which is Giant (in fact, this dysfunction was why I didn't list the languages: I was trying to figure it out, shelved it to work on other parts of the build, and forgot to pick it up again).

[Sian]

as we're running with such an direct way of saying if characters qualify, then i'd note that Pebble Underfoot doesn't qualify for Stoneblessed as he neither have noted knowledge of speaking Gnome nor Terran

[Troacctid]

In response to Troacctid's table of entry legalities, Gronk's knowledge of Gnome and Terran (required for Stoneblessed) is specified as coming from the Speak Language skill. I neglected to mention that he took Giant as a bonus language at character creation, but it's literally impossible for him not to have taken it: His starting Int grants him five bonus languages, and half-giants only have four choices for bonus language, one of which is Giant (in fact, this dysfunction was why I didn't list the languages: I was trying to figure it out, shelved it to work on other parts of the build, and forgot to pick it up again).

Edited.


as we're running with such an direct way of saying if characters qualify, then i'd note that Pebble Underfoot doesn't qualify for Stoneblessed as he neither have noted knowledge of speaking Gnome nor Terran

He lists his bonus languages as Gnome and Terran underneath his build table. Are those not legal bonus languages for his race? I didn't check.

[Curmudgeon]

Another one, Troacctid. You've got "??? (automatic and bonus languages are omitted from the Whisper Gnome racial traits in Races of Stone, so it may not be a legal choice)" for Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker", a Whisper Gnome. Jack Sprat is also a Whisper Gnome, so shouldn't these characters have the same treatment?

[Sian]

He lists his bonus languages as Gnome and Terran underneath his build table. Are those not legal bonus languages for his race? I didn't check.

Ah, so he does... missed those,

Other than a mention that their default language is Draconic (automatic Language) the race entry doesn't mention anything about bonus languages so its an open question...

[Amphetryon]

Any updates from the judges?

Any hints on the next competition?

[Zaq]

How many confirmed judges do we have, anyway?

[Chronos]

Given that whisper gnomes are a variant on gnomes, and given that they have no languages listed at all, I think it's safest to assume that they have the same language options as standard gnomes.

[KrimsonNekros]

DotU Arachnomancer? Shiba Protector? Heliomance has been taking our gag suggestions quite seriously.

[Sian]

I'd love Shiba Protector

[WhamBamSam]

I've finally made a full first read through all the entries. I'll try to get a judging up, though I have some real world work to take care of as well, with the semester coming to an end, and I tend to be a bit slow at writing up judgings.

With regard to the next round, Beast Heart Adept remains my top choice, but Shiba Protector's full 10 levels sounds like great fun. I'd like to see Bayushi Deciever, Cloud Anchorite, Thief of Life, Rage Mage, or Oozemaster as well, and I've got a build or two stubbed out for the inevitable Shining Blade of Heironeous round.

[Troacctid]

I'm still waiting for Elocater.


Given that whisper gnomes are a variant on gnomes, and given that they have no languages listed at all, I think it's safest to assume that they have the same language options as standard gnomes.

Is it?


Language: Whisper Gnomes speak Gnome, which uses the Dwarven alphabet. Most Whisper Gnomes also speak Terran, and they sometimes use that language as a sort of semisecret code when in the company of other races.

Terran isn't normally a bonus language for gnomes.

[Chronos]

So help me, but I actually have an idea for Shining Blade of Hieronius, too.

As an aside, in double-checking that it would work, I noticed that SBoH is actually even worse than it looks: The text gives fewer uses/day of its abilities than the table does.

[Zaq]

So help me, but I actually have an idea for Shining Blade of Hieronius, too.

As an aside, in double-checking that it would work, I noticed that SBoH is actually even worse than it looks: The text gives fewer uses/day of its abilities than the table does.

Oh dear. You appear to be right about that. That's horrible.

I notice that the sample SBoH is Cleric 4 / Paladin 4 / SBoH 3. I know WotC is famously bad at optimizing characters, but what is that even supposed to represent? Ugh.

[Amphetryon]

I'm still waiting for Elocater.

Elocator would be interesting.

[Curmudgeon]

... the "born a mutant" thing, since that's just a Bluff that Jagt might use to fool giants, not an actual game mechanic being exploited.
The Bluff and Disguise checks are opposed by Sense Motive and Spot respectively. However, there's no mechanism to fool a Knowledge (local) check which would immediately reveal Jagt as a Gnome. That's the actual game mechanic I was alluding to which makes her "Tactics and Strategy" implausible, as it relies on no Giants she encounters ever having that as a trained skill.

[Zeb]

First and second read through done.
Initial scores are in for all entries.

Now I just gneed to check in-depth on each to make sure the scores are correct, and actually type up all my comments and gnotes...

Which might take a while given the crazy work schedule i just got for this week. :smallfrown:

[WhamBamSam]

I'm still waiting for Elocater.I knew I was forgetting something on my list. Elocater is just about as Iron Chef as it gets, and should make for a really fun round.


Oh dear. You appear to be right about that. That's horrible.

I notice that the sample SBoH is Cleric 4 / Paladin 4 / SBoH 3. I know WotC is famously bad at optimizing characters, but what is that even supposed to represent? Ugh.I think it's supposed to represent the author realizing halfway through that Clerics don't qualify for SBoH until 10th level. Which, in a way, makes it better optimization than you sometimes see with WotC sample characters.

[Heliomance]

Think I might do another 3.0 class for the next one.

[Amphetryon]

Think I might do another 3.0 class for the next one.

Forsaker? Knight Errant of Silverymoon? So many good, bad choices. . . .

[Afgncaap5]

Any thoughts on Candle Caster? I've always liked the idea of that class while hating the idea of using it.

[Venger]

Any thoughts on Candle Caster? I've always liked the idea of that class while hating the idea of using it.

"could I be any more obscure of a class?"

it's full casting, so I'm iffy on it at best. we'll just get a bunch of wizards. not very IC.

[Curmudgeon]

Times Used
Feat Name

1
Aberration Blood (flexible limbs)
[/tr]

1
Action Surge


1
Alertness


1
Apprentice: Entertainer


1
Arcane Strike


1
Archivist of Nature


1
Arterial Strike


1
Azure Enmity


1
Cerulean Will


1
Combat Reflexes


1
Darkstalker


1
Diehard


1
Expeditious Dodge


1
Extended Reach


1
Extra Silence


1
Favored in Guild (Jaezred Chaulssin)


1
Fell Shot


1
Frightful Presence


1
Goad


1
Heroic Spirit


1
Human Heritage


1
Improved Flight


1
Improved Initiative


1
Improved Trip


1
Improved Two-Weapon Fighting


1
Inhuman Reach


1
Instant Clarity


1
Magic in the Blood


1
Manyshot


1
Martial Study (Action Before Thought)


1
Minor Shapeshift


1
Mounted Combat


1
Natural Bond


1
Natural Trickster


1
Nemesis (giant)


1
Nymph’s Kiss


1
Open Lesser Chakra: Arms


1
Pebble Underfoot


1
Psionic Shot


1
Rapid Shot


1
Return Shot


1
Scribe Scroll


1
Shadow HAND (should be BLADE, I think)


1
Shape Soulmeld: Bluesteel Bracers


1
Shi'Quos School


1
Sidestep Charge


1
Skill Focus: Diplomacy


1
Snap Kick


1
Staggering Strike


1
Stygian Archon


1
Stygian Power


1
Swarm Fighting


1
Wolfpack


1
Woodland Archer


2
Bounding Assault


2
Endurance


2
Favored Power Attack


2
Imperious Command


2
Improved Favored Enemy


2
Improved Unarmed Strike


2
Midnight Dodge


2
Point Blank Shot


2
Power Attack


2
Trickery Devotion


2
Two-Weapon Fighting


3
Craven


3
Exotic Weapon Proficiency


3
Knowledge Devotion


3
Weapon Focus


4
Combat Expertise


5
Weapon Finesse


6
Confound the Big Folk


6
Track


7
Underfoot Combat


12
Dodge


15
Mobility


15
Spring Attack

[Chronos]

Aw, man, now I'm going to lose originality points for taking Mobility and Spring Attack!

Oh, wait, have I said too much?

[Zaq]

Any news from the judges? Who all is judging at this point, anyway?

[samduke]

Any news from the judges? Who all is judging at this point, anyway?
I wonder the same thing as Zaq..

I am just going to ask if it is common place for judges to wait until the last possible time to give scores - for little to no dispute time , or is it just the last few that have been this way?

[OMG PONIES]

I wonder the same thing as Zaq..

I am just going to ask if it is common place for judges to wait until the last possible time to give scores - for little to no dispute time , or is it just the last few that have been this way?

Man, what a genius move! Makes me wish I had done it in my stints as a judge...There's always next time.

[Troacctid]

I bet all the usual judges submitted entries instead. :smalltongue:

Personally, I'm not really interested in judging this round. Maybe if I could confer with a panel of other judges, but it's a lot of work to do by myself.

[WhamBamSam]

If I'm to judge it won't be by Sunday. The end of the semester sort of got the better of me. If no one beats me to it, I'll try to grind a judging out after finishing my last assignment. Hopefully someone will though, or there'll be a bit of a wait.

[Zeb]

Able so squeeze a few hours between jobs so I am gonna post my judging, sorry if gnot all my gnotes make it.

I will be erring on the side that whisper gnome bonus languages are the same as regular gnomes.


Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker"- 12
Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker" comes across as the straightforward prototypical Gnome Giant slayer.

Originality- 2
Gnothing unexpected or out of place, the class race combo just doesn't stand out.

Power- 3
You have some decent tricks for staying relevant but gnothing that really helps you punch above your weight class.

Elegance- 4
There is a certan elegance in the simplicity of this entry and if not for the table goof and inclusion of exalted and unearth arcana content you could almost use this anywhere.

UoSI- 3
While you make use of a gnumber of the Si's abilities you don't make any of them shine or go beyond just a gnumerical bonus.

Aprillius Foolius- 9
I was mildly amused, I might have been more so if there were less entries...
Originality- 3.5
Redefining your hate to be giant roadrunners, and saying you got use of defensive roll for vehicle collisions, why gnot?

Power-3.5
Well you can make a good single strike if you could actually hit that bird.

Elegance- 1
Like everything from ACME Aprillius Foolius is just inelegant.

UoSI-1
The questionable qualifications for the SI and its requirements just taint any use you would get from the abilities.

Luna Indigo - 8

Originality- 3
A standard gnome type and ranger were expected, but feral and beast master were not.

Power- 2
There isn't much of anything that shows what makes Luna powerful, and her animal companion is not holding up hp or AC-wise vs normal CR giants

Elegance- 2
Taking a bloodline, the table listings for skills and feats being incorrect both hurt you here.

UoSI- 1
Lack of languages listed as well as spring attack being taken illegally disqualify you as a gnome giant slayer.

Tubesock the Gigantifier- 8.75
Well your level 5 spoiler says a lot, and I think I would have waited form a more appropriate contest
Originality- 2.5
Sure it isn't really a gnome but I can get behind an experiment used to destroy your hated foes.

Power- 4.25
If everything works as advertised then there is some real power here and some nice combos.

Elegance- 1
Levels before la, Hextor worshiping gnomes and human heritage all work against you. Plus if you can do the voodoo you say why bother turning them into giants?

UoSI- 1
As cool as it is to turn your foe into something you get a bonus against is you just are gnot a gnome so gno gnome giant slayer.

Pebble Underfoot- 13.25
Every time I read this entry I liked it a little more.
Originality- 4
Kung Fu lizard raised by gnomes? I'd watch that sitcom.

Power- 3
Qualifying for the SI and leaving Initiator classes really prevent you from going above and beyond in power.

Elegance- 4.25
Everything here is streamlined to achieving your goal, but Muckdweller is in Serpent kingdoms which isn't on your book list

UoSI- 2
While gnomes could speak to him in draconic, gno bonus languages are listed for your race so i'm just gonna leave you in a qualification/points limbo.


Jorus "Tallfellow" Goldear- 11
A quarter giant/half ogre who joins with gnomes to hunt giants because family issues.
Originality- 3.5
Of the giants pretending to be gnomes to hunt giants I think I like Tallfellow the best.

Power-3.5
Factotum is always a strong start with high int.

Elegance- 3
Slow growth but simple

UoSI- 1
No Gnome or Terran listed, thus gno stoneblessed and gno gnome

Skeeter- 15
Mosquito gnome is pretty cool.
Originality- 3.5
Good story and a fun combo.

Power- 4
Hits above his weight class and stays relevant.

Elegance- 3.5
Everything provided can help with your goal and the adaptations are helpful.

UoSI- 4
You make many good parings with SI abilities.

MC Hooked Hammer- 1414.25
Break it down!
Originality- 3.5
Divine prankster is fun and unexpected

Power-4
Fun combos and good power throughout the build

Elegance- 3
it is a little rough seeing cloistered cleric gnext to thug fighter but everything else flows well.

UoSI- 3.5 3.75
You have some fine uses for the SI abilities, but if you can land PAO then why bother with something that can still fight?


GnoMor Giants!- 15 15.25
GnoMor Giants! really embraces that you have to be evil to really hate a race, something hard to mix with the normally lighthearted gnomes.
Originality- 4
Love the story and outlook, everything has just a twist on what you expect.

Power-4
Strong combos and high number remain relevant with the tactics presented.

Elegance- 3.5 3.75
Everything flows and you make it to the SI quickly, the use of savage species feats on a skilled city dweller just rubs me wrong.

UoSI-3.5
While your build uses the SI abilities I wounder if another class might serve you better.

Hiragnsha- 11 11.25
Well now I have to borrow a book so I can look up jaunter
Originality- 2 2.25
Swashbuckler and ranger were both expected jaunter is the only thing setting you apart.

Power- 3
Your MAD. 2 weapon. finesse lifestyle really doesn't come online until later.

Elegance- 3
You make a straightforward progression to your prestige classes.

UoSI- 3
You use Jaunter to make sure you get your SI abilities if applicable but don't showcase them above and beyond.


E.Pickenz- 12 12.25
I wondered if we would see a long ranged build.
Originality- 2.5
Pretty standard fair for the competition, archivist is neatly different

Power- 3.5 3.75
Staying at range and stacking bonuses is nice, but not always an option.

Elegance- 3.5
You kept it simple but it could have been more for a lack of options.

UoSI- 2.5
You Qualify but don't complete the SI, and as you say some of the stuff you just don't touch

Jagt- 11
While the concept is interesting I just don't see it working in most campaigns
Originality- 3.5
A fun combo of classes and gnoble goal.

Power- 2.5
beyond a successful infiltration (unlikely) and a good alpha strike I dont see much going for you at approprate CRs.

Elegance- 2.5
Jagt takes a while to come online then has to work solo

UoSI-2.5
It was interesting to see an attempt to optimize the social aspect of the SI, but I think you will end up gneeding the defensive benefits far more.

Jack Sprat- 12.5

Originality- 2.5
Pretty standard take on a giant slayer

Power-3.5
Maneuvers and sneak attach allow you to hit a little harder

Elegance- 3.25
Two classes into the SI and feats are the standard for what you do.

UoSI- 3.25
Yes you qualify for and use the SI but you only have one or two 'extras' to enhance your choices

The Piss Boy- 13.25
Didn't see a hexblade coming.
Originality- 3
The giants as despots is hard to believe but who doesn't like a good underdog story?

Power-3.5
Fear stacking is a fun trick

Elegance- 3.25
You take a roundabout way to get into the SI but you use everything you gather.

UoSI-3.5
You really use a couple of the SI abilities but the others do benefit you. There is gno giant listed among your languages but I will infer from the story that you picked it up as your bonus language since the giants took over "long ago"

Gronk the Runt- 10.25
not sure how i feel about the g k inversion...
Originality- 2.5
The second best giant pretending to be a gnome hunting giants

Power- 3.25
Gno gnew ground but the standard solid power uses.

Elegance- 2
Readability and your reliance on a spell purchase hurt you.

UoSI- 2.5
I don't see anything you take from the SI and make shine.


HM vote goes to E.Pickenz since it was the closest thing to using a sling to slay giants which I thought would be a fun build to make work

[OMG PONIES]

Thanks for judging, Zeb! And for honoring the Gn without overdoing it...

[samduke]

Also Thanks for judging, Zeb!

[Heliomance]

A dispute!



GnoMor Giants! really embraces that you have to be evil to really hate a race, something hard to mix with the normally lighthearted gnomes.
...
Elegance- 3.5
Everything flows and you make it to the SI quickly, the use of savage species feats on a skilled city dweller just rubs me wrong.

UoSI-3.5
While your build uses the SI abilities I wounder if another class might serve you better.
There's only one Savage Species feat (Extended Reach), which is refluffed as stretching on a dungeon rack to fit an urban setting. The thrust of this build is that hatred makes you monstrous, and this [Monstrous] feat lets GnoMor channel that hate in a physical way (torturing himself to match his reach to his larger enemies). You don't have to be in the wilderness to be a monster.

I'm not sure how to respond to the "another class" point. Most everything could be served better with Wizard/Incantatrix or Druid/Planar Shepherd. However, GnoMor Giants! is a Gnome who wants to kill Giants. There's nothing more iconic for that sort of character than the SI. He makes use of the class as early (6th level) as he can, and keeps using the GG-S abilities through the whole build. At lower levels he's got his reach and GG-S abilities to take down Giants all the way to -10 HP; at higher levels he's got his greater reach and GG-S abilities to take down more powerful Giants but only needs to get them to 150 HP.

[Heliomance]

And another.

First of all, I'd like to thank you for judging. This was a big round that saw alot of competition. However, I have a few questions, most of them stemming from a lack of explanation.

In your judging criteria you say there were points given based on originality of the chassis, and if you think the concept is cool. But you say:
"Pretty standard fair for the competition, archivist is neatly different", giving 2.5 for originality, which I assume, is an average score. Being the only ranged character and the only one to use archivist, I can't see how it is "standard fair". Ranger and rogue are used a decent amount, is that where that comes from?

For power, you seem to dock points because staying at range isn't always an option. That would be fine for most other ranged builds, but Close Shot does wonders for us here. Not taking AoO's removes the biggest problem with a ranged character fighting in close quarters. The bonuses from dark knowledge/knowledge devotion don't care what range we're at, it still does major amounts of damage and can drop most giants in 1 or 2 rounds.

In UoSI you also state that some stuff isn't touched. While it's true that Pickenz doesn't finish GGS, the only abilities not used are the ones he doesn't pick up. You previously stated that staying at range isn't always an option. That's where Improved Mobility and Slippery come into play. Could you elaborate on that?

[Zeb]

There's only one Savage Species feat (Extended Reach), which is refluffed as stretching on a dungeon rack to fit an urban setting. The thrust of this build is that hatred makes you monstrous, and this [Monstrous] feat lets GnoMor channel that hate in a physical way (torturing himself to match his reach to his larger enemies). You don't have to be in the wilderness to be a monster.
While it originally just struck me as awkward to have just one source solely for improving your reach when it seemed you were already using other methods, it seems I was laxer on the other entrants source dips (+.25)


GnoMor Giants! is a Gnome who wants to kill Giants. There's nothing more iconic for that sort of character than the SI. He makes use of the class as early (6th level) as he can, and keeps using the GG-S abilities through the whole build. At lower levels he's got his reach and GG-S abilities to take down Giants all the way to -10 HP; at higher levels he's got his greater reach and GG-S abilities to take down more powerful Giants but only needs to get them to 150 HP.

GnoMor uses almost every bit of the Secret Ingredient's capabilities, starting early. Most GG-S abilities are always-on defenses (very helpful in a defensive build) or automatic when damaging Giants. He'd prefer not to need the various dodge boosts to AC, but is happy to have them as needed. Ditto for Slippery and its aid to Escape Artist checks to escape a Giant's grapple... One ability GnoMor never wants to need is Defensive Roll As you say yourself there are abilities you would prefer gnot to gneed or do not utilize. It just seems the build would like a few more levels improving you stealth or helping you hit harder, magically or physically. Gnone of this actually took from the full points for qualification, taking all ten levels and utilizing some of the abilities. (scoring stands)


and




First of all, I'd like to thank you for judging. This was a big round that saw alot of competition. However, I have a few questions, most of them stemming from a lack of explanation.

In your judging criteria you say there were points given based on originality of the chassis, and if you think the concept is cool. But you say:
"Pretty standard fair for the competition, archivist is neatly different", giving 2.5 for originality, which I assume, is an average score. Being the only ranged character and the only one to use archivist, I can't see how it is "standard fair". Ranger and rogue are used a decent amount, is that where that comes from? Apologies for the lack of explanation, I took a variety of gnotes while judging in my free time at my many different work locations but only the scores were available at all locations and many of my handwritten gnotes that explain why I changed a score are lost to me.

Yes ranger and rogue were used a decent amount and the cloistered clerics and factotums also devalued the "knowledge of my enemy is power!" thing that archivists do. And while you are the only Focused ranged character many of the others do mention how they use ranged ability especially in conjunction with close shot. Which brings us to

For power, you seem to dock points because staying at range isn't always an option. That would be fine for most other ranged builds, but Close Shot does wonders for us here. Not taking AoO's removes the biggest problem with a ranged character fighting in close quarters. The bonuses from dark knowledge/knowledge devotion don't care what range we're at, it still does major amounts of damage and can drop most giants in 1 or 2 rounds.

In UoSI you also state that some stuff isn't touched. While it's true that Pickenz doesn't finish GGS, the only abilities not used are the ones he doesn't pick up. You previously stated that staying at range isn't always an option. That's where Improved Mobility and Slippery come into play. Could you elaborate on that?

The staying at range quote was mostly in response to your ask the author section where you state "the dream" is never to be within 30 or 60 feet of your enemies. Sometimes that isn't an option with the higher CR giants, but it seems I was scoring you unfairly with the lack of a damage drop even at close range (Power +.25).

The 2 levels of wilderness rogue that help 'qualify' you for the SI could have just as easily been dumped for levels of the SI, so it is gnot just that you didn't take all 10 levels, or use those abilities but that you feel that the 2 levels of wilderness rogue are worth 'more'. (UoSI stands)



P.S. I really hope I'm not the only judge because I really feel others might have strongly differing opinions about overall character totals. I myself was surprised at how some the totals came out as I scored each section, combined for each character, checked to make sure I wasn't double awarding or penalizing over categories, plugged in some of the notes I could find, went to post it and saw in the post preview I hadn't added up all the totals. Some I thought were good didn't do as well gnumerically as I expected.

[Heliomance]

Do people want to wait for another judge on this one or shall I close it on time?

[WhamBamSam]

Do people want to wait for another judge on this one or shall I close it on time?Close it. I'm sorry not to be judging, but it'd take me at least another week, and I don't think we really want to wait that long. I don't think anyone else was planning on judging.

[Troacctid]

I would rather wait a week and have a second judge than close early with only one judge. Having only one judge is kinda lame.

[Curmudgeon]

Another day for another judge who's close to done would be great. Another week, with no guarantee that the vicissitudes of life wouldn't still make that extra time insufficient, seems pretty long to me.

[TerrickTerran]

Times like this make me wish I could judge, but between not having an easy time tracking down sources and personal issues to deal with, it's not a real option. Would love to see another judge though as I think it's good when you get two different opinions.

[Heliomance]

More dispute!


Below average results. Hmm, disappointing.
Disputes are difficult to articulate when the rationale for scores is not entirely spelled out. That said:

Originality: 2

So, lost points for taking 3 levels of Ranger (not a dip), which was one of the few ways to leverage GGS's FE bonuses without dipping, and which I augmented with Azure Emnity. This made me the only one with more than a cursory branching into the Incarnum feats, incidentally. Losing points for using the SI's abilities here, without any indication that this use gains any points in Power is curious. Lost points for Swashbuckler, despite only one other contestant using it; below average score despite Jaunter and fairly heavy Incarnum use. Hmm.

Power: 3

Yes, Hiragnsha's MAD. Every entry is MAD, needing at least 4 good stats (STR, DEX, CON, WIS). That's the nature of GGS. Is this an across-the-board deduction for building with the SI? Not sure what 'finesse lifestyle doesn't really come online until later' actually means in context, here, as Hiragnsha is a level-appropriate capable combatant throughout his progression, whose Incarnum investment, in conjunction with GGS, Swashbuckler, and Jaunter, gets him to borderline silly damage against the Giant type/subtype unless TO is considered baseline. Capable of helping out the party through mobility in ways not restricted to combat, so able to contribute in multiple scenarios. Capable of above GGS-baseline attack/damage average in combat with one weapon, two weapons, or ranged weapons. This results in no better than average score. Hmm.

Elegance: 3

No dips, unless you're defining dips in larger chunks than the judges have historically, and I actually finished both PrCs. I avoided any multiclassing penalties, maintained a reasonable level of power throughout without reliance on nova abilities, and - per Troacctid's chart - am in the minority in terms of unambiguous qualification for all feats and PrCs. This results in no better than average score. Hmm.

UoSI: 3

Leveraged the mobile nature of GGS through Jaunter, enabling more optimal use of that mobility. Leveraged Crafty Fighter with additional, stacking Dodge bonuses. Leveraged Slippery with Bluesteel Bracers to improve grapple offensively and defensively. Leveraged Close Shot through Jaunter and maxed Tumble, allowing Hiragnsha to be within 30' but not where the Giant (or other enemy) expects. Leveraged Fast Movement by gaining it twice, making him 20' faster than standard Gnome before counting BAMF abilities. This results in no better than average score. Hmm.

[Zaq]

If we have someone else who will stand up and say that they're definitely judging, I don't mind waiting. But I don't know if we even have another volunteer to judge at this point, and while having only one judge is suboptimal, I don't want to wait a week for no reason.

[Deadasadoor]

I think I'd also like to see another judge. Besides, if I manage to get the home cooking round judged today it means that we can get another contest going on that front and it won't conflict with IC.

[Curmudgeon]

All of this discussion is pointless unless there's at least one volunteer who can judge 15 contest entries in a reasonable span of time. It's been 4 weeks since the start of this round, and WhamBamSam and Zeb have been the only declarations for judging. Zeb has followed through (and I thank you for that), while WhamBamSam has had real world stuff conflict so that judging would be delayed for at least a week. Troacctid has said he's not interested in judging, though he's provided some useful tabular data.

Is there anyone else who has been working on judging, and could finish before next month?

My guess is that if there isn't a volunteer today, we should honor WhamBamSam's suggestion and close out this round.

[samduke]

Vote to close it with just 1 judge

[OMG PONIES]

I agree with Curmudgeon that the question is moot if another judge isn't stepping forward, but if one is I'd be willing to wait another week

[Zeb]

Below average results. Hmm, disappointing.
Disputes are difficult to articulate when the rationale for scores is not entirely spelled out. That said:

Result singular. Judging is not just a rubric of deductions and additions but numbers based on my reading of the entries, compared to the others and builds I would have used. Also a 3 in a category isn't bad, someone with 3's across the board is a good example of the SI and good enough to plop and play as a PC or NPC. 4's represent excellent, and 5's exceptional.


Originality: 2

So, lost points for taking 3 levels of Ranger (not a dip), which was one of the few ways to leverage GGS's FE bonuses without dipping, and which I augmented with Azure Emnity. This made me the only one with more than a cursory branching into the Incarnum feats, incidentally. Losing points for using the SI's abilities here, without any indication that this use gains any points in Power is curious. Lost points for Swashbuckler, despite only one other contestant using it; below average score despite Jaunter and fairly heavy Incarnum use. Hmm.
Ranger was heavily used by others and swashbuckler was expected. It looks like I got distracted by looking at what jaunter did and didn't give you points for that (+.25) as for the incarnum; different doesn't mean original, and one in five entrants used nonstandard dodge for qualification.


Power: 3

Yes, Hiragnsha's MAD. Every entry is MAD, needing at least 4 good stats (STR, DEX, CON, WIS). That's the nature of GGS. Is this an across-the-board deduction for building with the SI? Not sure what 'finesse lifestyle doesn't really come online until later' actually means in context, here, as Hiragnsha is a level-appropriate capable combatant throughout his progression, whose Incarnum investment, in conjunction with GGS, Swashbuckler, and Jaunter, gets him to borderline silly damage against the Giant type/subtype unless TO is considered baseline. Capable of helping out the party through mobility in ways not restricted to combat, so able to contribute in multiple scenarios. Capable of above GGS-baseline attack/damage average in combat with one weapon, two weapons, or ranged weapons. This results in no better than average score. Hmm. You also need INT for your insight dmg. A level appropriate combatant is just that, average. Your incarnum feats have you investing for 24hrs while general feats would probably have served you better numerically given your lack of an incarnum source other than your feats. You can be the party positioner or the "silly damage" dealer but not both at once. (no change)


Elegance: 3

No dips, unless you're defining dips in larger chunks than the judges have historically, and I actually finished both PrCs. I avoided any multiclassing penalties, maintained a reasonable level of power throughout without reliance on nova abilities, and - per Troacctid's chart - am in the minority in terms of unambiguous qualification for all feats and PrCs. This results in no better than average score. Hmm. Your statements are about avoiding penalties not earning extra points. While others gained a little extra for working on their focus you split yours between jaunter, GGS and incarnum feats and the feats are subpar. (no change)


UoSI: 3

Leveraged the mobile nature of GGS through Jaunter, enabling more optimal use of that mobility. Leveraged Crafty Fighter with additional, stacking Dodge bonuses. Leveraged Slippery with Bluesteel Bracers to improve grapple offensively and defensively. Leveraged Close Shot through Jaunter and maxed Tumble, allowing Hiragnsha to be within 30' but not where the Giant (or other enemy) expects. Leveraged Fast Movement by gaining it twice, making him 20' faster than standard Gnome before counting BAMF abilities. This results in no better than average score. Hmm. Yes you have increased mobility from jaunter, other entries are equal or improved at dodging, unless i'm missing something bluesteel bracers don't improve your grapple, your mention of close shot is no more than the other entries and less than the focused range character and the ones who use a melee that is also ranged weapon.as for the speed increase yes you are 20' faster than a gnome commoner, or 10' than all the other entries, except those that that started at 30 like the whisper gnomes or the stoneblessed creatures with higher speed. you delayed finishing GGS for Jaunter siting the need for mobility but don't provide direct combos with GGS abilities. (scoring stands)


On a personal note you might want to get that hum looked at, it came across very negative.

[Heliomance]

Unless WhamBamSam (or someone else) steps forward in the next few hours to say they think they can judge in a reasonable amount of time, I'll close this today.

[Heliomance]

Oops, we have some last minute quibbles!


Wait, wait, don't close it just yet...I'd love to get some clarity from Zeb on a few points for each of my builds:

Skeeter

Can you please help me understand the distinction between a 3.5 and a 4 in Originality? Skeeter received a 3.5 for having "a good story and a fun combo," with nothing listed as the cause for the difference between his score and that of, say, Pebble Underfoot or GnoMor Giants, who both received 4s. From what I read on those, it seems that a 3.5 and a 4 in this category is the difference between liking the character's story and loving it. Would that be accurate or is there something I missed?
Can you please clarify how the Elegance score for a build is arrived at? I ask because Skeeter received a 3.5 with no mention of any factors that prevented his score from being high. At the same time, builds like Depplo Nilare, Pebble Underfoot, GnoMor Giants, and E Pickenz all had constructive criticism included for this category. However, each of them scored the same as Skeeter in Elegance or, in some cases, better. Can you please elaborate?


MC Hooked Hammer

Can you please help me understand the distinction between a 3.5 and a 4 in Originality? MC Hooked Hammer received a 3.5 for having a prestige class that was "fun and unexpected" with nothing listed as the cause for the difference between his score and that of, say, Pebble Underfoot or GnoMor Giants, who both received 4s. From what I read on those, it seems that a 3.5 and a 4 in this category is the difference between liking the character's concept and loving it. Would that be accurate or is there something I missed?
Under the UoSI comments for Tubesock the Gigantifier, turning one's enemies into giants in order to reap GGS bonuses was lauded as cool. However, for MC Hooked Hammer, it is listed as a detractor as he did not choose to turn the enemy into a form that cannot fight back. Can you please revisit this for consistency's sake?

[Heliomance]

Another disp- wait, what?


Aprillius Foolius is (obviously, I would hope) an April Fool's joke. A good joke requires proper execution, and thus I built him as a (mostly; see below) workable character. AF could be scored like any other entry, and get decent grades in most categories. I might even have gotten top marks in Originality. :smallsmile: Power is pretty good, in part because the Super Genius emphasis on Intelligence aids Avenger spellcasting (though that class is at a disadvantage compared to Assassin in spell selection). In Use of Secret Ingredient he's got good synergy despite selecting as much as possible from an April Fool's joke PrC. Most Giants (of the running bird variety or otherwise) aren't immune to sneak attack, so that +4d6+20 damage bonus adds nicely to GG-S FE bonus. Staggering Strike makes for a double whammy of status effects in concert with Annoying Strike. The obvious shortcoming is in the Elegance category, where the build shenanigans are way over the top. That said, every one of them has been proposed as a (non-joke) strategem on this forum, and it's possible that some judge might have given Aprillius Foolius a decent score. That would detract from the enjoyment of other contest participants, and consequently I engineered a remedy.

Every Wile E. Coyote scheme had an execution error. I tried to make the execution error for Aprillius Foolius both subtle and fatal. It's a single character, the NE alignment designation. Monks, even of the Cobra Strike fighting style variety, must be Lawful in alignment. The coffee stain on Aprillius Foolius's ACME Player's Handbook makes that class requirement look like "Any awful", which he certainly is. :smallbiggrin: Because AF doesn't qualify for his first class level, the entire build falls apart. (There's nothing mechanically preventing him from having the correct alignment; I simply made the build nonviable with the equivalent of a typo.)

I'd like to thank you for noting that Aprillius Foolius doesn't qualify for the SI, and thus has no chance of placing in this competition.

[Zeb]

Skeeter
Can you please help me understand the distinction between a 3.5 and a 4 in Originality? Skeeter received a 3.5 for having "a good story and a fun combo," with nothing listed as the cause for the difference between his score and that of, say, Pebble Underfoot or GnoMor Giants, who both received 4s. From what I read on those, it seems that a 3.5 and a 4 in this category is the difference between liking the character's story and loving it. Would that be accurate or is there something I missed?
Indeed, in a previous judging I did a thing with 'competition points' single items where one build would be able to stand above the others, they were messy and didn't work out with unexpected elements, so now builds that I felt were the best at something (in this case non gnome and gnome entry) received a small score boost in originality but it isn't as strictly codified.


Can you please clarify how the Elegance score for a build is arrived at? I ask because Skeeter received a 3.5 with no mention of any factors that prevented his score from being high. At the same time, builds like Depplo Nilare, Pebble Underfoot, GnoMor Giants, and E Pickenz all had constructive criticism included for this category. However, each of them scored the same as Skeeter in Elegance or, in some cases, better. Can you please elaborate? Depplo received the 'competition point boost'. For brevity it seemed that Skeeter didn't include a lot of examples or good interactions for his his class combinations and powers that I saw. Because I'm judging on what is presented not on everything I might do with the build that wasn't spelled out in the presentation. So while you have a host of cool abilities it would have been more elegant and possibly powerful with a more through unpacking in the tactics by level section.



MC Hooked Hammer
Can you please help me understand the distinction between a 3.5 and a 4 in Originality? MC Hooked Hammer received a 3.5 for having a prestige class that was "fun and unexpected" with nothing listed as the cause for the difference between his score and that of, say, Pebble Underfoot or GnoMor Giants, who both received 4s. From what I read on those, it seems that a 3.5 and a 4 in this category is the difference between liking the character's concept and loving it. Would that be accurate or is there something I missed? Same as above, but if Aprillius Foolius doesn't want the competition point as the best joke character...


Under the UoSI comments for Tubesock the Gigantifier, turning one's enemies into giants in order to reap GGS bonuses was lauded as cool. However, for MC Hooked Hammer, it is listed as a detractor as he did not choose to turn the enemy into a form that cannot fight back. Can you please revisit this for consistency's sake? Trying to be a 'gnicer' judge and having something positive to say in each section doesn't seem to be my strong suit. However it seems I focused on the trickery domain and not the trickery devotion trick so that is worth a little back (UoSI +.25.)



Another disp- wait, what? I'm also confused, I don't know if we changed the rule about 0s for illegal builds but your 'super-genius' antics amused me.

[Deadline]

*sigh* Dangit! I knew making that assumption about [REDACTED] was going to bite me. And I can't believe I messed up [REDACTED]!

[Heliomance]

Till thick and fast they came at last, and more, and more, and more.


I'm afraid I have to continue my debate for Skeeter:


Depplo received the 'competition point boost'. For brevity it seemed that Skeeter didn't include a lot of examples or good interactions for his his class combinations and powers that I saw. Because I'm judging on what is presented not on everything I might do with the build that wasn't spelled out in the presentation. So while you have a host of cool abilities it would have been more elegant and possibly powerful with a more through unpacking in the tactics by level section.

Can you please elaborate? If I understand correctly, Depplo won "Best in Category" for Elegance, but that doens't make sense of why Pebble Underfoot wound up with a higher Elegance score than Depplo. Furthermore, Depplo, Pebble, GnoMor, and E Pickenz all received equal or better Elegance to Skeeter's, though they had specific items criticized and Skeeter did not. Can you please clarify why Skeeter received a lower Elegance score than other builds that had specific Elegance concerns called out when your comments for Skeeter were nothing but positive?

On the topic of "examples or good interactions for his class combinations and powers", I'm a bit confused. Skeeter's write-up spells plenty of tactics in his non-SI class features & feats as well as a section that provides unique synergies on all elements of the Secret Ingredient from entry requirements through to the capstone. What didn't he include that these other builds did?

[Sian]

... so... ?

[Heliomance]

...I got very confused about where this thread had gone for a moment. Apparently you posted between me loading up the first page of the forum, and going to the second page to try and find it.

Anyway, I am now closing this contest; results are as follows!

Standings
EntryChefPlaceTotalAverage
GnoMor Giants!CurmudgeonGold15.253.8125
SkeeterOMG PONIESSilver153.75
MC Hooked HammerOMG PONIESBronze14.253.5625
Pebble UnderfootDeadlineFourth13.253.3125
The Piss BoyMacabaretFourth13.253.3125
Jack SpratThe ViscountSixth12.53.125
E. PickenzDeadasadoorSeventh12.253.0625
Depplo Nilare "Shadowflicker"samdukeEighth123
HiragnshaAmphetryonNinth11.252.8125
Jorus "Tallfellow" GoldearDeadasadoorTenth112.75
JagtZaqTenth112.75
Gronk the RuntChronosTwelfth10.252.5625
Aprillius FooliusCurmudgeonThirteenth92.25
Tubesock the GigantifierDarrinFourteenth8.752.1875
Luna IndigosamdukeFifteenth82


Congratulations to all our contestants! Honourable mention to E. Pickenz, and especial congratulations to OMG PONIES for the double medal. Have we had one of those before?

[OMG PONIES]

Anyway, I am now closing this contest; results are as follows!

Congrats to everyone, especially Curmudgeon for edging out Skeeter. I'd still be interested in a response to my questions, Zeb, just to hear more of your thought process on what could have made my entry better.


Congratulations to all our contestants! Honourable mention to E. Pickenz, and especial congratulations to OMG PONIES for the double medal. Have we had one of those before?

Yep, a few times:
XXI: OMG PONIES obtained Gold & Silver
XXVI: Piggy pulled in Silver & Bronze
XXXI: kestrel404 kollected Gold & Bronze
XXXII: Xodion x-cepted Gold & Bronze

[Sian]

if including the other contests i grabbed gold and silver in Zinc XXVIII

[Deadline]

Congrats to PONIES, Curmudgeon, and Deadasadoor for their medal placement, and to all of my fellow chefs for cooking a tough ingredient.

And Macaberet, allow me to welcome you to my comfortable home away from home, 4th place! :smallbiggrin:

Edit - If I had done what I thought I should do, which is spend skill points on languages to unambiguously qualify for Stoneblessed, it looks like I would have stood a chance at snagging a medal this time around (I kinda thought I could get away with just using his bonus languages, despite Muckdweller not having any listed). And I really can't believe I mixed up the books for Muckdweller. I had the dang thing open in front of me when I wrote the source list! :smalltongue:

[Darrin]

If I had done what I thought I should do, which is spend skill points on languages to unambiguously qualify for Stoneblessed, it looks like I would have stood a chance at snagging a medal this time around (I kinda thought I could get away with just using his bonus languages, despite Muckdweller not having any listed).

I can't believe I forgot to give Tubesock Terran. It turned out to not make much of a difference... but I'd actually finished somewhat early for once, and had time to check my prereqs, but completely failed to notice that I'd missed a language. Didn't matter much, though... if the judge doesn't buy Human Heritage, the languages is kinda moot at that point.

I probably should have saved that trick for another IC (although it's actually borrowed from my Spellsword build), but once I figured out I *could* get the polymorph combo to work, well... then I couldn't leave it undone.

[OMG PONIES]

I can't believe I forgot to give Tubesock Terran. It turned out to not make much of a difference... but I'd actually finished somewhat early for once, and had time to check my prereqs, but completely failed to notice that I'd missed a language. Didn't matter much, though... if the judge doesn't buy Human Heritage, the languages is kinda moot at that point.

I probably should have saved that trick for another IC (although it's actually borrowed from my Spellsword build), but once I figured out I *could* get the polymorph combo to work, well... then I couldn't leave it undone.

Yep, I was trying to wedge in something similar on MC Hooked Hammer. I kept thinking of a duskblade chassis for Arcane Strike but realized that was only for touch spells. Thus, I wrongly thought that polymorph was out and focused more on polymorph any object, which was still a clunky execution. I was trying to get something like Duskblade 5/GGS 2/Divine Crusader of Garl Glittergold 2/Divine Prankster 5/GGS +6, but really wanted to finish the SI, so I scrapped the Divine Crusader fast casting.

[Zeb]

Sorry for the delay in response work has been quite demanding.


Can you please elaborate? If I understand correctly, Depplo won "Best in Category" for Elegance, but that doens't make sense of why Pebble Underfoot wound up with a higher Elegance score than Depplo. Furthermore, Depplo, Pebble, GnoMor, and E Pickenz all received equal or better Elegance to Skeeter's, though they had specific items criticized and Skeeter did not. Can you please clarify why Skeeter received a lower Elegance score than other builds that had specific Elegance concerns called out when your comments for Skeeter were nothing but positive?

On the topic of "examples or good interactions for his class combinations and powers", I'm a bit confused. Skeeter's write-up spells plenty of tactics in his non-SI class features & feats as well as a section that provides unique synergies on all elements of the Secret Ingredient from entry requirements through to the capstone. What didn't he include that these other builds did?

The elegance gains in the other entries were from them maintaining a gnarrower focus on what they were doing.

As for the class powers interactions I kept running mock fights and talking with my in person gaming group about how they might use different characters against giants and they had some fun and creative ideas especially using the scorn earth, call items and compression which didn't seem fair to award you points for since they weren't specifically called out and might not have been in the intent of how you wanted the character used.



This was a very difficult judging for me as I really liked most of the entries and quantitatively placing one above another was very tricky in many cases (as evidenced by the close score grouping). I think the top half could have had some shuffling with even one more judge and it wouldn't have surprised me at all to have seen a different group of contestants as the medal holders.

Really good work all around and thanks for the awesome crop of 'gnomes'

[OMG PONIES]

The elegance gains in the other entries were from them maintaining a gnarrower focus on what they were doing.

Are you saying Skeeter was punished for being versatile, or that his versatility came at a detriment to his focus? If it's the latter, could you please explain more either here or via PM?


As for the class powers interactions I kept running mock fights and talking with my in person gaming group about how they might use different characters against giants and they had some fun and creative ideas especially using the scorn earth, call items and compression which didn't seem fair to award you points for since they weren't specifically called out and might not have been in the intent of how you wanted the character used.

I'm still confused, since Scorn Earth, Call Item, and Augmented Compression were specifically called out in my build for a few various uses. Would you be able to share your group's creative ideas that were not addressed in my build (again, either here or PM, whichever you prefer)?

[Deadasadoor]

Like everyone else that forgot languages, I'm quite ticked off with myself that I didn't give Jorus Terran and Gnome. I spent a lot of time on that entry, I can't believe I did something that dumb :smallannoyed:

[Zaq]

Well, at least I didn't score lower than I did. In every competition, someone's gotta be in the bottom half, and that was my role this time around. So it goes.

I didn't honestly expect to do better, all things considered. I threw the build together in a few hours, and I kept having to cut out pieces that didn't fit. (For example, I really wanted to give Jagt Autohypnosis so that she could convince herself that she was always fighting giants—not expecting that the mechanical bonuses would carry over, but it would have been a fun fluff element. But there just wasn't any way to make the skill points happen.) I was happy just to complete the entry, and I was glad to see that no one else did exactly what I was doing, even if I didn't score all that well in Originality. (Plus, I was really proud of finding a way of deflecting thrown boulders, given that Deflect Arrows explicitly calls out boulders thrown by giants as being something you can't deflect.)

It's a shame we didn't get more judges, but with fifteen entries, I'm happy that we got anyone to judge at all! I was toying with the idea of judging if I couldn't get Jagt finished on time, but I won't lie—fifteen entries (I guess it would have been fourteen without me) probably would have scared me away. So thanks for stepping up to the plate, Zeb—judging's hard work no matter how you slice it.

Congrats to the winners, and especially congrats to PONIES for the double medal.

Onward to the next competition!

[Chronos]

Yeah, I'm not really upset about my placing, either. All I really did in terms of Use of Secret Ingredient (beyond qualifying and taking all 10 levels) was being smaller than everyone else so that one ability that works on creatures bigger than you would work on almost everything. I was mostly just hoping for originality, and then it turned out I wasn't even the only giant (but I was the only one using the Return to Nature trick).

As an aside, now that we can un-redact, everyone is familiar with the Other Killer Gnome, right? Blade Bravo is a much better class for this concept than GSS itself.