Villainous Competition VII: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

[Telonius]

Welcome to the special Halloween edition of Villainous Competition!

Previous Competitions
Round One: Leader of Armies (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?395046-Villainous-Competition-Or-Optimize-my-BBEG!)
Round Two: Nature's Revenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?400517-Villainous-Competition-Round-2-Or-Give-me-something-evil!&p=18868986)
Round Three: Double Agent (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?406015-Villainous-Competition-3-Or-No-Holds-Barred!)
Round Four: Grave Keeper (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?413480-Villainous-Competition-IV-or-The-Truth-is-in-the-(Blood)-Pudding)
Round Five: Crime Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?420704-Villainous-Competition-V-A-Contest-You-Can%92t-Refuse)
Round Six: Ultimate Predator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?430650-Villainous-Competition-VI-Clever-Girl)

We're a little different than most of the optimization threads. We run on CR instead of ECL.

Contestants: You will need to present a write-up of your build with at least one of the following points: 5 CR, 10 CR 15CR, 20 CR, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20 CR 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:

Secret Laboratory: 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. Item Familiars and Taint are also banned from the competition. We don’t want to make this too easy, do we?

EDIT (updated 10/12): While some monstrous characters can technically qualify for Epic feats once their ECL is over 20, this would give an unfair advantage over standard characters. Epic materials are not allowed. Please note that Racial Hitdice do not count towards Epic Progression; use the regular progression even if the BAB ends up higher than 20.

EDIT: The variant "Witch" spell list in the DMG (p. 175) is explicitly allowed. The Witch class would take the same stats as a Sorcerer, with the exception of the spell list.

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble … Contestants will have until 23:59 GMT Friday October 16th to create their builds and PM them to the Supreme Chancellor (yours truly, Telonius). Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until Friday October 30th 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, Build Elegance, Competence and Power, Memorable Villainy.

Keep these questions in mind when judging each category:
Originality - Is it unexpected?
Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty?
Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character?
Memorable Villainy - Is this a villain with style? Will it be the BBEG the players talk about for years to come?

Build Elegance: Fully monstrous builds are allowed, but may be penalized at the judges’ discretion. All class levels are to be added on as associated class levels. Amount of sources can be penalized, but obscurity of sources should not be penalized. Count the three Core books as one source. Unearthed Arcana can be penalized for elegance if the specific feature seems unnecessary or makes the playing field unfair (In this case, you can give a 0 if it makes the field unfair.)
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. As the Iron Chef competition states, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.


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!

Using the table below, the easiest way to use it is to go to the top left of the private message, and click the little a/A icon. It allows you to see what you're writing.
Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their 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


You can use the below table for Spells.

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,
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
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-





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.

Start packing some breadcrumbs, keep a spare bucket of water handy, and hold onto your broomsticks. This edition’s villain is:


The Wicked Witch
A true classic of folklore and legend. Whether you’re cursing entire kingdoms to slumber or wreaking vengeance on children who drop houses on your relatives, you’re the scariest thing in the forest, and you know it. With your trusty broomstick in hand and your black cat at your side, you’re a source of terror (and costume ideas) for the children of the world. And one thing you know for sure: black never goes out of style.

Devil-Worshiper? Sorceress? Enchantress? Cannibal? Monster? Temptress? Witches can be all of those and more. The aspect of the legends that you focus on are up to you.

Limitations:
Must be capable of bestowing a curse of some kind. (The Bestow Curse spell will do, but similar effects will also count, at the judges’ discretion).
Must have a traditional witch-y animal (such as a black cat, bat, frog, etc) as a familiar, animal companion, or other similar helper.
Must include the Brew Potion feat.
Must be capable of achieving flight via a Broom of Flying (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#broomofFlying). Creating the broom is not required; the character only has to be capable of using it.
Must be Evil-aligned. (Sorry, Glinda, this is a villainous competition).
Only one witch per entry. While covens of three are traditional, our judges and contestants will need a bit of mercy.


We will award 1st through 3rd places, and a possible Honorable Mention.


Use Elite Array instead of Normal Array, no Penalty on using Elite Array on a creature without any class levels.

Make sure you don’t mix up your eye of newt and tongue of dog; mis-spelling can be hazardous to any witch’s health. Tips for submitting your entry, provided by Weaselguy:

- Use capitalization and punctuation, correctly.
- Make good use of Spoilers, for cleanliness.
- Don't forget your sources. If it's something that can be found in the contents section, then book title seems to be fine. Obscure stuff, may want to include page number too.
- DeviantArt has about 9 billion pictures that you can reference, I can almost guarantee you can find one there to fit your character.
- Make good use of tables. In addition to the Build table and the Spells table, I like doing on e for my Ability Scores, just to keep it neat.
- Do a build stub at the top of your Build Table, something like Wizard 2/Fighter 3/Abjurant Champion 5/Eldritch Knight 10


So, start your evil plotting!

To standardize Entries, please use this format when emailing it in:

PM: Telonius
Subject: Villainous Competition 7, Name of your Entry

For Revisions and disputes, do the same thing. It makes it easier for me finding the entries in my mail box.

More questions? I’ll get them, my little pretty … if you put Villainous Competition 7 Questions in the header.

[Jormengand]

...Wow. That is an exceptionally cramped set of restrictions, but I can probably manage. I has an idea...

[Amphetryon]

I have some actual (school) work upcoming, but I'll try to get something in.

[WhamBamSam]

I too am really behind on work, but have some rudimentary thoughts on this.

Also, I'd like to nominate "Terror of the Deep" or something to that effect for a future round. Maybe a round for villains who eat people as a central aspect of their shtick as well.

[Deadline]

Huh, I actually have an idea for this, and it doesn't entirely suck. I may be in for my first time in this competition.

[Telonius]

Question from the inbox:

"Would Witch (example spell list for creating new classes in DMG p175) be kosher?"

For this competition, the Witch variant spell list will be explicitly allowed. Please note the DMG Witch would have the same stats as a Sorcerer, with the exception of the spell list. Witch levels (and anything that advances Witch casting) would allow advancement only among the Witch spells. The spells would be noted as Arcane Mark (Witch 0), Cause Fear (Witch 1), etc.

[The Viscount]

Is the Broomstick of Flying the Pathfinder item? Does that mean we have to use Pathfinder rules for it?

Also by use, do you mean make and use, or simply use?

[AvatarVecna]

Is the Broomstick of Flying the Pathfinder item? Does that mean we have to use Pathfinder rules for it?

Also by use, do you mean make and use, or simply use?

Does this not count? (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#broomofFlying)

[Telonius]

Should have been "Broom of Flying" - sorry, my brain registers them as the same word - regular item from the 3.5 SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#broomofFlying). The character doesn't have to be able to make it, just to use it.

[Sian]

Question from the inbox:

"Would Witch (example spell list for creating new classes in DMG p175) be kosher?"

For this competition, the Witch variant spell list will be explicitly allowed. Please note the DMG Witch would have the same stats as a Sorcerer, with the exception of the spell list. Witch levels (and anything that advances Witch casting) would allow advancement only among the Witch spells. The spells would be noted as Arcane Mark (Witch 0), Cause Fear (Witch 1), etc.

From how i'm reading that one, I'm thinking that its the predecessor of Warmage and Beguiler (note also the roughly equal size of spelllists between Witch, Warmage and Beguiler), in that a Witch would know all of the spells listed at any point.

[Telonius]

From how i'm reading that one, I'm thinking that its the predecessor of Warmage and Beguiler (note also the roughly equal size of spelllists between Witch, Warmage and Beguiler), in that a Witch would know all of the spells listed at any point.

It most likely is the source of the idea of full-casting from a smaller fixed list, but from the text:


Casters with access to spells from two different classes should generally have fewer spells available than either of the original classes. Versatility has its price...

Hence, her list is somewhat limited, but it contains wizard, cleric, and druid spells. She casts spells as a sorcerer, using the sorcerer’s Spells per Day table (see page 52 of the Player’s Handbook), and her spells are based on Charisma.

Sorcerer spells are cast from your list of spells known, which are selected from the Sorcerer list; you don't know all the Sorcerer list automatically. It doesn't cast as a Paladin, Ranger, Cleric, or Druid; so it doesn't know the whole list. The DMG doesn't specifically lay out the Spells Known table, which is the biggest point of difference. But at the time, Bard and Sorcerer were the only classes with lists of Spells Known, and it's pretty clear they weren't going with Bard progression.

Unfortunately the text and the intent is pretty clear to me: the spell list is a variant list for Sorcerer; the list of available spells would be the only thing that changed. Witch doesn't know the full list. Warmage and Beguiler didn't exist yet when the DMG was published. They went with the general idea of a smaller, fixed list of spells known. Those classes knew their whole list. I totally agree that allowing Witch to know their whole list would be a much better way to balance things; but we're going by published rules.

(Including it at all is a bit of a stretch, since it's not really a finished class; but keeping it as a Sorcerer variant, as I believe it was intended to be, might allow some interesting combinations that wouldn't otherwise surface).

[sakuuya]

Aw yeah, I'm really happy that this competition is back. And just in time for Halloween!

[Telonius]

One thing I've noticed is that sometimes the competition threads go a bit dead for a while, while people are busy working on their own builds. Makes sense, since they don't want to post anything that clues in the competition to what you're making. But, I think that's one reason we've sometimes gotten a drop-off in participation. When the thread falls down to page 3 or 4, people might not realize that the contest is still going on.

So, I'd like to open the thread up to ideas for keeping up interest between now and the deadline. Maybe a discussion of our favorite media depictions of the villain type we're going for? Great "villainous moments" from your own campaigns?

[sakuuya]

So, as I've been trying to build a character for this, I've bumped up against every restriction except "One witch per entry." Which is to say, I had an idea that I nixed because it couldn't use a broom of flying. When I first looked at the restrictions, I didn't even understand how that was possible. :smallsigh:

[Inevitability]

I know it is a major part of the 'witch' archetype, but do these restrictions have to be so... restrictive? I can't help but wonder if it really matters whether the witch' pet cat is black, white, or whatever other color, just to name something.

[Jormengand]

I know it is a major part of the 'witch' archetype, but do these restrictions have to be so... restrictive? I can't help but wonder if it really matters whether the witch' pet cat is black, white, or whatever other color, just to name something.

Plus, I'm pretty sure one of the Macbeth witches had a frog, and one of them wasn't even specific about her familiar.

[Deadline]

I know it is a major part of the 'witch' archetype, but do these restrictions have to be so... restrictive? I can't help but wonder if it really matters whether the witch' pet cat is black, white, or whatever other color, just to name something.

It's possible you are being too literal here. I'm pretty sure that if you have some sort of traditional witch helper (black cat, toad, or somesuch), you're good to go. Can we get clarification from the Chair?

[Zancloufer]

It's possible you are being too literal here. I'm pretty sure that if you have some sort of traditional witch helper (black cat, toad, or somesuch), you're good to go. Can we get clarification from the Chair?

I think it just has to be a Familiar, Animal Companion or Animal Cohort that happens to be something a "classic" witch would have (Cat, Toad, Raven etc.).

On the note of the 'witch' variant class' spell list. Flipping through my DMG the spell list suggested a list that was something like:

All Wizard/Sorcerer Enchantments
Most Transmutations
Lower level Illusions/Divination
The weaker half the healing spells
Spells that involved talking to/manipulating nature
No "Blasty" spells, conjuration/calling, and explicit teleportation

Essentially a Hybrid of Druid and Wizard/Sorc spell list with no evocations/sconjuration (outside of healing spells), very little necromancy, and no high level Divination/Illusion magic. That seem on the right track for the list of spells known?

[Telonius]

Sorry for the sporadic posts - connection issues this weekend (and a busy workday today). We're going for traditional, Halloween-style Witch this time, since it is the Halloween special. Black cat is the most archetypal, but I suppose Bats and Frogs and other traditional helpers would qualify too.

[Venger]

Should have been "Broom of Flying" - sorry, my brain registers them as the same word - regular item from the 3.5 SRD (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#broomofFlying). The character doesn't have to be able to make it, just to use it.

so, from my reading the only way you can fail to qualify to use the broom is by weighing 401+ pounds, since I don't think we can extrapolate the formula for speed any further. is there some other way I'm missing? I don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

[Dread_Head]

so, from my reading the only way you can fail to qualify to use the broom is by weighing 401+ pounds, since I don't think we can extrapolate the formula for speed any further. is there some other way I'm missing? I don't want to shoot myself in the foot.

Presumably having no legs or too many legs would make it challenging to ride a broomstick in traditional witch fashion? Or having no physical form. There's probably a few other ways too.

[Thurbane]

Since I'm no longer DMing after running a game for the best part of a year, I'll see if I can get an entry in. I've got some ideas, but they all seem a little...obvious.

[Gwachitallemall]

Huh. I'm alive? That's a surprise. My life has kinda went upside down since I stopped running this competition. I'll be watching, at least.

[Telonius]

So how are the witches' brews coming along?

[atemu1234]

Can't participate in this one, pity.

[AvatarVecna]

I have been dragged into an alley and beaten near to death by inspiration. Here's hoping I can pull my build together in time.

[Thurbane]

Hmm, after re-reading the initial post on entry requirements, not sure if the ideas I had are going to come together. One in particular was looking good, but not sure how to best make it fit all criteria...

[The Viscount]

Definitely got something simmering, but the prep time may exceed my schedule right now. Time will tell.

[WhamBamSam]

I'm thinking that I'll probably end up judging rather than entering. It's a pretty busy week for me, and my thoughts on this round feel a bit too obvious.

[Venger]

So how are the witches' brews coming along?

it's... going. this isn't as easy as I thought it'd be. should probably finish by the 16th barring unforeseen circumstances.

[Telonius]

Responding to some questions from the inbox regarding Epic.

"if the resulting character level is already above 20, are we allowed to use Epic Feats that we qualify for?"
"Should I use Epic BAB and Save progression for ECL 21+? I browsed some past VC entries, but they don't appear to follow those progressions."

There are actually a few conflicting rules for this, that become important if level adjustment is involved. Here's the usual consensus for how you would generally handle it: Epic BAB and Saves apply only after a given creature has 20 class levels. Racial hitdice never trigger epic progression. Because this contest runs on CR, you'll never run into a case where you'd apply Epic BAB and Saves.

A character technically becomes an Epic character (i.e. qualifies for Epic feats) when its ECL is 21 or more. ECL is total hitdice, racial and otherwise, plus level adjustment. Since some racial hitdice give less than a CR, you could conceivably qualify for Epic feats before level 20. However. It's pretty much universally acknowledged that once things like Epic Spellcasting are available, you're really playing a different game. It's also a bit unbalanced for competition purposes, since that sort of option would only be available to characters with Racial Hitdice to start with. So I'm going to rule that epic feats in general are not allowed.

[WhamBamSam]

I would say just ban Epic Spellcasting. None of the other Epic feats are really a problem at the CR you'll have to be at to have 21+ Hit Dice.

[Telonius]

I'd rather not get into Epic at all; it's just too much hassle, and is really outside the scope of the contest. Epic Spellcasting is the most obviously broken thing, but there are a lot of other options that you can squeeze out of the feat list even without resorting to that, which just wouldn't be available otherwise. I'm not about to start cherry-picking the safe stuff.

[WhamBamSam]

I'd rather not get into Epic at all; it's just too much hassle, and is really outside the scope of the contest. Epic Spellcasting is the most obviously broken thing, but there are a lot of other options that you can squeeze out of the feat list even without resorting to that, which just wouldn't be available otherwise. I'm not about to start cherry-picking the safe stuff.On the other hand, the game does kind of assume that certain monsters might have epic feats even at non-Epic CR. I mean, they were so enthusiastic about pointing out that Old Dragons (several varieties have CR as low as 15 at Old age and I'm not sure if any Dragon variety is CR 21+ at Old age besides Gold which is exactly CR 21**) can take Epic feats that they inadvertently created a rule allowing Dragonwrought Kobolds to take them.

The ability to squeeze in weird things that wouldn't ordinarily be available to a PC build is, to me at least, part of the appeal in CR-based optimization. Epic Spellcasting is irrevocably borked, but there's nothing else that really creates a completely new playing field. Judges are within their rights to penalize something like, say, Permanent Emanation (Selective Antimagic Field)* for being too cheesy.

*Which would, I believe, interfere with your Broom of Flying this round anyway and so hopefully doesn't count as speculation.

**Steel obviously should be, but isn't.

[Troacctid]

I think Epic feats should be allowed if the monster meets the prerequisites. I'm pretty sure there aren't any that are really game-breaking, except for Epic Spellcasting, and honestly, even Epic Spellcasting isn't inappropriate from a DM's perspective--it's essentially "Craft Arbitrary Plot Device." ("Hurry! If you don't defeat the villain in time, he'll be able to complete his ritual that will block out the sun's light and plunges the entire world into darkness!") Besides, getting enough RHD to qualify for epic feats by CR 20 isn't easy, and by the time you make it there, the players should also be at a high enough level for it to be an appropriate challenge.

[atemu1234]

Yeah, unless I somehow receive a divine revelation (or, hell, I'd settle for an infernal one) on how to format tables here, I'm not going to be able to compete.

[Telonius]

Yeah, unless I somehow receive a divine revelation (or, hell, I'd settle for an infernal one) on how to format tables here, I'm not going to be able to compete.

The tables can be a bit of a pain in the butt, but you can copy the basic code by clicking Reply on the first post, then c/p'ing the code. The general idea is that you set up each row, using the bracket tr bracket command to set each of the rows apart from each other. Individual cells within the rows are set off using bracket td bracket. In the first row, set up the column headers with bracket th bracket.

[Troacctid]

The WYSIWYG editor also helps make it faster and easier to edit the table.

[TheifofZ]

No idea what that code is, and I'm oh so very late to the party.

But I have an idea. And there's no reason I can't pull this off at all.
I needed an NPC villain like this in my next session anyways. :smallcool:

[Telonius]

The clock is ticking, but the first submission is in!

[ben-zayb]

Submitted! Can I get a confirmation, Mr. Chairman?

[Thurbane]

Yeah, not going to get one in, sorry, Had this awesome idea at first, but now making it fit all the criteria, makes some of the feats etc. I would need to take feel "tacked on".

Looking forward to seeing the other entries, and if any were close to what I was thinking. :smallbiggrin:

[Deadline]

Well, I've submitted. I'm a rusty, out of practice, low on free time Iron Chef and have never done this competition before, but I'm happy with what I've created. It's up to the judges now to decide how I did. Good luck to my fellow competitors!

[Telonius]

The witching hour approaches, and we have four submissions! (Got yours, Ben-zayb).

[Telonius]

And that's time! We have a truly wicked set of contestants this time around. I'll be posting the submissions shortly.

[Telonius]

First up, we have a grotesque, horrendous Green Hag: Repugnia Dreadmien!


https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/e8/7f/c0/e87fc01ae8e1e065b5a819b36c6d2e10.jpg
Repugnia Dreadmien
CE Green Hag Adept 8/Hexer 7

Fillet of a fenny snake


Stat Array:

Str - 8 (16)
Dex - 14 (16)
Con - 13 (15)
Int - 12 (14)
Wis - 15 (23) (+1 at HD 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, and 24)
Cha - 10 (14)

Green Hag Racial Mods:
+8 Str
+2 Dex
+2 Con
+2 Int
+2 Wis
+4 Cha





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


5
Green Hag
+9
+3
+6
+6
Concentration 5, Knowledge(Arcana) 11, Listen 4, Spellcraft(6), Spot 4, Survival (6)
Combat Casting, Battle Casting, Improved Initiative, Brew Potion
Spell Like Abilities: At will - Dancing Lights, Disguise Self, Ghost Sound, Invisibility, Pass Without Trace, Tongues, Water Breathing. Caster level 9th. The save DC is Charisma based., +11 Natural Armor, 2 Claw attacks (1d4), Darkvision 90ft., Spell Resistance 18, Mimicry, Weakness, +8 racial bonus to Swim checks.


6
Adept 1
+9
+3
+6
+8
Knowledge(Arcana) 13, Spellcraft 7, Survival 7

Spellcasting


7
Adept 2
+10
+3
+6
+9
Concentration 6, Knowledge(Arcana) 14, Spellcraft 8, Survival 8

Summon Familiar(Cat)


8
Adept 3
+10
+4
+7
+9
Concentration 7, Knowledge(Arcana) 15, Spellcraft 9, Survival 9
Bonded Familiar



9
Adept 4
+11
+4
+7
+10
Concentration 8, Knowledge(Arcana) 16, Spellcraft 10, Survival 10




10
Adept 5
+11
+4
+7
+10
Concentration 9, Knowledge(Arcana) 17, Spellcraft 11, Survival 11




11
Adept 6
+12
+5
+8
+11
Concentration 10, Knowledge(Arcana) 18, Spellcraft 12, Survival 12
Violate Spell



12
Adept 7
+12
+5
+8
+11
Concentration 11, Knowledge(Arcana) 19, Spellcraft 13, Survival 13




13
Adept 8
+13
+5
+8
+12
Concentration 12, Knowledge(Arcana) 20, Spellcraft 14, Survival 14




14
Hexer 1
+14
+5
+8
+14
Concentration 13, Knowledge(Arcana) 21, Spellcraft 15, Survival 15
Ability Focus(Hex)
Hex 1/day, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


15
Hexer 2
+15
+5
+8
+15
Concentration 14, Knowledge(Arcana) 22, Spellcraft 16, Survival 16

Bonus spell(3rd - Kelgore's Grave Mist), Hex 2/day, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


16
Hexer 3
+16
+6
+9
+15
Concentration 15, Knowledge(Arcana) 23, Spellcraft 17, Survival 17

Sicken Hex, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


17
Hexer 4
+17
+6
+9
+16
Concentration 16, Knowledge(Arcana) 24, Spellcraft 18, Survival 18
Minor Shapeshift
Bonus spell(4th - Vortex of Teeth), Hex 3/day, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


18
Hexer 5
+18
+6
+9
+16
Concentration 17, Knowledge(Arcana) 25, Spellcraft 19, Survival 19

Fear Hex, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


19
Hexer 6
+19
+7
+10
+17
Knowledge(Arcana) 26, Spellcraft 21, Survival 20

Bonus spell(4th - Solid Fog), Hex 4/day, +1 level of existing spellcasting class


20
Hexer 7
+20
+7
+10
+17
Knowledge(Arcana) 27, Spellcraft 23, Survival 21
Trickery Devotion
Sleep Hex, +1 level of existing spellcasting class





Spells per Day/Spells Known
Spells per Day/Spells Known


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


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


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


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


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


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


6th
3
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
3
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


9th
3
2
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
3
3
2
0
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
3
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
3
3
3
2
0
-
-
-
-
-


18th
3
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-


19th
3
3
3
2
1
-
-
-
-
-


20th
3
3
3
3
2
-
-
-
-
-





In the caldron boil and bake

CR 5
The hunter stepped into the clearing. He'd been following the stag's call deep into the wood for several minutes, and he could tell it was close. The brush rustled ahead of him, and he raised his bow. A nightmare of flashing yellow claws, sickly green skin, and stringy black hair erupted from the brush as his arrow went wide. The hunter landed in a terrified heap on the grass, bleeding profusely from a gash on his forearm. The wretched apparition before him smiled a too wide grin filled with yellowed teeth and rasped, "Hello dearie, have you come to keep me company?". His only response was a brief scream before it was cut off by the wet sound of tearing flesh.

Repugnia is a truly repulsive green hag, and serves as a solid encounter at this point. She'll attack from hiding or while invisible to use Weakness on a frail party member in the hopes of paralyzing them. She'll then go invisible again, drop Pass Without Trace, and retreat to set up her next attack. She'll avoid a straight up fight if possible, preferring instead to sap a party's strength and slowly take them down. In addition to guerilla warfare, she will use her Mimicry and Ghost Sound abilities to try and draw party members away from their camp or separate the party and take them down individually if possible.

Alternatively, she can be used in a non-combat encounter. She's got a solid knowledge of the Arcane, Spellcraft, and Survival, which means she can serve as a source of information for the party. She can also brew up potions of Invisibility and Water Breathing, items that an enterprising adventuring party may find they have need for. She will, of course, request a suitably repugnant payment (she's very fond of fresh, sentient meat).

CR 15 - "Sweet Spot"
Repugnia now has access to her full range of options. She continues to favor hit and run tactics, the only difference now being that she is more durable (Bonded Familiar, and her familiar has a large chunk of HP thanks to her Hag RHD), her hits linger a lot longer, and she brings a nice buffer of undead minions to join the fray. She now relies on her Hex (improved with Ability Focus) to weaken party members and make them more susceptible to her spells, and she will be sure to drop a Violated spell or two to wear the party down a bit, as the Vile damage is likely to be much harder to heal out in the woods.


CR 20
Repugnia picks up a few more useful abilities by the time she hits CR 20. Minor Shapeshift gives her 24 temp HP each round, which makes her more resilient against pure damage, and Trickery Devotion buys her a bit of time to keep her ambush tactics going. Of her new types of Hex's, Sicken Hex is likely the most useful, although Sleep Hex can also be situationally useful.



Variations

The one change I'd recommend would be to use Religious Adept. This gets Repugnia the spells of one Cleric domain. The Evil Domain is a decent choice for getting Desecrate added to her spell list to enhance her animated dead.


References

Monster Manual: Green Hag, Ability Focus
Player's Handbook II: Bonded Familiar
Complete Mage: Minor Shapeshift
Complete Champion: Trickery Devotion
Dungeon Master's Guide: Adept
Book of Vile Darkness: Violate Spell
Eberron Campaign Setting: Religious Adept
Libris Mortis: Fell Drain
Races of the Wild: Battle Casting
Master's of the Wild: Hexer



Next up, she's after goodhood - if only those delicious, meddling kids would stay out of the way. Kindblood!

Kindblood
http://orig10.deviantart.net/d232/f/2009/052/1/a/baba_yaga_by_ianllanas.jpg
Baba Yaga (http://ianllanas.deviantart.com/art/Baba-Yaga-113688760), original art by Ian Llanas, ©2015


Hissss "Little baby, don't you cry. Mama's gonna sing you a lullaby."



NE Were-Legendary-Snake (Natural), Azurin
Incarnate 4 / Ur-Priest 1 / Contemplative 9 / Necrocarnate 1


Ability
Base
Hit Die
Bonus
Template
Bonus
Age Bonus
(gained @ CRs
17, 18, and 19
Final
Final
(Alt Form)


STR
10



10
26


DEX
8



8
22


CON
13
+1


14
28


INT
14
+1

+3
18
18


WIS
15
+4
+2
+3
24
24


CHA
12
+1

+3
16
16

"Demon Witch"? "Demonspawn"? I sure hope you don't kiss your mother with that mouth, my sweet. I would've preferred the name your village gave me: "Kindblood". Certainly an interesting superstition your village has, what with giving malevolent beings benevolent epithets in the hopes that that would serve as some sort of deterrence. Oh, if they only knew what that meant in the ancient tongue!

No matter! There's a funny story about that, actually. Would you like to hear it, my sweet? I'll take that spasm as a yessss...

Once upon a time, there lived a serpentine elder evil that was once a demonlord, who went by the name Sertrous. Fueled by his jealousy of the gods for having mortal worshipers, he spawned an army of monstrous serpents meant to devastate and conquer the hated mortalkind; there were broods of nagas, hydras, ocean serpents, giant constrictors, yuan-ti, snake lycanthropes, and many more such creatures! However, suffice to say, such brute methods were bound to failure, and what remained of the broods after their leader had perished skittered away into the deepest corners of the world, in hiding forevermore. And, thus, once again, the mortal world lived and happily warred amongst themselves ever after. The End.

Looking back, though, I am not actually as utterly deplorable as my primitive ancestors and the rest of their fellow broodspawns were. For one, I never sought conflict and destruction for their own sake. My deeds always serve a purpose, although most of it may be beyond the ken of your kind. I never, in my deepest fantasies, wished to rule this world in all its accursedness; taking ownership of something that is doomed to self-destruction is gratuitous and plain short-sighted. And, sure as the nine hells, I will not be motivated by something as pathetic as jealousy. A goal not fueled by your ambition is nothing but an empty goal, after all.

See, I am a woman of simple joys, my sweet. I only seek Divinity. For, if the gods themselves rose in power only by stooping so low and deceiving mortals, who's to say that I do not also deserve to be afforded the same treatment and be granted my rightful place amongst the divine? Mortal souls, living or dead, from the mightiest of knights to the meakest of infants, will be bent for the purpose of giving me the power that I seek.


So rest now, my sweet, and don't you worry about telling the village our little secret bedtime stories. Mama Kindblood makes it a point to kill her victims first before she starts monologuing, after all.

CR/HD
Class
Base
Attack
Bonus
Fort
Save
Ref
Save
Will
Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1/1
Incarnate 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Concentration 4,
Handle Animal 1,
Knowledge [ALL] 1

Able LearnerB, Spell Focus (Evil)
Aura, Detect Opposition,
Meldshaping


6/17
Lycanthrope
(Legendary Snake)
+12
+12
+10
+7
Bluff 10,
Conc 14,
Handle Animal 1,
Knowledge
(Arcana) 5,
Knowledge
(Religion) 13,
Knowledge
(Planes) 5,
Sense Motive 10,
Spellcraft 10,
Spot 3
Iron WillB, EnduranceB*,
Athletic, Alertness, Toughnessx3
Contrict, Improved Grab,
Poison, Scent,
see Lycanthrope for more


7/18
Ur-Priest 1
+12
+12
+10
+9
Bluff 14
Wild Cohort
Divine Spellcasting


8/19
Contemplative 1
+12
+12
+10
+11
Sense Motive 14

Bonus Domain (Trickery),
Divine Health


9/20
Contemplative 2
+13
+12
+10
+12
Bluff 18

Slippery Mind


10/21
Contemplative 3
+13
+13
+11
+12
Sense Motive 18
Brew Potion
Divine Wholeness


11/22
Contemplative 4
+14
+13
+11
+13
Bluff 22




12/23
Contemplative 5
+14
+13
+11
+13
Sense Motive 22

Divine Body


13/24
Contemplative 6
+15
+14
+12
+14
Bluff 26
Practiced Spellcaster
Bonus Domain (Incarnum)


14/25
Contemplative 7
+15
+14
+12
+14
Sense Motive 26

Divine Soul


15/26
Contemplative 8
+16
+14
+12
+15
Bluff 29,
Sense Motive 27




16/27
Contemplative 9
+16
+15
+13
+15
Bluff 30,
Sense Motive 30
Soultouched Spellcasting
Eternal Body


17/28
Incarnate 2
+17
+15
+10
+16
Bluff 31,
Sense Motive 31,
Spot 7

Chakra Bind (Crown)


18/29
Incarnate 3
+17
+16
+10
+16
Bluff 32,
Sense Motive 32,
Spot 11

Expanded Soulmeld Capacity,
Incarnum Radiance 1/day


19/30
Incarnate 4
+18
+16
+10
+17
Bluff 33,
Sense Motive 33,
Spot 15
Necrocarnum Acolyte
Chakra Bind (Feet, Hands)


20/31
Necrocarnate 1
+18
+16
+10
+19
Bluff 34,
Sense Motive 34,
Spot 19

Harvest Soul (1 minute),
Improved Meldshaper Level

* due to how Lycanthropy adds Animal Feats, Endurance simply becomes an "extra feat"Spells per Day/Spells Known*


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


1-6
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7
4
2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8
5
3
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9
5
3
1
0
-
-
-
-
-
-


10
6
3
2
1
0
-
-
-
-
-


11
6
3
3
2
1
0
-
-
-
-


12
6
3
3
3
2
1
0
-
-
-


13
6
4
3
3
3
2
1
0
-
-


14
6
4
4
3
3
3
2
1
0
-


15
6
5
4
4
4
4
3
2
1
0


16-20
6
5
5
4
4
4
4
3
2
1



Meldshaping


CR
Soulmelds
Essentia
Chakra Binds


1-16
2
1
0


17
3
2
1 (crown)


18
3
3
1


19-20
4
4
1 (feet,hands)




* Excluding bonus spells from a high ability score
Kindblood periodically uses Bluff (+11) to lure children and fool others into thinking that she's just a harmless peasant being accompanied by a sibling or two. Once she's back to her lair in the woods, she takes on a hybrid form and makes quick work of them; One bite, and the weak ones usually die as sacrifice to sustain her soul magic, while the rare child who survives and gets afflicted with lycanthrope will soon be unleashed as a calculated misdirection of suspicion.

A reasonable challenge would likely be investigating this "Kindblood" urban legend concerning 1. the disappearances of children, including possible suspect/s, 2. the true nature of the children's deaths as well as that of possible suspect/s, 3. the sudden appearance and assault of massive snakes that, when killed, turn out to be some of the missing children, and 4. tracking the suspect/s to their lair and rescuing the remaining children.

Killing Kindblood might be too hard at this point, but taking advantage of her weaknesses will be enough to escape with living children in tow, as well as valuable information concerning Kindblood's identity. Be wary of possible lycanthrope amongst the children, however, as each of those are at least CR5 encounters themselves.In the unlikely situation of direct combat, Kindblood will be a challenging encounter to a party that lacks improvisational tactics or thorough preparation for the encounter. She has 17HD, BAB+12, 12-19/9-16/19 Saves, 20s AC, DR10/silver, 10-26 STR, 118-237HP, Scent, Curse of Lycanthrope, decent Balance/Spot/Listen/SenseMotive/Spellcraft, and situational Soulmeld (max capacity 3) immunities or bonuses. She has 2 Claws (+19, 1d6+8) and a Bite (+14, 1d8+4), in hybrid form, and a Bite (+19,1d8+12,DC27 1d6/1d6 Con damage poison), Constrict (1d8+12), and Improved Grab, in animal form.Combining her ever-growing Witchcraft with her beguiling words, she secretly establishes communication with the easily-deceived people of power and sets out to corrupt them with promises of divine might against their enemies, in exchange of their devotion to her. Tales of nobilities and officials, being struck with all manners of curses, sickness, diseases, and misfortunes, became widespread, with most (coincidentally correct) commonfolk instantly identifying those as the works of the child-murderer witch that is Kindblood. With her witchcraft gaining notoriety, she will task her followers into discretely founding a cult that will push the agenda of worshiping her.


One possible scenario for this setup would be for PCs to be tasked to extract as much information about Kindblood's whereabouts and goals as possible through these suspected officials. Alteractions with snake-transformed officials are more likely to happen than peaceful resolutions, but either way leaves only the subtlest of clues that more or less reveals a date and a meeting place, a ruined temple atop Whitegrove Hills, for the first congregation of a cult that shall be called the Kindblood Brood; interestingly, Detect Magic and similar effects will reveal traces of Compulsion magic affecting some of these officials. A preemptive strike by the PCs will significantly reduce the potential lycanthrope enemies to a manageable size, after which Kindblood will either escape or make her last stand at the temple's inner sanctum.In addition to her previous feats, this is the point where Kindblood becomes a "proper" witch. With Wild Cohort, she gets a Small Viper that is far stronger than the typical "familiar" due to Kindblood having 18+ HD. She also gets Brew Potion, and, between having Level 21 WBL/XP and Ur-Priest's lower minimum spell CL, she can easily mass produce potions that are either lower quality or aren't too reliant on CL for effectiveness. She also gets immunity to diseases and becomes more resistance to mental control, as befits a witch that is worth her salt. As before, she can include an appropriate amount of afflicted Lycanthrope loyalists to scale the difficulty of an encounter up.

More importantly, she now gets access to her spells (4th level Cleric + Trickery Domain spells). From glamers and charms for beguiling, to healing and inflicting wounds, to afflictions and hexes on her poor victims, to casting darkness/invisibility and numerous other wards for protecting herself, to foul magic for raising or communicating with the dead, to summoning creatures of the night and denizens of the abyss, and to other spells too many to mention, Kindblood's got it all. Fluffwise, she even has Consumptive Field, which becomes a part of her daily sacrifice regimen, used for siphoning the souls of the nearby deceased in order to empower some of her witchcraft. Lastly, with Open Least Chakra, her Soul Magic just got more versatile.At this point, she should take her place as the one pulling the strings at the top level of evil empire/s and/or organization/s (despite the actual rulers thinking their victories were by under their own credit), using a combination of very high Bluff checks and charms/compulsions. Her witchcraft might is demonstrably godlike, which should give her (potential) worshipers enough reason to believe in her divinity. Truly, only the PCs stand in her way now into achieving her lifelong goal of becoming a god.She gains nifty perks like SR and poison immunity, and becomes able to cast (and invest Children SoulEssentia into) [Incarnum] Spells. Practiced Spellcaster takes her to CL12, now just 3CLs behind many full casters. But, of course, the greatest addition would be her access to 9th-level spells a spell level earlier than most full casters. She now has access to powerful witchcraft that makes her seem more of an all-powerful witch-god". As usual, she tries hard not to engage the PCs directly in combat, although that's not to say that she still can put a few dents against the brutest of them.Kindblood's MO is more or less the same as before, except her daily sacrifices are increased further, in order to fuel her soul magic. She's grown wiser over the years, too, for what that's worth. CR 20 could represent Kindblood as a returning villain that the party already defeated during her first bid at Divinity, who managed to escape and rebuild her forces but had her witchcraft (whose power she stole from the gods) stunted. Alternatively, she could be finally just waiting for her Divinity to take effect, what with whole nations of worshipers already devoted to her and using her ideal as a source of cleric power, and it's a race against time for the PCs to take her and/or her nation down and stop her from officially becoming a god.Kindblood no longer suffers physical degradation due to aging, which means her mental ability scores will rack up sooner or later without a cost; consequently, her daily sacrificial ritual now grants her immediate benefit by massively expanding her Essentia pool to finally fill up that whopping 6 Essentia capacity. She also becomes permanently able to use her Crown, Feet, and Hand, chakra without resorting to wasting spell slots, increasing her Soulmelds and Spellcasting versatility further. Her spells now also has a +19 SR check mod, which is pretty much appropriate at last for her CR. Lastly, her available Soulmelds also double to 4, which, along with her Soultouched Spellcasting and Incarnum Spells, are more or less at maximum capacity due to surplus Essentia.Concept
The initial concept of my Wicked Witch build is: "How to make kidnapping and (implication of) killing children be a feasible Witch BBEG schtick for the whole 20 CRs". The solutions that I came up with are thus:
1. CR5/6: Soul Magic, at least in Kindblood's mind, pretty much requires regular sacrifice to sustain its potency. Petty killing at this levels is still feasible as a BBEG schtick, given the scope of the own PCs power.
2. CR10-15: Spellcasting* had something powered by death, which in this case was (Greater) Consumptive Field, and, on a lesser note, Animate Dead and similar undead-based spells that aren't as thematic for a Witch. Now, Kindblood has more of a logical reason to keep killing kidnapped children** in a very ritualistic, scheduled manner, which is done seconds before casting her long-duration, CL-reliant, spells. (At 1 round/level and having low CL, Consumptive Spell means you're firing off 2-3 spells with x1.5 CL)
3. CR20: Necrocarnates literally, directly, harvest dead souls, and turns them into Essentia for 24 hours. Like Consumptive Field, this keeps a more realistic and logical undertone behind the supposedly petty and senseless deaths.


Ur-Priest Contemplative?
On one hand, by fluff, Ur-Priests are primarily stealing divine powers from the gods, and practically scoffs at the idea of theistic worship being the source of divine power. It occured to me that Clerics of an Ideal aren't, in fluff at least, necessarily in conflict with Ur-Priest ideals. On the other hand, there is Sertrous in Elder Evils, who also denounced the ideas of worshiping gods to achieve divine power, insisting on getting divine powers without resorting to it. Interestingly, the alternative in this case is that we have some Sertrous' servants who are actual Clerics of an ideal, or of Sertrous himself (or the concept of anyone/anything being a source of divine power). In this case, it wouldn't be too unusual to have a Cleric / Contemplative.

Likewise, with similar fluff, it should then be possible to have an Ur-Priests who stole power from the gods, and yet is open to the idea that any Ideal or non-deity, Sertrous in this case and Orcus/Tenebrous in the case of Ur-Priest/Tenebrous Apostate fluff, can be worshipped. Now just plug-in what clerics of Sertrous typically have as domains, which can be anything (but usually includes Trickery) such as the Incarnum domain that is available to any Clerics with a Neutral alignment. Voila! You have an Ur-Priest Contemplative!

As a side note, it also made sense to take Spell Focus (Evil) at first level, especially since Kindblood seems to be preparing for this exact career path in the first place.


Were-Legendary Snake
Since one of the witch-related familiar IMO is the snake, this seems to be the most logical and best choice, for my idea of using lycanthropy HD to satisfy PrC skill reqs. Now, it is just extremely fortunate that the fluff of Sertrous manages to interconnect this template, Ur-Priest, and Contemplative, into a tight, sensible, concept.




* Brew Potion pretty much required caster/invoker involvement
** The main justification on using them, instead of just about any adult, is that they will most likely be Commoner 1 NPCs, and they would likely have no combat knowledge to speak of. Easy pickings that is pretty much a far less cheesier and far more fluffier version of Bag O' Rats or Anthill killings.
SRD: everything else
Magic of Incarnum: Incarnate, Necrocarnate, Necrocarnum Acolyte, Incarnum Domain, Soultouched Spellcasting
Complete Divine: Ur-Priest, Contemplative, Practiced Spellcaster
Monster Manual 2 (3.5 Update (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a)): Legendary Snake
Races of Destiny: Able Learner
Web Article: Wild Cohort (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a)
Elder Evils: fluff for Sertrous

(Very long post is exceeding the character limit; I'll post the others shortly).

[Telonius]

She's learned to stop worrying and love the wickedness; it's Granny Strangelove!

Granny Strangelove, a.k.a Madame Strangelove
NE Advanced (10HD) Night Hag Hexblade 4/Fiend of Corruption 6

http://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/32500000/Evil-Queen-once-upon-a-time-32507525-500-500.png



https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/3c/06/bf/3c06bfb0dc4cdb6f5dde06ec4b147531.jpg


Build



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


9
Night Hag (8 HD)
+8
+6
+6
+6
Bluff 11, Diplomacy 11, Disguise 11, Intimidate 11, Knowledge(Arcana) (5), Knowledge(The Planes) (5), Listen 11, Sense Motive 11, Spellcraft 5, Spot 11, Never Outnumbered, Social Recovery, Assume Quirk, Second Impression
Power Attack, Persuasive, Improved Natural Attack(Bite)
Disease, Dream Haunting, Spell Like Abilities: At will - Detect Chaos, Detect Evil, Detect Good, Detect Law, Detect Magic, Magic Missile, Ray of Enfeeblement, Sleep. Caster level 8th. At will - Etherealness (with Heartstone), Caster level 16th. The save DCs are Charisma based., Change Shape(Su): A night hag can assume the form of any Small or Medium humanoid, +11 Natural Armor, Bite attack (2d6), Damage Reduction 10/Cold Iron and Magic, Spell Resistance 25, Immunity to Fire, Cold, Sleep, Charm, and Fear.


9
Advanced Night Hag (9 HD)
+9
+6
+6
+6
Bluff 12, Diplomacy 12, Disguise 12, Intimidate 12, Listen 12, Sense Motive 12, Spellcraft 8, Spot 12
Brew Potion



10
Advanced Night Hag (10 HD)
+10
+7
+7
+7
Bluff 13, Diplomacy 13, Disguise 13, Intimidate 13, Listen 13, Sense Motive 13, Spellcraft 11, Spot 13




11
Hexblade 1 (11 HD)
+11
+7
+7
+9
Diplomacy 14, Intimidate 14, Knowledge(Arcana) 6, Spellcraft 12

Hexblade's Curse 1/day, Spells


12
Hexblade 2 (12 HD)
+12
+7
+7
+10
Diplomacy 15, Intimidate 15, Knowledge(Arcana) 7, Spellcraft 13
Skill Focus(Intimidate)
Arcane Resistance


13
Hexblade 3 (13 HD)
+13
+8
+8
+10
Diplomacy 16, Intimidate 16, Knowledge(Arcana) 8, Spellcraft 14

Mettle


14
Hexblade 4 (14 HD)
+14
+8
+8
+11
Diplomacy 17, Intimidate 17, Knowledge(Arcana) 9, Spellcraft 15

Dark Companion


15
Fiend of Corruption 1 (15 HD)
+14
+10
+10
+13
Bluff 14, Diplomacy 18, Disguise 14, Sense Motive 14
Imperious Command
Alternate Form, Fiend's Favor


16
Fiend of Corruption 2 (16 HD)
+15
+11
+11
+14
Bluff 15, Diplomacy 19, Disguise 15, Sense Motive 15

Suggestion, Mind Shielding


17
Fiend of Corruption 3 (17 HD)
+16
+11
+11
+14
Diplomacy 20, Intimidate (18.5),

Mark of Justice


18
Fiend of Corruption 4 (18 HD)
+17
+12
+12
+15
Diplomacy 21, Intimidate (20)
Skill Focus(Diplomacy)
Fiendish Graft, Major Creation


19
Fiend of Corruption 5 (19 HD)
+17
+12
+12
+15
Diplomacy 22, Intimidate (21.5)

Geas, Temptation


20
Fiend of Corruption 6 (20 HD)
+18
+13
+13
+16
Diplomacy 23, Intimidate (23)

Grant Wish, Soul Bargain




Abilitie Scores

Final Ability Scores:

Str - 10 (18)
Dex - 12 (14)
Con - 13 (21)
Int - 14 (14)
Wis - 8 (12)
Cha - 15 (22)

5 bumps from levels all go into Charisma

Night Hag Racial Stats:
+8 Str
+2 Dex
+8 Con
+4 Wis
+2 Cha


Spells per Day/Spells Known

Spells per Day/Spells Known


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


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


14th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
0
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-



Spells Known:
Charm Person, Protection From Good


CR 10
Nestled in and among the Red Light District is the Strangelove Brothel. The three story building has seen better days, but it's in good repair - an indicator that business is good perhaps? It's appearance is a little ostentatious bordering on gaudy, but that seems to be intentional in order to help it stand out amongst a street of similar establishements. Rumor has it that no matter how pure, perverse, or just plain odd your desire is, Madame Strangelove can help you sate it. She employs a number of very skilled individuals from a variety of sentient races. But that isn't what's brought you here today, more's the pity. You saw the job posting in the square, and are here to see just what sort of problem Madame Strangelove has that requires a group of adventurers like yourselves...

Madame Strangelove runs a fine establishment dedicated to the Multiverse's oldest profession. She runs a brisk business, but she is not just the simple brothel owner she goes to great pains to appear to be. She is in fact an ancient Night Hag, Granny Strangelove, who has found that this new business allows her to turn a profit, feed, and collect souls all in one place. She happily haunts and feasts upon the dreams of a chosen few Evil or Chaotic patrons each week, generally taking care to avoid killing them while they are on the premesis (though she has no compunctions about draining them dry over the course of days if they remain in the city).

The players first encounter her through her request for help. The noble family of one of her most recent meals has gotten it into their heads that their deceased relative caught some sort of magical disease in her establishment. The family is quite influential in the city, and could cause a bit of a problem for Madame Strangelove. She's calling for a neutral party to help settle the dispute, and help her throw the family off of her trail. She dares not raise her hand against the family directly, as they have the resources to make things difficult for her. She also is having issues with a rival brothel down the street, and cannot afford to divide her attention in so many directions. She hopes to influence the party into helping her in either eliminating the noble family, finding a suitable explanation for the young man's death that doesn't tie back to her, or redirecting their ire to her business rival.


CR 20 Sweet Spot
The Strangelove Brothel is a welcome sight to your weary eyes. You've done many favors for the Madame over the last year, and she's always rewarded you handsomely in whatever mannner you chose. Some of the stuffed shirt types may not like the business she runs, but she's always been able to rely on you to help her out of a jam when some self-righteous, holier-than-thou nutjob tries to crusade against her or her profession. You get a sense that she cares deeply for her employees, and for you as well. How anyone could think ill of Madame Strangelove is beyond you...

Madame Strangelove has evolved her methods, and has now added a few new "services" to her list of rewards for the players. She now runs a brisk, but very discreet, soul trade. Her Fiend of Corruption abilities allow her to hand out grafts (usually by referring the requestor to an "associate" - Strangelove in disguise of course), boons to an ability score (Fiend's Favor), or flat out offering pretty much anything you could want in exchange for your soul. She still delights in corrupting patrons to an evil life, especially because that gives her plenty of individuals to feed on (she can only Haunt the Dreams of Evil or Chaotic characters). She now has so many options to feed on that she rarely needs to kill anyone. That she saves for those who agree to sell her their soul. Then she'll quietly feed on them until they die, or hire out her pet adventurers to "bring that evil man to justice". She may, at this point, attempt to sway a party member to slide into an evil alignment and sell her their soul. While it's unlikley that they'll agree, she does have a variety of tools to help influence them. If all else fails, and the party uncover who and what she is, old Granny Strangelove isn't going to give up her livelihood without a fight. And wouldn't you know it, she has numerous employees, patrons, and even prominent members of the city who are fanatically loyal to her that she'll be happy to sacrifice in an effort to stop the party.


The Wicked Witch Components


Bestowing a curse - Granny Strangelove uses her Hexblade's Curse to fulfill this requirement.
Traditional Witchy Companion - Her Dark Compaion (a shadowy panther) fulfills this requirement.
Brew Potion - She uses this to create potions of Protection From Good so that she can utilize her very limited spells per day casting Charm Person.
Broom of Flying - as a medium creature who doesn't weigh too much and doesn't have innate flight, the broom is her favorite method of rapid transit.
Evil Aligned - She's neutral evil with the [Evil] subtype, can't really get more evil than that.




References

Monster Manual - Night Hag, Improved Natural Attack
Drow of the Underdark - Imperious Command
Complete Warrior - Hexblade
Complete Scoundrel - Skill Tricks
Fiend Folio - Fiend of Corruption


What happens after those naughty children murder a poor unsuspecting witch? This homunculus will show you. Griz!
Griz
Neutral Evil
Homunculus (6HD) Incarnate Construct Archivist 3/Mystic Wanderer 6/Master Alchemist 10



The Story of Grizwelda

Once upon a time, there was a wonderful witch named Grizwelda. She offered her help to those who needed it, unspelling cursed witches, freeing bound demons and devils, offering aid and comfort to those hunted and marked for death. She was often referred to by those of such need as Gramma 'Zwel.

One dark day, two human spawn stalked into Gramma 'Zwel's quiet wood, looking to spread their violence and mayhem. Being the wily children they were, the two left bread crumbs littered about the ground to mark where they'd already searched. Griswelda sent ravens behind them to eat at the crumbs and confuse their hunting, but, never-the-less, the two eventually discovered her house.

Griswelda hid, of course, knowing that the best way to avoid calamity from humans was to wait until they grew bored and wandered off. But these children would not be so easily swayed from their torturous task. Not finding Griswelda, they instead set upon her house, tearing it apart piece by piece and devouring each handful with an eager maliciousness never before imagined.

Poor Griswelda knew not what to do. She couldn't sit idle while her home was eaten! Mustering her courage, she approached the vile children and greeted them with a wary smile. Hopefully, she could simply feed them enough to sate their energies and then send them on their way.

But, alas, the children had other plans. Before Griswelda could even add yeast to flour to bake them something lovely, the wretched humans shoved her into the fires of her own oven. Squealing out shrieks of glee at the top of their lungs, the horrid children ran off, sprinting back to their kin to brag about the victory of their hunting.



12 Str -2 -0 10
08 Con -- NR NR
10 Dex +4 -0 14
15 Int +0 -0 15
13 Wis +2 -0 15
14 Cha -4 -0 10

NR = New Roll (4d6, drop lowest)

HD Bonuses:
4,8,12,16,20: Int
24: Wis





Challenge Rating
Class
Hit Dice
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1
Incarnate Construct Homunculus (Advanced to 6HD)
6d8
+4
+5
+2
+2
Craft (Alchemy) 4; Decipher Script 3; Hide 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 3
1st: Iron Will; 3rd: Skill Focus (alchemy); 6th: Shadow Weave Magic

--


2
Archivist 1
6d8 + 1d6
+4
+7
+2
+4
Craft (Alchemy) 4; Decipher Script 3; Diplomacy 7; Hide 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 3
B: Scribe Scroll
Dark Knowledge (tactics) 3/day


3
Archivist 2
6d8 + 2d6
+5
+8
+2
+5
Craft (Alchemy) 4; Decipher Script 3; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (nature) 1; Knowledge (religion) 2; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 3
--
Lore Mastery


4
Archivist 3
6d8 + 3d6
+5
+8
+3
+5
Craft (Alchemy) 4; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (nature) 3; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 3
9th: Mother Cyst
Dark Knowledge 4/day


5
Mystic Wanderer 1
6d8 + 3d6 + 1d8
+5
+8
+5
+7
Craft (Alchemy) 9; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (nature) 3; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 3
--
Glory of the Divine; Sleep


6
Mystic Wanderer 2
6d8 + 3d6 + 2d8
+6/1
+8
+6
+8
Craft (Alchemy) 10; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (nature) 3; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 7
--
Familiar; Lore of Nature


7
Mystic Wanderer 3
6d8 + 3d6 + 3d8
+6/1
+9
+6
+8
Craft (Alchemy) 12; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 1; Knowledge (nature) 3; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10

12th: Craft Wondrous Item
Gem Magic; Resist Charm


8
Mystic Wanderer 4
6d8 + 3d6 + 4d8
+7/2
+9
+7
+9
Craft (Alchemy) 16; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 1; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 4; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10
B: Brew Potion
--


9
Mystic Wanderer 5
6d8 + 3d6 + 5d8
+7/2
+9
+7
+9
Craft (Alchemy) 17; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 5; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10
--
Suggestion


10
Mystic Wanderer 6
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8
+8/3
+10
+8
+10
Craft (Alchemy) 18; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 10; Profession (herbalist) 3; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10
15th: Magical Artisan (potions)
Greater Potion I


11
Master Achemist 1
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 1d4
+8/3
+10
+8
+12
Craft (Alchemy) 19; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 13; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10
--
Brew 2/day


12
Master Alchemist 2
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 2d4
+9/4
+10
+8
+13
Craft (Alchemy) 20; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 18; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 10
--
Brew Potion (4th)


13
Master Alchemist 3
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 3d4
+9/4
+11
+9
+13
Craft (Alchemy) 21; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 21; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 12
18th: Heighten Spell
Brew Potion (5th)


14
Master Alchemist 4
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 4d4
+10/5
+11
+9
+14
Craft (Alchemy) 22; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 22; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 16

--
Brew Potion (6th)


15
Master Alchemist 5
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 5d4
+10/5
+11
+9
+14
Craft (Alchemy) 23; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 23; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 21
--
Brew 3/day


16
Master Alchemist 6
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 6d4
+11/6/1
+12
+10
+15
Concentration 2; Craft (Alchemy) 24; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 24; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 24
21: Insidious Magic
Improved Identification


17
Master Alchemist 7
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 7d4
+11/6/1
+12
+10
+15
Concentration 6; Craft (Alchemy) 25; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 25; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 25
--
Brew Potion (7th)


18
Master Alchemist 8
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 8d4
+12/7/2
+12
+10
+16
Concentration 10; Craft (Alchemy) 26; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 26; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 26
--
Brew Potion (8th)


19
Master Alchemist 9
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 9d4
+12/7/2
+13
+11
+16
Concentration 14; Craft (Alchemy) 27; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 27; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 27
24th: Tenacious Magic
Brew 4/day


20
Master Alchemist 10
6d8 + 3d6 + 6d8 + 10d4
+13/8/3
+13
+11
+17
Concentration 18; Craft (Alchemy) 28; Decipher Script 5; Diplomacy 8; Hide 3; Knowledge (arcana) 5; Knowledge (nature) 5; Knowledge (religion) 2; Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 3; Perform 3; Profession (baker) 28; Profession (herbalist) 5; "Speak" Language (Sign Language); Spellcraft 28
--
Brew Potion (9th)







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


1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


3
4
3+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


5
4
4+1
3+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6
4
4+1
3+1
2
-
-
-
-
-
-


7
4
4+1
4+1
3
-
-
-
-
-
-


8
4
5+1
4+1
3
2
-
-
-
-
-


9
4
5+1
4+1
4
3
-
-
-
-
-


10
4
5+1
5+1
4
3
2
-
-
-
-


11
4
5+1
5+1
4
4
3
-
-
-
-


12
4
5+1
5+1
5
4
3
2
-
-
-


13
4
5+1
5+1
5
4
4
3
-
-
-


14
4
5+1
5+1
5
5
4
3
2
-
-


15
4
5+1
5+1
5
5
4
4
3
-
-


16
4
5+1
5+1
5
5
5
4
3
2
-


17
4
5+1
5+1
5
5
5
4
4
3
-


18
4
5+1
5+1
5
5
5
5
4
3
2


19
4
5+1
5+1
5+1
5
5
5
4
4
3


20
4
5+1
5+1
5+1
5
5
5
5
4
4





Griz was created by Grizwelda to be a homunculus that helped out around her cottage. He did the cooking and the cleaning, helped with some research, and petered about doing basic, homunculus-y things. As reward for his dedicated service, Grizwelda eventually bestowed upon him life of his very own. Granted this incarnation of humanity, Griz chose to stay with Grizwelda, living in a quiet cottage in the middle of nowhere, delving into the secret depths of magic.

Then came that fateful day when two human children wandered into the woods. And Griz was left alone. He vowed then and there that he would exact a long, slow revenge on those children, and their children, and their children's children, too.

Griz continues to live in that wood, in Grizwelda's old cottage. With divinations and research, he seeks knowledge on the family tree of Hanzel and Gretel. When such a decendant is found, he sends them a letter:
Congratulations! You have been chosen as the winner of the Tasty Bakery Cakes Contest. As grand prize winner, you will receive a yummy cake each month, free of charge, for one full year. Enjoy, with our compliments!

By CR 10, Griz has the skill to be a baker-with-attitude. His ranks in Profession (baker) lets him run his own bakery from the little cottage. With the Necrotic Cyst and Necrotic Domination spells (and later Necrotic Tumor) (Libris Mortis p.68-69), Griz is able to create minions/puppets for a staff of employees to deliver his goods and bring him supplies. They can even be sent door-to-door to advertise.


With both the Brew Potion and Create Wonderous Items feats, Griz can make cakes that are potion-like items (as per the rules in Complete Arcane p.137). With the feat Magical Artisan, Griz makes potions at a cheaper cost (which is paid for anyway, by his bakery business). And he can circumvent some (or all) of the XP cost through his puppet employees via the sidebar found here (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060526a).

His cake-of-the-month contest winners, thus, receive his "special" cakes. He starts them off, often, with a Bestow Curse cake to lower their saves, then follows with his specialty, Cupcakes of the Necrotic Cyst (Libris Mortis p.68). Once the Cyst is presumed to have been implanted, Griz tries out a Necrotic Scrying spell (LM p.69) to see if it has, in fact, taken hold. If not, more Necrotic Cyst cakes follow. Once such a tumor is implanted, Griz can extract revenge in all sorts of ways and manners!

As Griz advances in ability, he gains the option of imbedding higher level spells into his cakes. With the Heighten Spell feat, he can make his Cupcakes with a Necrotic Cyst spell of a higher level to increase the DC. When Insidious Magic comes along, the spells he puts into his cakes are that much harder to detect; and with Tenacious Magic, any dispelling they might be subject to (regardless of detection) can be overcome.



The Homunculus entry states:
If the creature’s master is slain, the homunculus also dies, and its body swiftly melts away into a pool of ichor.
So, why is Griz still alive when Griswelda dies?
I'm glad you asked. The Incarnate Construct template removes all Special Attacks and Special Qualities of the original construct. The line quoted above, however, is not listed as being either of these things. But, the Incarnate Construct Spell states
The incarnated creature is independent of both you and the being who originally made it, though it is initially friendly toward both you and its maker. Is it RAW that Griz should live on after Grizwelda's death? That depends on what being "independent" of his maker actually means. But one could certainly make an easy arguement that it works by RAI.

How can Griz cast spells? Can he talk?
A Homunculus can't speak. But an Incarnate Construct is granted the ability to speak one language that it's creater knows.
An incarnate construct speaks one language, usually the primary language of the being that crafted it. So, yes, Griz can talk.

Should Griz have skill ranks for his racial HD?
Constructs often don't get skills. This is because they usually have Int --. Homunculi, however, are intelligent and, thus, have skills and feats. The Incarnate Construct template states
An incarnate construct gains no skill points for becoming a living creature, but if it gains levels, it acquires skill points normally. This does not remove skill ranks, it simply doesn't grant any skills to those who didn't originally have them.

Ok, but what about feats?
The Incarnate Construct template says
An incarnate construct has no feats when it becomes a living creature, but if it gains levels, it acquires feats normally. So, by pure RAW, Griz shouldn't have any feats for racial HD. But that's really just another example of Wizard's inept editing skills. By RAI, there's really no reason to believe that Griz should lose his feats, just that he shouldn't gain any that he didn't already have.



Griz should stay behind the scenes for most of the campaign. But he has minions at his bidding (through Necrotic Cyst and Necrotic Tumor) delivering his baked goods, keeping an eye about town(s), bringing back information and supplies. He should just be pulling the strings of his puppets all along. An actual run-in with the PCs shouldn't occur until the end.

Imagine a campaign that starts with the PCs being hired by some distant cousin to investigate the apparent murder of his/her sibling. The local constabulary have ruled it a suicide, but some evidence points toward foul play. As the PCs dig into the case, they discover a familial connection to other recent deaths in the area (perhaps spanning a few different towns and cities).
It should dawn on the PCs that the distant cousin who hired them is in danger
and needs protecting. And, astute PCs should also realise that, with the familial tie, one of their own has a target painted on his/her back, as well.

Can they determine the source of the danger before it's too late? Will they realize the ancestors they all share? Did they notice the cake crumbs in the homes of each of the deceased? Can they follow that trail of crumbs back to the Tasty Bakery? Will they be able to find Griz and put a stop to his revenge-seeking once and for all?



SRD -- Homunculus; Iron Will feat; Skill Focus feat; Scribe Scroll feat; Craft Wonderous Item feat; Brew Potion feat; Heighten Spell feat
Savage Species -- Incarnate Construct Template
Player's Guide to Faerun -- Shadow Weave Magic feat; Magical Artisan feat; Insidious Magic feat; Tenacious Magic feat
Heroes of Horror -- Archivst class
Libris Mortis -- Mother Cyst feat
Magic of Faerun -- Mystic Wanderer PrC; Master Alchemist PrC

[Telonius]

She's an outcast Half-Orc living in the desert. She'll help those poor unfortunate souls she finds... for a price. It's Nulara of the Evil Eye!


Nulara of the Evil Eye
NE Desert Half-Orc Sorcerer 5/Sand Shaper 5/Hexer 10
http://orig07.deviantart.net/81a6/f/2009/190/7/7/shaman2_by_okha.jpg


Nulara was born to a Mulhorandi noble and his orcish mistress. Her parents weren’t good people, but they did love each other, and they loved their half-breed daughter. Despite the cultural shame that came with tainting his proud Mulan bloodline, Nulara’s father insisted that she be treated as a true daughter of his house, so she was educated like any other child of her station. She hated it. The other children (not to mention their parents) were cruel, viewing her as an inferior because of her impure blood. Their spite and contempt only grew more pointed as she grew and began to display magical gifts that, despite her best efforts, were neither wizardly nor clerical.

Through all of this, Nulara felt a strong connection to the wasteland surrounding the city, where her mother’s people had come from. When she was 16, her mother died under mysterious circumstances, and her father fell into a deep grief. Without his protection, Nulara feared for her life as well, so she fled her home and struck out into the desert beyond. She fell in with a band of full-blooded orcs, but her treatment there was no better than it had been with the Mulan--she was too human for them, too much of a city-dweller. Still, the harshness of her outcast upbringing had given her thick skin, and she remained with the orcs long enough to learn their greatest magic, the evil eye.

Despite her distaste for...well, pretty much everyone, Nulara presents herself as an ally to the disenfranchised desert-dwellers and urban underclass, because her goal is ruining the lives of the people who made her childhood awful, which constitutes most of the city’s upper class. She’ll go after them directly if they venture onto her turf, but she mostly uses agents to disrupt things within the city itself--sometimes magically-compelled agents, but because she operates in a mostly cashless economy, she also accepts “favors” as payment for her potions.
Starting Ability Scores: Str 10, Dex 12, Con 13, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 15
Increase: Cha at 4, 6, and 20; Wis at 8; Int at 12


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


1st
Sorcerer
+0
+0
+0
+2
Knowledge (Arcana) 4, Knowledge (Nature) 2, Spellcraft 2, Survival 2
Human Heritage
Familiar


2nd
Sorcerer
+1
+0
+0
+3
Knowledge (Nature) 2.5, Spellcraft 3, Survival 2.5




3rd
Sorcerer
+1
+1
+1
+3
Knowledge (Nature) 3, Spellcraft 4, Survival 3
Touchstone



4th
Sorcerer
+2
+1
+1
+4
Knowledge (Nature) 3.5, Spellcraft 5, Survival 3.5




5th
Sorcerer
+2
+1
+1
+4
Knowledge (Nature) 4, Spellcraft 6, Survival 4




6th
Sand Shaper
+2
+1
+1
+6
Knowledge (Arcana) 7, Survival 6
Southern Magician
Desert insight, dust magic, sand shape


7th
Sand Shaper
+3
+1
+1
+7
Knowledge (Arcana) 10, Survival 8

Sandform


8th
Sand Shaper
+3
+2
+2
+7
Concentration 1, Spellcraft 8, Survival 10

Sand stride


9th
Hexer
+4
+2
+2
+9
Concentration 2, Knowledge (Nature) 5, Spellcraft 9
Brew Potion
Hex 1/day


10th
Hexer
+5
+2
+2
+10
Concentrarion 4, Spellcraft 10

Bonus spell, hex 2/day


11th
Hexer
+6/+1
+3
+3
+10
Concentration 5, Spellcraft 11, Survival 11

Sicken hex


12th
Hexer
+7/+2
+3
+3
+11
Concentration 6, Spellcraft 12, Survival 12
Ability Focus (Hex)
Bonus spell, hex 3/day


13th
Hexer
+8/+3
+3
+3
+11
Concentration 7, Spellcraft 13, Survival 13

Fear hex


14th
Hexer
+9/+4
+4
+4
+12
Concentration 8, Spellcraft 14, Survival 14

Bonus spell, hex 4/day


15th
Hexer
+10/+5
+4
+4
+12
Concentration 9, Spellcraft 15, Survival 15
Irresistible Gaze
Sleep hex


16th
Hexer
+11/+6/+1
+4
+4
+13
Concentration 10, Spellcraft 16, Survival 16

Bonus spell, hex 5/day


17th
Hexer
+12/+7/+2
+5
+5
+13
Concentration 11, Spellcraft 17, Survival 17

Charm hex


18th
Hexer
+13/+8/+3
+5
+5
+14
Concentration 12, Spellcraft 18, Survival 18
Piercing Gaze
Bonus spell, hex 6/day


19th
Sand Shaper
+14/+9/+4
+5
+5
+15
Concentration 14, Knowledge (Nature) 6, Spellcraft 19, Survival 19

Improved sand shape


20th
Sand Shaper
+14/+9/+4
+5
+5
+15
Concentration 16, Knowledge (Nature) 7, Spellcraft 20, Survival 20

Improved dust magic 3/day



Spells per Day/Spells Known


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


1st
5/4
3/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
6/5
4/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


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


5th
6/6
6/3
3/1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
6/6
6/4
4/2
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


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


9th
6/8
6/5
6/3
5/2
3/1
-
-
-
-
-


10th
6/8
6/5
6/4
6/3
4/2
-
-
-
-
-


11th
6/9
6/5
6/4
6/3
5/2
3/1
-
-
-
-


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


13th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/3
5/2
3/1
-
-
-


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


15th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/4
6/3
5/2
3/1
-
-


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


17th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/4
6/4
6/3
5/2
3/1
-


18th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/4
6/4
6/3
6/3
4/2
-


19th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/4
6/4
6/3
6/3
5/2
3/1


20th
6/9
6/5
6/5
6/4
6/4
6/4
6/3
6/3
6/3
4/2



Spells Known
0 - Detect Magic, Detect Poison, Sonic Snap*, Prestidigitation, Mage Hand, Caltrops*, Dancing Lights, Message, Amanuensis*
1 - Disguise Self, Hypnotism, Luminous Gaze*, Silent Image, Backbiter*, Bear's Endurance, Bull's Strength, Cat's Grace, Endure Elements, Parching Touch†, Speak with Animals, Summon Desert Ally I†
2 - Chain of Eyes*, Blindness/Deafness, Quick Potion*, Infernal Wound*, Steal Breath*, Eagle's Splendor, Fox's Cunning, Heat Metal, Owl's Wisdom, Resist Energy, Summon Desert Ally II†, Summon Swarm
3 - Bestow Curse, Lightning Bolt, Mesmerizing Glare, Unluck*, Control Sand†, Desiccate†, Dispel Magic, Dominate Animal, Haboob†, Slipsand†, Summon Desert Ally III†, Sunstroke†, Tormenting Thirst†, Wind Wall
4 - Translocation Trick*, Divination, Backlash*, Sensory Deprivation*, Blast of Sand†, Summon Desert Ally IV†, Wall of Sand†, Wither†
5 - Baleful Polymorph, Wrack*, Dominate Person, Prying Eyes*, Choking Sands†, Flaywind Burst†, Flesh to Salt†, Summon Desert Ally V†, Transmute Sand to Stone†, Transmute Stone to Sand†
6 - Eyebite, Greater Dispel Magic, Permanent Image, Awaken Sand†, Mummify†, Sandstorm†, Summon Desert Ally VI†
7 - Greater Shadow Conjuration, Evil Glare*, Control Weather, Mass Flesh to Salt†, Summon Desert Ally VII†
8 - Greater Bestow Curse, Otto’s Irresistable Dance, Maddening Whispers*, Summon Desert Ally VIII†, Whirlwind
9 - Shades, Eye of Power*, Summon Desert Ally IX†

Brown spells were added through Sand Shaper. Nulara gains access to the first- and second-level Sand Shaper spells at level 5, and all subsequent spells when spells of the appropriate level first become available to her.
*Indicates a spell from the Spell Compendium.
†Indicates a spell from Sandstorm.

Nulara's chosen spell list is heavy on the debuffs, because I wanted her to feel as much as possible like she's always tossing curses around. She has Bestow Curse and its big brother, of course, but spells like [I]Blindness/Deafness, Unluck, and Baleful Polymorph also fit this theme. The next most abundant category is divinations, because they're generally witchity and a bunch of them are eye-themed. There are a few other eye-based spells in there too (see: , [i]Evil Glare,, Eyebite, etc.) because they felt thematically right. Everything else is either a general-use spell to add some versatility (as with the Shadow [Whatever] line) or was chosen to fulfill a prereq--hi, Lightning Bolt!) Note also Quick Potion which, while falling outside the contest requirements, doesn’t have an XP cost, making it a great out-of-combat prep spell, particularly at mid-to-high levels where it’ll last all day.

The Sand Shaper spells give her a lot of direct offensive options, which her chosen spells otherwise lack. The Summon Desert Ally line is just meat shields, but at least they lessen her dependence on other allies.There are some nice free general spells, though--not having to spend a spell known to get Dispel Magic is great, as is access to the enhancement-bonus spells, which are particularly nice for potion-making.
Level 5: Nothing too special yet. She's a sorcerer, and her feats are taken up with various prereqs, so there's nothing too special there either. Touchstone (the Sandstorm version) is more flavorful than powerful. Her familiar is a hairy spider (from Monsters of Faerun), again for flavor rather than power--it's nice and witchity, and it's what her photo has.

Level 9 (Sweet Spot):First of all, let's talk about Hexer prereqs. Nulara obviously fulfills the racial prereq as a "savage humanoid," although she'd be less-than-pleased with that description. She also needs to be able to cast Lightning Bolt as a divine spell, which is where Southern Magician comes in. That requires her to be human, which is why she took Human Heritage as her 1st-level feat. Being Mulan specifically is a matter of fluff, which I've honored. It took some doing, but Nulara qualifies for Hexer.

Anyway. Sand Shaper isn't necessary to Nulara's witchiness, but it reinforces her racial flavor and represents her distancing herself from human society, which makes it a good choice for a fill-in PrC. Mechanically, of course, it adds a bunch of spells to her spell list, and gives a bunch of other fun benefits. Note especially that she spends pretty much all her time in "waste terrain" and therefore has a basically constant +1 CL. This is also the level where she picks up Brew Potion.

The reason I chose this level as Nulara's Sweet Spot, though, is that it's where she finally qualifies for Hexer. Hex is her signature ability, and much of the rest of her build is dedicated getting more and better hexes, this is the first level where she can function as intended. Her basic hex duplicates one of the effects of Bestow Curse but has its own pool of uses rather than taking up spell slots.

Level 15: I assumed that Nulara doesn't actually get bonus spells from Hexer, because the text seems to indicate that Hexers add spells to their class (i.e. Adept) spell list rather than their personal spells known. Still, though, she's getting full BAB and spellcasting progression, plus a couple fun new hexes: One that perma-denies opponents their Dex bonus to AC, and one that duplicates Fear. I still think the base ability is best, but it never hurts to have more tools in one's toolbox. She spends her feats on Ability Focus and Irresistable Gaze (which explicitly stack). I'm not sure whether Ability Focus works with her sub-hexes, but Irresistable Gaze definitely does, giving her +4 to the main ability and +2 or +4 to the others. Her hexes are highly economical because they last for several turns (7 at this level, with a maximum of 10 starting at level 18), letting her curse multiple foes for a single standard action while she uses her turn for other stuff. Essentially, this gives her two standard actions and thus helps ameliorate the action economy disparity between herself and a party of adventurers.

Level 20: Nulara’s final hex, which mimics Charm Monster and works for 1 day/Hexer level, is an interesting alternate option: It’s pretty much useless in combat, but it can make for some interesting plots because, with repeated use, she can charm entire communities--note that this hex, like all her hexes, lacks the “a creature who saves against this can’t be affected for 24 hours” caveat a lot of abilities have. Her last sandshaper levels give her some free metamagic and the ability to form sand creatures (none of which, sadly, are particularly witchity), and her final feet increases the range of all her hexes to 60’. She’s only lost 1 CL over the course of her 20 levels, meaning that she gets 9th-level spells--though note that she needs a +2 Cha item to use them, or to cast Eagle’s Splendor on herself.
Masters of the Wild: Hexer
Monsters of Faerun: Hairy Spider
Races of Destiny: Human Heritage
Races of Faerun: Southern Magician
Sandstorm: Sand Shaper, Touchstone, various spells
Serpent Kingdoms: Irresistable Gaze, Piercing Gaze
Spell Compendium: Various spells

And, last but not least - no one suspects the cat. Shadow!

Shadow

Neutral Evil Tibbit Cleric 5 / Mystic Wanderer 10 / Contemplative 1 / Master Alchemist 4

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbeg1ae---voJoBlWe4x7P5PhxRupH7bWWNXQui77jmz_cvCmO

No one knows much about Shadow. She is the local witch and she lives in the forest, everyone agrees on that much. She helps people sometimes, or so they say, but only for the right price. You shouldn’t anger her or you are liable to be cursed. There’s even rumours that she can see through the eyes of her black cat.

Some of this is true of course, Shadow is a witch. She helps people who can give her something in return and curses those who displease her. She can’t see through the eyes of cats but she does turn into one. She worships Vecna and treasures her secrets above all else. She is wary of other practitioners to a perhaps unhealthy degree, fearing them and focusing her magic to defend herself from their threats.


Alternative class features: Cloistered Cleric and Divine Magician.

Strength: 6 (8 base, -2 racial)
Dexterity: 15 (13 base, +2 racial)
Constitution: 12
Intelligence: 10
Wisdom: 15 (level up points go here)
Charisma: 14



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


1st
Cloistered Cleric 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Concentration 4, Craft (Alchemy) 4, Diplomacy 4, Knowledge (Nature) 3, Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 4, Perform 2cc, Profession (Herbalist) 1
Surrogate Spellcasting
Lore, Aura, Rebuke Undead, Divine Magician


2nd
Cloistered Cleric 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Concentration 5, Craft (Alchemy) 5, Diplomacy 5, Knowledge (Religion) 1, Profession (Herbalist) 3
-
-


3rd
Cloistered Cleric 3
+1
+3
+1
+3
Concentration 6, Craft (Alchemy) 6, Diplomacy 6, Knowledge (Religion) 2, Perform 3cc
Iron Will
-


4th
Cloistered Cleric 4
+2
+4
+1
+4
Concentration 7, Craft (Alchemy) 7, Diplomacy 7, Knowledge (Religion) 3, Spellcraft 2
-
-


5th
Cloistered Cleric 5
+2
+4
+1
+4
Concentration 8, Craft (Alchemy) 8, Diplomacy 8, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Spellcraft 4
-
-


6th
Mystic Wanderer 1
+2
+4
+3
+6
Concentration 9, Spellcraft 5
Divine Defiance
Glory of the Divine, sleep


7th
Mystic Wanderer 2
+3
+4
+4
+7
Concentration 10, Spellcraft 6
-
Familiar, Lore of Nature


8th
Mystic Wanderer 3
+3
+5
+4
+7
Knowledge (Religion) 5, Spellcraft 7
Attune Gem
Gem Magic, Resist Charm


9th
Mystic Wanderer 4
+4
+5
+5
+8
Knowledge (Religion) 6, Spellcraft 8
Brew Potion, Magical Artisan (Potions)
-


10th
Mystic Wanderer 5
+4
+5
+5
+8
Knowledge (Religion) 7, Spellcraft 9
-
Suggestion


11th
Mystic Wanderer 6
+5
+6
+6
+9
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Spellcraft 10
-
Greater Potion I


12th
Mystic Wanderer 7
+5
+6
+6
+9
Concentration 15, Knowledge (Religion) 9
Ocular Spell
Charm Monster


13th
Mystic Wanderer 8
+6
+6
+7
+10
Knowledge (Religion) 11
-
Greater Potion II


14th
Mystic Wanderer 9
+6
+7
+7
+10
Knowledge (Religion) 13
-
Mass Charm


15th
Mystic Wanderer 10
+7
+7
+8
+11
Craft (Alchemy) 9, Spellcraft 11
Skill Focus (Craft (Alchemy))
Greater Potion III, Timeless Body


16th
Contemplative 1
+7
+7
+8
+13
Craft (Alchemy) 10, Spellcraft 12
-
Bonus Domain, Divine Health


17th
Master Alchemist 1
+7
+7
+8
+15
Spellcraft 14
-
Brew 2/day,


18th
Master Alchemist 2
+8
+7
+8
+16
Spellcraft 16
Split Ray
Brew Potion (4th)


19th
Master Alchemist 3
+8
+8
+9
+16
Spellcraft 18
-
Brew Potion (5th)


20th
Master Alchemist 4
+9
+8
+9
+17
Spellcraft 20
-
Brew Potion (6th)



Spells per Day


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


1st
3
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
4
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
4
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
5
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


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


6th
5
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
6
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-
-


8th
6
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-
-


9th
6
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-
-


10th
6
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-
-


11th
6
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-
-


12th
6
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-
-


13th
6
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-
-


14th
6
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-
-


15th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1
-


16th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1
-


17th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
1+1


18th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1
2+1


19th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
3+1


20th
6
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
5+1
4+1
4+1
4+1
4+1


Domains:
Starts with the Destiny Domain and the Knowledge Domain from Cloistered Cleric and trades the third domain for the Divine Magician ACF. Gains the Tyranny Domain from the Contemplative level.
Divine Magician spells: 1st: Ray of Enfeeblement, 2nd: Arcane Turmoil, 3rd: Anticipate Teleportation, 4th: Enervation, 5th: Spell Theft, 6th: Animate Dread Warrior, 7th: Avasculate, 8th: Mind Blank, 9th: Reaving Dispel.


At this level Shadow is the witch of a small village. If the party isn’t overtly hostile when they encounter her then they can attempt to strike a bargain. She will, of course, want something in return for her help (the corpse of a powerful monster to animate, a magic item, their promise of a return favour etc.). If they are hostile or bargaining breaks down then she will attack. She should have a few zombies or skeletons under her control (animated or controlled) by this point which can be supplemented by Summon Monster spells to provide a meatshield for her as she focuses on debuffing through spells such as Bestow Curse, Ray of Enfeeblement and if facing a caster Arcane Turmoil.

Shadow has now long ago left behind the village she established her power in. Worried about being burnt at the stake by an angry mob she has taken to moving to a new village or town at regular intervals. She now has a black cat as a familiar who she sends out to spy on the villagers. People still come to her for help, often asking her to brew potions for them, and Shadow still charges a high price for her help.

Shadows tactics are largely similar to 5 levels ago. Although she now has a familiar that looks startlingly similar to herself when she is in cat form which she uses to deliver touch spells and cause confusion. Shadows anti-caster abilities have improved and she can now use Divine Defiance to counterspell and Spell Theft to steal enemy buffs. Her go to debuffs now include Enervation as well.

Shadow is moving on more regularly now, travelling by broomstick and rarely staying in any one spot for even as long as a month. She has grown paranoid that angry mobs are going to tear her to shreds or a rival witch will capture her and torture her until she reveals all her secrets. Her power however is growing now as she can use the evil eye and has mastered the ability to brew any potion in existence. She charms black cats to surround her at all times in an attempt to throw her enemies off. She will still bargain with the occasional individual but usually only if she has encountered them previously. The majority of strangers are treated as hostile and disposed of as such.

If encountered at this level Shadow will be surrounded by regular black cats as well as some powerful undead (either animated or controlled) and her familiar. She uses Ocular spell to deliver touch spells such as Bestow Curse at range shooting off two in the first round of combat and having her familiar deliver a third. Her debuffs have expanded to include spells such as Avasculate, Greater Bestow Curse and Blasphemy and she has an impressive array of defensive spells available to defend herself including Mind Blank.


Shadow now travels almost daily, rarely staying in one place for more than two nights. She arrives, brews potions and sells them before moving on, paranoid that she is being hunted. She is one of the most powerful witches in the nation now, capable of delivering devastating curses through the evil eye and brewing stronger potions than anyone else alive. The PCs may try to seek her out for her aid if in desperate need or they might be attempting to bring her down in which case they should expect a tough fight. Shadow surrounds herself by the most powerful minions she can summon, bind and raise and curses her enemies into uselessness whilst her minions fight for her.

At level 20 Shadow is throwing out 9th level cleric spells. She will have similar tactics to the above but with the addition of some gated in demons to aid her. She can now cast Ocular Avasculate and Greater Bestow Curse or using 7th level slots cast Ocular Split Ray Bestow Curses to force four saves vs. cursed on the first round of combat.



Core – Cleric, Brew Potion, Iron Will, Skill Focus
Complete Mage – Divine Magician
Unearthed Arcana – Cloistered Cleric
Dragon Compendium - Tibbit
Complete Divine – Contemplative
Magic of Faerun – Mystic Wanderer, Master Alchemist
Savage Species – Surrogate Spellcasting
Complete Arcane – Split Ray
Lords of Madness – Ocular Spell
Fiendish Codex II – Divine Defiance
Players Guide to Faerun – Magical Artisan

[Telonius]

Thank you to all of our competitors! Now, on to the judging! I believe we had a few volunteers already. Anyone who wants to step up is welcome; the more scores, the better.

[Thurbane]

I was going to do a Tainted Raver Green Hag Binder 15...but getting Brew Potion and a cat "familiar" was counter productive...

[Telonius]

So, how is our judging coming along? (If you are judging, please confirm it here so I don't get more paranoid than usual - replacing minions is always such a security risk).

[Telonius]

Hmm, so it appears we have a lack of judges. Anyone willing to step up?

[atemu1234]

Hmm, so it appears we have a lack of judges. Anyone willing to step up?

I may. Been busy lately.

[daremetoidareyo]

I'll be a judge.

[daremetoidareyo]

I should finish up my round of judging tomorrow. I'll post the judging right into the forum.

[sakuuya]

Thanks, daremetoidareyo! I'm looking forward to it.

[daremetoidareyo]

Firstly,
Thank you, fine chefs. You guys did a fairly good job of selecting archetypes. I was hoping to see a harpy…maybe next time. Many of these judgments are subjective. Just because I explicitly mention some aspects of the build in the writeup does not mean that is the exhaustive list of considerations that I took into account to evaluate your entry.

Narratively, the witch is a very rich literary icon. The witch is an emblem of the fear of female power by those seeking to control people. The witch brews potions, eats children, has surprising physical power for her frame. These are all details that tie to herbalism, paganism, and stewardship of rebellious individuals against the orthodoxy. The children eating is a proxy for knowledge of feminine reproductive control (think abortion/menses control). In literature, witches are often approached with deals; they can be bargained with.
The broom that allows flight has a few historical ties, but the strongest is to domestic duties, which, considering sex-based gender roles, and roles requiring tools, the broom has some potent stuff going for it: a generally phallically shaped, a tool associated with territorial control, but not with wealth. The witch is portrayed as ugly and aged but capable of trickery to appear young. The ugliness has routes as a value judgment, the crone iconographic is tied to wisdom and infertility, the illusions are representative of guile.
The witch is also an emblem of religious syncretism vs. religious purity, with dominant european conquerers often imposing regulations filled with religious doctrine and religious doctrine filled with prescriptive gender roles. The witch is a tether to the older, quite often animistic (explains the trope of the familiar), matriarchic culture that has been supplanted. This also explains her age, wisdom, association with the forbidden, and nature capable of consorting with animals.

Considering this rich history, It is exciting to see which aspects of the witch trope get represented here.



Hag is the go to choice for representations of witching. You are on point, fine chef.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points
Race: the green hag, classic ugly green female. Solid Choice, but predictable. .75 points.
Classes: Adept into Hexer. Simple, easy. Good build alternative suggestions. 1.25 points
Feats, spells, others: Good Choices for the build. 1.25
Total: 3.25 points

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This build works. It is uncomplicated and solid. I am disappointed by the casting being so diminished, but the hag HD definitely put a hurting on that. Overall, this is a classic witch. I appreciate the sticking to beefing up the familiar, but that feat slot may have had better uses.
3.5 points.

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

Repugnia isn’t the toughest hag, nor the most powerful caster. And as a type of Crone-power gish, her villainy isn’t exactly what is mechanical. It really depends on how the DM takes the character, She can either be tropey speed bump or a broker of weird services in exchange for souls/meat. Violate spell does grant some villainy points. Without some means of getting a bunch of summons off, or significant animation of the dead, I have a hard time seeing this build be remarkably powerful. These could easily be supplied by wands or other magical gear. However, Debuffing for yourself, without much access to stealth, makes Repugnia lose on action economy issues. If she has underlings, to help soak damage and actions, she become more formidable. OP didn’t mention, but hexer + polymorph other is a nice inherent combo. I imagine she chooses oozes. Violate spell is mean, but the major damage dealing spells for adepts require a touch attack, (intlict line) or the use of wall of fire, lightning bolt, or burning hands. Repugnia may not survive some lockdown combat to deliver the touch spells that make her so special. So she isn’t a very good hunter if confronted with team members with high spot checks (she has no hide skill) or if the team never explores mysterious swamp sounds without a buddy.
3

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

Repugnia’s villainy is thematically appropriate for a witch. At any given level, A DM can grab this build and have a witch on hand. She fulfills the nasty hag witch sub trope very well, although mechanically, she isn’t the toughest old broad, there are probably 2 feats chosen that seem to be more thematic than powerful. Her fighting tactics are crude, but if she were to ambush an NPC that was lured away by ghost sounds and fly away on her broom, she could become quite a terror, especially if the PCs find that her true value lies more in what they can bargain from her. The villainy is dependent on the DM, but mechanics do not interfere with how effective this build is. This is very much a witch. PCs will know that they are dealing with a witch.
3.5 points.

Total Score:
Originality: 3
Elegance: 3.5
Competence/power: 3
Villainy: 3.5
TOTAL: 13


AZURIN WERE LEGENDARY SNAKE, not what I imagined that I’de be reading about. I appreciate your moxy.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points

Race: were legendary snake (cheesy but original) 1
Class: Incarnate, ur-priest, contemplative, necrocarnate. 2 points
Feats+: Lots of pre-reqs, 1 point
Total 4 points

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This is a powerful build. All of the feats are feeding pre-requisites, so the ingenuity here is represented by the class features interacting with each other and the off the wall race. I have no issue with Ur-priests being contemplative. I like your child eating fluff. However, I don’t know if the spell casting needs of this witch are going to be met in a rural environment. This witch would need to locate closer to a metropolitan area. At least until the teleports come online. There is some cheesiness in the lycanthropic templated animal, mostly because I would hate players for doing that. But as a DM’s tool, this is slightly less cheesy. The biggest issue I have with this, besides the aforementioned resource management of commoner children souls for magic is What about transmission of the were-legendary snake lycanthropy? PCs are highly likely to want some of that infection. This build hits a lot of its beats, but there are two more things that need mentioning: snakes hate brooms, (in hybrid or snake form, the use of the broom may be out) and UR-priest and a desire to be a god are not typical of a common trope for witches. Witching & cults of worship rub me the wrong way for the challenge and the witching tools (curses, broom, potions, cohort) are impediments to more power, feeling like tacked-on accoutrements.
3.5 points

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This Witch is a powerhouse. Amongst the most powerful in terms of physical stats of all of the entries, this build also manages to get ninths. This build can do everything that it sets out to do, and players need to work together extensively to manage this monstrosity. At low levels, this is a bricks falls type monster: at CR 6, this thing could wipe the floor with a party of four.
4.5 points

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This can be a major villain. Easily. This build is quite powerful. Some of the things that she can do will make the PCs call her a witch. She eats children, powers magic with souls, and can be deceptive and powerful. She does not, as presented, feel like she encompasses the essence of what is a witch. Perhaps some personal backstory other than a mad quest for godhood, by a urpriest no less (evil allows hypocrisy), would make her feel more quintessentially witchfull…Although in a DaVinci code/gnostic religious texts sort of way, inner divinity and ur priest can be smashed together.
3.5 points.

Total Score:
Originality: 4
Elegance: 3.5
Competence/power: 4.5
Villainy: 3.5
TOTAL: 15.5



I very much enjoy this build concept. One of the few to associate itself with sexuality directly. Night hags are excellent witches.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points

Race: the night hag, another classic ugly female. Solid Choice, predictable. .75 points.
Class: Hexblade, Fiend of Corruption. Hexblade was anticipated route of entry, FOC is surprising. 2 points
Other: intimomancy, skill tricks to support intimidation, 2 spells, 1.25 points
Total: 4

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This build is pretty direct. Night hag supplies all the pre-reqs for FOC except charm person, Hexblade supplies that, as well as a familiar and casting for potion brewing. This witch is a steward over young women (and maybe men, OP didn’t specify) and uses temptation and guile to not only sell the female body, but eventually gains the ability to literally trade wishes for souls. This witch strongly embodies the archetype of a witch that deals with matters of reproduction. This witch has some tricks that OP didn’t build upon, but put effort into the build for. This thing can intimidate, and intimidate well. Imperious command plus the skill tricks is probably more effective than the hex blade hex class feature. Hexblade stinks for spells, but the SLAs and abilities for fiend of corruption fill in nicely, although the potion brewing is a little bit of a waste.
4.25 Points

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This is a powerful character, although not combat oriented. She is an excellent quest giver, political rival, and long term manipulator working behind the scenes of whatever melodrama your PCs interface with. She has level appropriate power for smaller groups (2-3 players), but in direct combat, a party of 4 should be able to smash her relatively easily, so long as they prevent her escape: which she should prioritize when she deals with powerful people. This character is terrifying if she desires revenge. The power of geas is a potent addition to the hex blade hex + shaken/frightened opponents. The broom, familiar, and potion are unnecessary addendum's to the build and don’t advance this witch’s main schtick. Another consideration with her is that her power isn’t completely online until 18-20th level.
3.5 points

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

I very much enjoy the fact that this witch, although thoroughly evil, can be dealt with for an adventurers needs. A middleman with the devils, exchanging power for souls. The need for the nightmares of evil folks makes this witch a neat kind of capitalist. I like to think that though she may be a tough disciplinarian, that she treats the workers in her bordello exceedingly well. Like they are the only tender side she has. This witch really captures that “evil ally” feel that helps make the witch trope rich.
4.25 Points

Total Score:
Originality: 4
Elegance: 4.25
Competence/power: 3.5
Villainy: 4.25
TOTAL: 16.0


Witches Spoils. I’ll rate this not against the witch archetype that I droned on and on about above, but view this as a post-modern approach to the contest.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points

Race: What? Unexpected indeed. 1 point
Class: Mystic wanderer is the quintessential witch class. Archivist is a neat approach. Mater alchemist is nice. 2.0 points
Others: Necrotic cyst, insidious & tenacious magic. Lots of skill points to juggle. 1.25 points
Total: 4.25 points

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

The only build that uses a male pronoun ;) Griz is… weird. A good witch’s servant turned towards evil after the loss of his creator.
I read through all of the text about incarnate construct homunculi, and I agree with all of the adaptability that you used. I also have to acknowledge that the feats for HD can be read to have been removed by the process of “incarnation.” I, as DM, would wave that. But for the competition, it is inelegant. Wheres the broom? What is your familiar?
I love your dedication of herbalism, gingerbread houses, and most of all, the use of necrotic cysts.
Total: 2.25

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

Griz is a story villain. The real power of this character comes from the ninth level spells that he can render in potion/confection form. This is a powerful crafter, especially with archivist access to the divine spell lists of the paladin, blackguard, druid and ranger. Individually, all of his power is going to be coming from his spell use, and his back up potions/cakes. So this character is as formidable as the DM decides to play him. Necrotic cysts planted into a bunch of underlings make for great bombs.
Total 4 points

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

Griz is definitely a memorable post script to hansel and gretal. The powerful cakes and potions can make him hard to pin as evil. I do feel that a creation given flesh who is running a baking operation in the woods, the confections of which implant parasitic undead nodules in the scions of whomever killed his witch creator is a pretty far wandering from the source. I do, however appreciate someone who is good at something.
4 points

Total Score:
Originality: 4.25
Elegance: 2.25
Competence/power: 4.
Villainy: 4
TOTAL: 14.5



A desert shamaness half-breed who’s not accepted by either side of her lineage. The witch as a powerful outcast & victim of prejudice. Also some notes of voodoo/creole magik.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points

Race: desert half orc .75 points
Class: sorcerer (classic) sand shaper (kinda cheesy) hexer (par for course) 1.75
Others: What is your touchstone? gaze enhancements, southern magic, 1.25
Total: 3.75

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This build flows together pretty well. Human heritage and southern magician work to fulfill prereqs for hexer. This is a clever workaround for hexer’s terrible prereqs. The gaze enhancers on hexer is a nice touch. She gets ninth level spells, and she can brew potions. Again, the broom is a discarded afterthought. I like the class warrior aspect to this witch. I like the perennial outsider feeling for the biracial identity. Sandshaper doesn’t add much to the wittiness, but it does make her sorcery more powerful. What I like most about the character is the obeah feel to her. Probably the southern magician feat filling that in as fluff. Pumping survival and concentration makes sense. She peaks out at 18 cha, and therefor needs items to get ninth level spells.
Total 4.25

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This is another powerful caster who gets ninth level spells. The action economy is where this build falters compared to others. There weren’t any tricks for getting those summons off quicker than a full round casting action. No mention of allies to act as meat shields. Paired with some desert orc initiators she could be the worlds most vexing caster to deal with. So, Like any caster, her power is relatively low early in her levels. And it rises exponentially with the onset of 4th level spells and higher. Many of her spells transgress the boundaries of other’s bodies. Backbiter and bestow curse being the lowest on the totem pole. Very few of her spells deal direct damage. She also has limited control of the environment with sand transmutation spells and whirlwindy weather spells.
Further, the alignment says NE, and in Mulan she may be considered NE, but she can easily belong to any non-good alignment, CN comes to mind from her background. Nulara works best integrated into a community of half-human outlaws, or as at a tacitly excepted semi-exile in an orc community.
4 points

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This witch best captures that Tia Dalma type obeah witch from Pirate’s of the Caribbean feel. The narrative needs of the PCs will definitely be what casts this character in a memorable light. Clever use of sand shaping and de-buffs can make her a nuisance, assuming she has flight and the PCs do not. But, She is a witch that is on a revenge spree against the most wealthy folks associated with the Mulanis. If she has demonstrated success as a class warrior, she can have a potent effect on the mood of the campaign. Especially if she also uses a network of lower class folks to facilitate political upheaval in the small power vacuums that she creates. Nulara is better cast a character that causes mixed feelings (pun) amongst a smaller party. No way is she going toe to toe with a 4 person party, unless they are all non-caster/manifesters, and even then, she simply attempts to escape and get revenge than die. But in a smaller campaign where local mulani politics are a thing, Nulara can be a fearsome force.
4 points

Total Score:
Originality: 3.75
Elegance: 4.25
Competence/power: 4
Villainy: 4
TOTAL: 16


Tibbit witch? Gives cat scratch fever a whole new overtone. That play on words was meowfect.

Originality - RACE 20% (1 point) CLASS 50% (2.5 points) FEATS, SPELLS OTHERS 30% (1.5 points) = 5 possible points

Race: Tibbit? 1 point. Didn’t see it coming
Class: divine magician is a nice touch: you can be an adept but not stink…mystic wanderer + master alchemist has been seen before in this competition. 2 points
Other: surrogate spellcasting, ocular spell, split ray, divine defiance: These are great feat choices. 1.25 points
Total: 4.25

Build Elegance - Is it mechanically pretty? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

Multiple ACFs and feats from a bunch of books. We are cut from the same steak, my friend. This build is relatively simple, the contemplative dip is just gravy, not mechanically necessary, but a power increase with the additional tyranny domain. The only thing that I have an issue with is this: What is she a cleric of? Witches are like religious libertarians, they are unlikely to worship a boiler plate god. If she is a cleric of a concept, I would have like to have known the concept, and that way I can evaluate the domain choices better. All that aside, shadow is a tough little kitty.
3.75 points

Competence and Power - Can it do what the concept asks of it? Is this a powerfully-built character? Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

This is another powerful witch. Like Nulara, this one is weakest at low levels, and grows steadily into a powerful lockdown beast. Between undead minions, a counter spell per turning attempt, spell thievery, and ocular split rayed curse bestowment, Sometime around level 7-9 Shadow becomes a larger than life nemesis. All of the charm powers are powerful tools of doublecrossing.
4.5 points

Memorable Villainy: Score starts at three. Points are added and deducted subjectively.

What I am lacking is a sense of pathos for this witch. She is powerful as all get out, but I don’t understand her motives the way I do the other powerful witches. She’s got potions, but I don’t have a sense of what she is doing with them. Heck, she even specializes in potions, but her other tricks blow that focus out of the water. Further, it is difficult to be scared of a tibbit. Don’t get me wrong, If I was a PC in this campaign, I would offer a 1gp bounty per cat head, just to be sure that any surviving cats are likely to be the witch in disguise. This is the one category where Shadow just doesn’t shine for me. Although, if played as a crazy cat lady to the hilt, there might be comedic horror gold.
3 points

Total Score:
Originality: 4.25
Elegance: 3.75
Competence/power: 4.5
Villainy: 3
TOTAL: 15.5

Scores:
Repugnia = 13
Kindblood = 15.5
Granny strange love = 16
Griz = 14.5
Nulara = 16
Shadow = 15.5

Lastly,
Let it be known that I enjoyed all of the builds. Unfortunately the spirit of a contest is competition, so I had to choose the "best witch" build. May your halloweens be full of spirit.

[Telonius]

Thank you for the judging! If there are any disputes from the contestants, you can send them to me via PM and I'll post them.

We still have a few days before the deadline, so if any other judges want to step up, there's plenty of room.

[daremetoidareyo]

Thank you for the judging! If there are any disputes from the contestants, you can send them to me via PM and I'll post them.

We still have a few days before the deadline, so if any other judges want to step up, there's plenty of room.

I learned a lot about judging by actually doing it. I think that I'm going to be a better contestant in the future. Which stinks, cuz I could have totally done better with some iron chef entries. I finally learned what is meant by "use of secret ingredient." It's a little more holistic than I had thought. As a judge, unless you post your own criteria, you're kinda awash in sentiments. Mechanically sound but wandering away from core concept is hard to put into numbers. But it can totally be massaged by the right use of atmosphere and tone.

Also, can someone doublecheck my math? I sort of fried myself out. I hope there are few disputes.

[Deadline]

Wow! Not only was the judging prompt and solidly thought out, it also came with my favorite thing ever, tons of feedback! Thanks! I like the cut of your jib, sir.

It was almost as much fun to read the judging as it was to read the entries. :smallbiggrin:

[sakuuya]

Holy moly, that's some great judging. I especially like that, in a competition that explicitly rewards memorability, you put so much thought into the different ways each build uses witch archetypes. Thanks very much!

[Telonius]

Dispute for Kindblood:


Thank you for judging this round, daremetoidareyo! I'm sorry for my entry being verbose, but I'm afraid there's still a few more left for disputes

Originality:
3 out of 4 of the classes are unique for this contest, and Necrocarnate is even rarely used in contests in general. The typical usage of Contemplative is usually either used as a domain dip or for its capstone, too, which this build avoids.
Many feats used were either seldom used in general (Soultouched Spellcasting) or prerequistes that still blended well with the round's theme while being unusual choices (Necrocarnum Acolyte, Spell Focus (Evil)).

Elegance:
Re: Metropolis: the most relevant, thematic spells, that require expensive materials are scrying spells using incense and highly polished silver mirror; however, incense and highly polished crystalsilver mirrorball are typical witch tools anyway, regardless of her proximity from civilization, and aren't exactly exclusive to larger cities. In fact, WBL doesn't have to mean "Spend X on Ye Olde Magic Mart in the Metropolis", and the product of her epic ECL WBL may have come from other things... Such as dead witch-hunting parties. Furthermore, by the time she's in the second half of the build, her machinations/schemes will have already reached kingdom/metropolis(es) level, and she's at least got enough social skills to blend in, so it's not entirely unimaginable.
If it matters on the elegance/cheese scale, I'd like to clarify that Legendary Snake isn't really a templated snake any more than a Dire Wolf is a templated Wolf. Legendary Animals are even of the same size as their generic animal counterparts.
Re: Lycanthrope PCs: the hardcore martials, who most likely don't mind eating the additional HD+LA, will be the ones likely succeeding the DC15 Fort saves, while the fragile caster-types, who usually can't afford to lose their CL, will be the ones who will likely fail it. The ones most susceptible to this "power-up" would actually be brainwashed Commoner/Expert/Aristocrat/Adept 1s.
Re: witching tools: "Curse of Lycanthropy" is the core schtick in the first quartile, while the far superior BAB and Wis mod means save-or-suck touch spells (ie. what most curses here are) from 2nd-3rd quartile are better than unoptimized low-CL spell-nukes. Potions are one of the core schticks in the second quartile (as I explained in the Highlights), as is the highly advanced Cohort that, poison synergy notwithstanding, remains an unexpected but veritable powerhouse from CR1-20 (or 1-15, at worst).

Competence/Power:
On the first quartile, where physicality (offense/defense) is king, she's got enough of that to wipe parties or withstand them, but still has the (skill) versatility from having Soulmelds. Additionally, she almost fulfills all other roles as she also debuffs via poison, creates/unleashes CR5-6 encounters worth of minionmancy via Lycanthropy without any limit, BFCs with Grapples/Constricts, socializes with +5/+11/+15 to Diplo/Bluff/Sense Motive, knows enough with +15/+7/+7/+3 to Religion/Arcana/Planes/others, scouts enough with Scent and +15/+15 to Spot/Listen. And she's not even a caster yet.
On the second quartile, she adds a powerful minion (supposedly for an ECL21 Character) that also functions as secondary skillmonkey on certain skills. She also now has a spellcating ability that is only a spell-level behind most casters. Furthermore, she's practically exhaling potions at this point, using her Epic WBL/XP and her low-CL (i.e. low cost) spells.
On the third quartile, she reaches an early ninths, a spell-level ahead of most casters, she's almost legit enough for many people to her claim of godhood at this point. Cherries on top include minor stuff like SRs, immunities, Incarnum spells (her essentia capacity by now is 4, and her essentia can be boosted by spells). Many combat techniques from the first half remain relevant and useful, but likely not as effective at lower levels.
On the fourth quartile, she improves her versatility further with more soulmelds, and the unmatched number of Essentia combined with an Essentia Capacity of 5 (6 for Incarnate Soulmelds).
Basically, what I'm trying to show is that Competence/Power is Kindblood's main feature in this contest, and is worthy of a 5. She's extremely competent and powerful across the board, with basically no real weak phase/quartile. She's reigns supreme in the trifecta of classic power archetypes (at the levels when they're most dominant): raw mundane combat prowess via template, high skill level via ranks/bonuses/incarnum, and 9th level spells via class.

Memorable Villainy:
Sadly, I pretty much agree with this assessment, at least compared to the other entries. I got caught up on what nigh-epic witches might be doing, and the result was something less of a witch than I wanted. No disputes here.

[daremetoidareyo]

Dispute for Kindblood:

Alright.
I'm at a loss about what is being disputed. If you forgive my frankness, this seems like an additional opportunity to just communicate about how cool the build is. Most of these concerns aren't about how the judgment is incorrect, but seems like a play to simply gain more points through further loquaciousness. The disagreements are of a subjective nature. I am not changing any of the scores that I carefully considered and delivered.

The reason I brought up a necessary nearness to a metropolis is that if a creature is powering spells and essencia using the souls of children, you need a steady stream of children, which you are not going to easily source without access to a demography that produces a bunch of children. The only way I can see it working in the country setting is if the local goblin population is being steadily depleted.

A dire wolf is a templated wolf. A templated were-creature, in my opinion, is definitely treading on cheesey territory. Not illegal, not against RAW, but... a little cheesey. Throw that huge HD on top of the use of Ur-Priest and you have exited the little cheese category and entered full on super power. The sweet spot that was chosen is probably the level where PCs are most likely to even have a shot against this witch. The casting isn't fully developed yet, and the martials and PCs have a melee based shot if they collect enough info and set an ambush. At any levels both lower and higher, this villain is tough per unit of CR.

You're argument about power is well constructed. I will meet you in the center. 4.75 for power.

[sakuuya]

To my knowledge, this is how the scores currently stand. Let me know if I made any mistakes.



Build

Score
Rank


Granny Strangelove
16
1st


Nulara of the Evil Eye
16
1st


Kindblood
15.75
3rd


Shadow
15.5
4th


Griz

14.5
5th


Repugnia Dreadmien
13
6th

[Telonius]

Okay, no further disputes from Kindblood. And one Honorable Mention vote for Griz! We'll keep the judging open for a bit - and if anyone else wants to vote in an Honorable Mention, go ahead and send me a PM (or post it here).

[Thurbane]

My honorable mention goes to Repugnia Dreadmien - I have a soft spot for Green Hags and Hexers, and the use of Adept is quite brave.

[Telonius]

One additional honorable mention vote for Griz.

[Telonius]

Well folks, the deadline for judging has passed, and it's time for all of the little monsters to start begging for candy, so I'm going to call this contest closed. We have a joint tie for first place!

The final standings:

1 Granny Strangelove (Deadline) and Nulara of the Evil Eye (Sakuuya)
3 Kindblood (ben-zayb)
4 Shadow (Dread-Head)
5 Griz (Macabaret)
6 Repugnia Dreadmien (Deadline)

By a narrow margin, Griz wins the Honorable Mention.

Congratulations to all our competitors, and have a Happy Halloween!

[ben-zayb]

Happy Halloween, and congratulations to Sakuuya and Deadline!

Also, a big thanks to daremetoidareyo!

[Dread_Head]

Well done to the victors and thank you to daremetoidareyo for the judging.

I had a warlock build which I was working on as well but I ditched it because I thought it was too obvious, turns out it would have been more unique than what I went with.

[WhamBamSam]

If we're up for another sort of holiday-themed round, how about something for bad guys with particularly voracious evil appetites in honor of American Thanksgiving?

Another one I'd like to see is "Terror of the Deep" for aquatic villains.

[sakuuya]

Congrats to the other winners! Are you staying on another term as Supreme Chancellor, Telonius?


If we're up for another sort of holiday-themed round, how about something for bad guys with particularly voracious evil appetites in honor of American Thanksgiving?

Another one I'd like to see is "Terror of the Deep" for aquatic villains.

I really like your Thanksgiving idea.

[Telonius]

I'd be happy to relinquish the chancellorship. So much more fun being a competitor!

Now, where were those Dire Turkey stats...

[ben-zayb]

I'd like to see more monstrous themes, which partly comprise "Terror of the Deep".

Alternatively, maybe we could have something to do with either scaled/reptiloid monsters or creepy crawlers.

[atemu1234]

I'd like to see more monstrous themes, which partly comprise "Terror of the Deep".

Alternatively, maybe we could have something to do with either scaled/reptiloid monsters or creepy crawlers.

We could have a Rumble in the Jungle theme, or perhaps a Zombie Stomp (Thriller, anyone?) theme.

[ben-zayb]

We could have a Rumble in the Jungle theme, or perhaps a Zombie Stomp (Thriller, anyone?) theme.
That gives me another idea, which is territory-based villainy. X of the watery deep, Y or the Jungle, Z of the frozen wastes, etc.

[Deadline]

Wow, that turned out better than I expected! I couldn't bear to not submit Repugnia, mainly because everything fit nicely, but the rule that all class levels are considered associated really cut her down in power. If I ever use her in a game, the Adept levels will definitely be non-associated. I was, however, very fond of Granny Strangelove. I started with the idea of just building Kesai-Serris (Ravel Puzzlewell's daughter from Planescape Torment), but figured that an actual Night Hag was a better fit for the FoC bent I wanted to take it in. After all, there's a saying on the Planes, "A Hag's kindness is worse than her cruelty." Congrats to all competitors! (I really liked Kindblood, and Griz came completely out of left field :smallbiggrin:)

@daremetoidareyou - Your judging was excellently crafted! You provided plenty of insight and feedback. I honestly couldn't bring myself to argue any of your points on either of my builds (aside from a math error on Repugnia, her Originality is 3.25, not 3, so her overall score should be 13.25). I look forward to seeing you judge future competitions. You made mention that Granny Strangelove had a few more tricks that I didn't optimize, would you mind mentioning what you saw? She was my second build, and I kind of rushed a few things on her.

[daremetoidareyo]

That gives me another idea, which is territory-based villainy. X of the watery deep, Y or the Jungle, Z of the frozen wastes, etc.

I like this suggestion. As a PC, limiting yourself to a single terrain is sure to get you to be lame 90% of the time. NPCs don't have that problem.

Also, I would like to see a theme of "DINOSAURS" Don't care how, but must be totally dinosaur flavored.

@deadline
I asked for people to check my math for me for this exact reason.

Also, I haven't much time currently, but I'll get back to you on granny strangelove. Mostly her biggest combo is machiavellan capitalism. She can only haunt evil dreams of evil aligned folks. Which she can use to pry information about them to blackmail purposes. FOC will allow her to make folks evil. Profit.

[Deadline]

Any word on when the next one of these might be starting?

[WhamBamSam]

I'd like to see more monstrous themes, which partly comprise "Terror of the Deep".

Alternatively, maybe we could have something to do with either scaled/reptiloid monsters or creepy crawlers.Villainous appetites/heavy eating is pretty likely to be monstrous.

Evil reptiles or a broader category of terrain based villains could also be a lot of fun.

[ben-zayb]

Any word on when the next one of these might be starting?

Echoing (, Repeating, Twinning, ) this question, assuming Telonius is still ok with being the Chairman.:smalltongue:

[Telonius]

I was actually about to post on this as well - thought somebody else was going to take over?

::surreptitiously places the shovel a bit further out of view::

Ah well, looks like I'm on for another round then. I'll have something up in a few days. I do think that something a bit more monstrous could be fun. I'll have to think about what to ask for specifically.

I'll try to keep the requirements a little less weird this time, too - that seems to be the one thing that I have the most trouble hitting right.

Any other suggestions? Keep them coming until I can put a post together.

[Deadline]

I'll try to keep the requirements a little less weird this time, too - that seems to be the one thing that I have the most trouble hitting right.

Any other suggestions? Keep them coming until I can put a post together.

For what it's worth, I actually enjoyed the rather restrictive requirements this time around. I'm sure it wouldn't pleasant every time, but it's fun now and then. Also, I've occasionally seen a few folks post up threads where they'll design a bad guy for you with some minimal input. It might be interesting to do a round based on feedback or requests from the board in general, although I'm not sure how one might go about getting folks to pitch in ideas.

[Telonius]

One other question about a possible rules change. There was some discussion about Epic feats. Since it was already in the middle of the round, I ruled against them entirely, but I'm thinking of including some of them for the next competition. Does this sound reasonable?

- Some monstrous characters can technically qualify for Epic feats as soon as their ECL is over 20. While regular Epic feats will be allowed, Epic Spellcasting and all other Epic feats that affect spells, psionic powers, or item creation are not permitted. Including these would give an unfair advantage over standard characters. Please note that Racial Hitdice do not count towards Epic Progression; use the regular progression even if the BAB ends up higher than 20.

[ben-zayb]

One other question about a possible rules change. There was some discussion about Epic feats. Since it was already in the middle of the round, I ruled against them entirely, but I'm thinking of including some of them for the next competition. Does this sound reasonable?

- Some monstrous characters can technically qualify for Epic feats as soon as their ECL is over 20. While regular Epic feats will be allowed, Epic Spellcasting and all other Epic feats that affect spells, psionic powers, or item creation are not permitted. Including these would give an unfair advantage over standard characters. Please note that Racial Hitdice do not count towards Epic Progression; use the regular progression even if the BAB ends up higher than 20.

I'm okay with this. In hindsight, a cheesy permanent Consumptive Field, thematic as it may be for Kindblood, might've reduced my elegance score to 1. I'm also pretty surprised that this Epic Feat issue hadn't come up before with entries that had 21+ HD.

Also, what about Epic Open Chakra Incarnum Feats? They give pretty big boosts, too, IMO. I also forgot to ask you before, but I assumed that increased maximum essentia cap for epic is in play, so I used it.

[Telonius]

I'd think that the "Open Chakra" feats should be okay. You can potentially get those on a regular level-20 character (if you went Incarnate the whole way), so I'm not quite as concerned there. A Totemist who can bind to his Soul chakra isn't quite as different from a regular Totemist, as a Wizard with Epic Spellcasting is from a regular Wizard.

[Dread_Head]

I'll try to keep the requirements a little less weird this time, too - that seems to be the one thing that I have the most trouble hitting right.

Any other suggestions? Keep them coming until I can put a post together.

I also rather enjoyed the requirements this round, I had several ideas which I struggled to choose from. Not saying that I think every round should be like this but don't worry about throwing the occasional round with strict/weird requirements in.