What am I missing here?

[Fixer]

My wife and I have been invited to play in a short game (likely not to level more than twice) and as I am in charge of making characters I have made a couple. My wife is quite pleased with hers but mine just feels to be missing something. I am going to put it up here and see if anyone has any ideas as to where it could be improved.

http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=56024

(For those curious, my wife's is here: http://www.rpgwebprofiler.net/view.php?id=56027)

[PlatinumJester]

Seems fine dude.

[Fixer]

Maybe it is just the perfectionist in me. Thanks.

Our tactics have already been mapped out, even. During battle with opponents lacking ranged attacks, we start combat with her taking a grapple attempt on my character with a -20 penalty (my character voluntarily failing) and flying into the air, carrying my PC. Given that our supernatural abilities function even while grappled, we rain down death, destruction, and acid rain upon anyone who opposes up. We test ran six combats against CR 5 to CR 8 opponents and held up well just with these two characters.

[Quietus]

Aside from the sheer cliche level of the "Baskin Robins Elves", nothing jumps out at me immediately - although I don't recognize that Storm Bolt thing.

[Fixer]

Complete Mage
Reserve Feat

As long as she holds a >2nd level Electricity spell, she can toss (level)d6 lightning bolts out to 20 feet as a supernatural ability. (No width specified, but I am going to guess 5 feet.) No save mentioned, and SR doesn't apply to Supernatural abilities.


My reasoning was that as she is likely to be in animal form >90% of the time, a supernatural ability available at will for not casting a spell she can't cast as an animal anyway is a good tradeoff.

[pantoffelheld]

you're missing an 'h' in the spell Feather Fall.

[Fixer]

you're missing an 'h' in the spell Feather Fall.

Fixed. Thanks. :)

[bigbaddragon]

You could apply the same tactics against ranged troops too.

Step one: Web them - I believe there is a penalty for ranged attacks from web and maybe even dex penalty while in web, I'm unsure about this.

Step two a): Cloud Kill the same area

Step two b): Set the web on fire, it still holds and it burns for 2d4 per round
(You can mix these steps as you like)

Step 3): Rain death upon them or maybe even cast darkness so they can't see you and then rain death on them.

This should work just fine and if anyone escapes flaming death your wife can finish them off with her storm bolt.

Make sure to look through Spell Compendium for some more low/mid level area effect annoying spells.

Also there is Sculpt Spell feat in Complete Arcana I think (requires any metamagic feat) that allows you to change the area of effect for some spells. It should prove interesting to you and open some new possibilities.

Hope I helped, otherwise characters are cool :smallsmile:

[Fixer]

I don't think these characters will ever reach the level where they will get cloudkill but I'll keep it in mind. I think that cloudkill would prevent us from seeing our targets, though, as we'd be up in the air.

Web... hey, that's conjuration! I had completely forgotten about that! I thought it was evocation so it would have been barred for him. Changing that out for Flame Arrow. Major thanks!

[bigbaddragon]

I don't think these characters will ever reach the level where they will get cloudkill but I'll keep it in mind. I think that cloudkill would prevent us from seeing our targets, though, as we'd be up in the air.

Web... hey, that's conjuration! I had completely forgotten about that! I thought it was evocation so it would have been barred for him. Changing that out for Flame Arrow. Major thanks!


Aaaaaaaaah, stupid me, I meant to say Stinking Cloud not Cloudkill. Stinking cloud makes people nauseated which leaves the with just a move action I think.

I'll dig for some more spells and notify you if I find something attractive and low level.

[NotCC]

Sorry to get off topic Fixer, but after looking at the character you made for your wife I have a question.

Why did you make her physical stats so high? As a Druid when she wild shapes her physical stats will be replaced anyway. Why not pump the mental up so she benifits from both?

I'm not ususally one to jump on the "Optimization" band wagon but this just seems like an oversight. Mabey she doesn't like to wild shape or cant? I don't have PH2 so I don't know what "Shapeshift (PHB II)" does. If she can't Wild shape then don't mind me. =)

[Fixer]

Sorry to get off topic Fixer, but after looking at the character you made for your wife I have a question.

Why did you make her physical stats so high? As a Druid when she wild shapes her physical stats will be replaced anyway. Why not pump the mental up so she benifits from both?

I'm not ususally one to jump on the "Optimization" band wagon but this just seems like an oversight. Mabey she doesn't like to wild shape or cant? I don't have PH2 so I don't know what "Shapeshift (PHB II)" does. If she can't Wild shape then don't mind me. =)

Shapeshift bases of the character's stats, unlike wild shape, so it will matter what her physical stats are. She wanted to play something that, in her words, "could kick ass in a fight and change shape". She is unlikely to spellcast during combat so I am using that variant.

[Matthew]

85 lbs? Even at 4'11" that guy is worryingly undernourished... Elves, man, what can you say?

[Anxe]

I can see what he's missing right away. Every character needs a sword and a dagger in order to be cool.

[OzymandiasVolt]

Indeed. Then duct-tape a few lasers to him and you're golden.

[Raum]

Hmm, you may want to talk to the DM about casting while voluntarily grappling, but if you're using the normal rules you'll both need to make DC 20 Concentration checks to cast while flying as you describe. So I'd recommend maxing Concentration for both characters and considering spending a feat on Skill Focus (Concentration). If that's going to be your primary tactic, it's probably worth the feat.

[Arbitrarity]

Actually, her str is probably high enough to CARRY you without the grapple. 200 lb or so max load, your char weighs 85 lb...

There're rules for that in the PHB on carrying loads, but not much on what happens to the carried.

[Fixer]

Hmm, you may want to talk to the DM about casting while voluntarily grappling, but if you're using the normal rules you'll both need to make DC 20 Concentration checks to cast while flying as you describe. So I'd recommend maxing Concentration for both characters and considering spending a feat on Skill Focus (Concentration). If that's going to be your primary tactic, it's probably worth the feat.
Actually, the GM asked us very politely not to use that tactic unless we were in over our heads because the set of adventures he was planning on running didn't have any encounters that could counter it.

Also, they would each be using supernatural abilities (Reserve Feats) which do not require 'casting'. They simply require that the carried person successfully make a grapple check (and her character would voluntarily fail) in order to activate the ability.

We did agree that as he would be considered grappled he could only cast spells without a somatic component and even then he'd have to make concentration checks, but since he would be using his reserve feats that shouldn't be a problem.