Rubbish Arena Challenge III

[LordOfCain]

Your Task: Create a character with the chassis provided capable of killing a threat 5 CR higher than the character's level
Chassis: Soulborn 6//Choice 6
Approved Sources: All 1st Party 3.5 (and un-updated 3.0) sources and Dragon Compendium
Deadline: December 1st, 2016
Get building, post builds in this thread, if you have the same concept/basic build as a previous poster you will lose points unless it is deemed suitably unique. Builds will be scored on a 1-10 scale on the points of Originality, Power, Style and Versatility. I would be happy if anyone else volunteered to help be judge. NOTE: Not using soulborn as a major component of your build warrants a style deduction. Using feats/class abilities to get wish/miracle/exceedingly early high level spells warrants a deduction in style as well.

[Malroth]

Is this a Lv 6 Gestault fighting a CR 11 or a lv12 fighting a CR 17?

Edit:
Also are you using the unofficial rules change on the Open Chakra Feat?

[LordOfCain]

Is this a Lv 6 Gestault fighting a CR 11 or a lv12 fighting a CR 17?

Edit:
Also are you using the unofficial rules change on the Open Chakra Feat?

It is a level 6 gestalt character against a CR 11. And official errata only.

[Malroth]

Azurin Soulborn 6//Egoist Psion 6
Feats: Psycarnum Infusion, Azure talent, Linked power, Shape soulmeld (airstep sandals) Midnight Augmentaion
Powers: Vigor, Thicken skin, force screen, Grease Psionic, Animal Afinity, Share Pain, Ego Whip, Energy Stun, Hustle, Ectoplasmic form, Touchsight, Precognition :offensive

Soulmelds: Airstep Sandals, Bluesteel bracers

Strategy: Begin any Fight with Share pain on your Psycrystal and a shared Augmented Vigor for a ton of Temp HP, all your Essentia you can is In your Airstep sandals at the beginning of the battle. Linked power lets you throw in combat buffs on yourself using your swift actions leaving you with one (or more) move actions to close to melee range very quickly where you throw all your Essentia pool into your Bluesteel bracers. This combination functions very similarly to a DMM quicken melee cleric, but has the added bonus of having it's own built in PP recharge mechanic after the battle is over. When fighting a high level foe it can either abuse Action economy advantage and it's insane damage mitigation to close in and effectively act as a charge build with pounce or it can find something big and dumb and simply go incoporeal and take it down with augmented Ego whips or energy stuns.

What Soulborn does for this: Better saves, More essentia for the sandals Full BAB rather than poor, more HP, Weapon and armor proficiency for your actual offence and the extra soulmeld functions as a no downside power attack. Flight 4 levels sooner than an Egoist would get it without the gestault.

[Darrin]

Mr. Bigglesworth

When shifted into cat form, tibbits don't get a new Strength score, they get a Strength penalty instead. Chaotic Evil Soulborn get to ignore any penalty to their Strength score. So let's start with a typical Leap Attack/Shock Trooper Ubercharger, add Power Lunge (Ghostwalk) to set our Str bonus on all attacks to x2.0 (including natural weapons), and throw on some Thunderstep Boots.

Race: Tibbit.
Ability Scores (32 PB): Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 14
Alignment: CE

1) Soulborn 1//Feat Rogue 1. Feat: Travel Devotion. Bonus: Power Attack. Flaw1: Multiattack. Flaw2: Improved Bull Rush.
2) Soulborn 2//Battle Dancer 1. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
3) Soulborn 3//Totemist 1. Feat: Power Lunge. Bonus: Cobalt Power
4) Soulborn 4//Totemist 2. Totem Chakra. Thunderstep Boots.
5) Soulborn 5//Barbarian 1. Spirit Lion Totem -> Pounce, Ferocity ACF.
6) Soulborn 6//Feat Rogue 2. Feat: Leap Attack. Bonus: Shock Trooper.

Soulmelds:
Girallon Arms bound to Totem chakra.
Thunderstep Boots shaped to Feet chakra.
Rageclaws shaped to Hands chakra.
Wormtail Belt shaped to Waist chakra.

Essentia Pool (4):
Cobalt Power (2/2)
Thunderstep Boots (2/2)

I am using the Generic CR 11 stats from RACII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21158555&postcount=8):

HD: 16
HP: 165
Init: +3
AC: 24 (Touch 11)
Attack: +21
Standard DPR: 26 (Standard attack, all attacks hit, average damage)
Full DPR: 52 (Full attack, all attacks hit, average damage)
Fort: +12
Ref: +14
Will: +10

These are compiled and averaged from all the CR 11 creatures in the Monster Manual:

Elder Air/Earth/Fire/Water Elemental
Barbed Devil
Adult Black Dragon
Young Adult Blue Dragon
Devourer
Dread Wraith
Juvenile Gold Dragon
Young Adult Green Dragon
Hezrou
Hydra
Colossal Monstrous Spider
Stone Golem


Expected Damage vs. AC 24:

Primary Attack#1: +15 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size), hits on 9+ (60%)
Primary Attack#2: +10 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size) - 5 (iterative), hits on 14+ (35%)
Secondary Attacks: +13 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size) - 2 (Secondary), hits on 11+ (50%)

IUS#1: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .6 = 21
IUS#2: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .35 = 12
Bite#1: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .5 = 17
Claw#1: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#2: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#3: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#4: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#5: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#6: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17

Round 1 Total Damage: 152 (assuming 165 HP, CR 11 is mostly dead after the first charge)
Round 2 Total Damage: 152 + 152 = 304

Average HP for Soulborn 6 with Con 14 = 47 HP

CR 11 can dish out 52 damage on a full attack. Assuming Mr. Bigglesworth gets initiative and the CR 11 full attacks (50% hit), Mr. Bigglesworth comes out on top on round 2. Assuming the CR 11 gets initiative, moves + standard attack on round 1, and gets a full attack on round 2 (50% hit), Mr. Bigglesworth still wins on round 2.

With a single potion of bull's strength (300 GP), average full attack damage for Mr. Bigglesworth goes up to 199, and the CR 11 is dead on round 1.

[LordOfCain]

Mr. Bigglesworth

When shifted into cat form, tibbits don't get a new Strength score, they get a Strength penalty instead. Chaotic Evil Soulborn get to ignore any penalty to their Strength score. So let's start with a typical Leap Attack/Shock Trooper Ubercharger, add Power Lunge (Ghostwalk) to set our Str bonus on all attacks to x2.0 (including natural weapons), and throw on some Thunderstep Boots.

Race: Tibbit.
Ability Scores (32 PB): Str 16, Dex 12, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 14
Alignment: CE

1) Soulborn 1//Feat Rogue 1. Feat: Travel Devotion. Bonus: Power Attack. Flaw1: Multiattack. Flaw2: Improved Bull Rush.
2) Soulborn 2//Battle Dancer 1. Bonus: Improved Unarmed Strike.
3) Soulborn 3//Totemist 1. Feat: Power Lunge. Bonus: Cobalt Power
4) Soulborn 4//Totemist 2. Totem Chakra. Thunderstep Boots.
5) Soulborn 5//Barbarian 1. Spirit Lion Totem -> Pounce, Ferocity ACF.
6) Soulborn 6//Feat Rogue 2. Feat: Leap Attack. Bonus: Shock Trooper.

Soulmelds:
Girallon Arms bound to Totem chakra.
Thunderstep Boots shaped to Feet chakra.
Rageclaws shaped to Hands chakra.
Wormtail Belt shaped to Waist chakra.

Essentia Pool (4):
Cobalt Power (2/2)
Thunderstep Boots (2/2)

I am using the Generic CR 11 stats from RACII (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21158555&postcount=8):

HD: 16
HP: 165
Init: +3
AC: 24 (Touch 11)
Attack: +21
Standard DPR: 26 (Standard attack, all attacks hit, average damage)
Full DPR: 52 (Full attack, all attacks hit, average damage)
Fort: +12
Ref: +14
Will: +10

These are compiled and averaged from all the CR 11 creatures in the Monster Manual:

Elder Air/Earth/Fire/Water Elemental
Barbed Devil
Adult Black Dragon
Young Adult Blue Dragon
Devourer
Dread Wraith
Juvenile Gold Dragon
Young Adult Green Dragon
Hezrou
Hydra
Colossal Monstrous Spider
Stone Golem


Expected Damage vs. AC 24:

Primary Attack#1: +15 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size), hits on 9+ (60%)
Primary Attack#2: +10 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size) - 5 (iterative), hits on 14+ (35%)
Secondary Attacks: +13 = 6 (BAB) + 5 (Str) + 2 (Charge) + 2 (Size) - 2 (Secondary), hits on 11+ (50%)

IUS#1: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .6 = 21
IUS#2: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .35 = 12
Bite#1: 2 (1d3) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 35 x .5 = 17
Claw#1: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#2: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#3: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#4: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#5: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17
Claw#6: 1 (1d2) + 10 (Str x2) + 16 (Power Attack x2) + 7 (Thunderstep) = 34 x .5 = 17

Round 1 Total Damage: 152 (assuming 165 HP, CR 11 is mostly dead after the first charge)
Round 2 Total Damage: 152 + 152 = 304

Average HP for Soulborn 6 with Con 14 = 47 HP

CR 11 can dish out 52 damage on a full attack. Assuming Mr. Bigglesworth gets initiative and the CR 11 full attacks (50% hit), Mr. Bigglesworth comes out on top on round 2. Assuming the CR 11 gets initiative, moves + standard attack on round 1, and gets a full attack on round 2 (50% hit), Mr. Bigglesworth still wins on round 2.

With a single potion of bull's strength (300 GP), average full attack damage for Mr. Bigglesworth goes up to 199, and the CR 11 is dead on round 1.
Originality: 7
Power: 7
Style: 8
Versatility: 8
Total: 30

Azurin Soulborn 6//Egoist Psion 6
Feats: Psycarnum Infusion, Azure talent, Linked power, Shape soulmeld (airstep sandals) Midnight Augmentaion
Powers: Vigor, Thicken skin, force screen, Grease Psionic, Animal Afinity, Share Pain, Ego Whip, Energy Stun, Hustle, Ectoplasmic form, Touchsight, Precognition :offensive

Soulmelds: Airstep Sandals, Bluesteel bracers

Strategy: Begin any Fight with Share pain on your Psycrystal and a shared Augmented Vigor for a ton of Temp HP, all your Essentia you can is In your Airstep sandals at the beginning of the battle. Linked power lets you throw in combat buffs on yourself using your swift actions leaving you with one (or more) move actions to close to melee range very quickly where you throw all your Essentia pool into your Bluesteel bracers. This combination functions very similarly to a DMM quicken melee cleric, but has the added bonus of having it's own built in PP recharge mechanic after the battle is over. When fighting a high level foe it can either abuse Action economy advantage and it's insane damage mitigation to close in and effectively act as a charge build with pounce or it can find something big and dumb and simply go incoporeal and take it down with augmented Ego whips or energy stuns.

What Soulborn does for this: Better saves, More essentia for the sandals Full BAB rather than poor, more HP, Weapon and armor proficiency for your actual offence and the extra soulmeld functions as a no downside power attack. Flight 4 levels sooner than an Egoist would get it without the gestault.Originality: 9
Power: 5
Style: 6
Versatility: 8
Total: 28
Winner: Darrin
Runner-Up: Malroth

[Darrin]

I had another idea for a Spelldancer persisting a bunch of spells (using LE Soulborn's immunity to exhaustion), but I was having trouble coming up with a good spell combo. I'm wondering if I should post it anyway... maybe the playground folks can help me with the spells.

[Darrin]

Here's what I had...

Race: Azurin
Ability Scores (32 PB): Str 10, Dex 10, Con 18, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 14
Alignment: LE

1) Soulborn 1//Martial Wizard 1. Feat: Combat Casting. Bonus: Dodge. Azurin: Endurance. Flaw1: Extend Spell. Flaw2: Apprentice (Perform).
2) Soulborn 2//Martial Wizard 2.
3) Soulborn 3//Martial Wizard 3. Feat: Persist Spell. Bonus: Shape Soulmeld: Strongheart Vest.
4) Soulborn 4//Martial Wizard 4.
5) Soulborn 5//Martial Wizard 5. Bonus: Mobility.
6) Soulborn 6//Spelldancer 1. Feat: Ocular Spell.

The idea was to spelldance a bunch of persisted spells on yourself, using Ocular Spell to get around the fixed range requirement *and* give us an 8-hour window to prep whatever nastiness we want to hit the CR 11 with. This lets us avoid spelldancing for multiple rounds in front of the CR 11, we can just walk up and hit it with a ranged touch attack (AC 11). Strongheart Vest + 1 essentia takes care of the Con damage, and we can still spelldance while fatigued, but we never get exhausted due to LE Soulborn.

What I was having trouble with... I need a spell that's not Evocation, not Necromancy, doesn't have a instantaneous duration, and isn't dismissible.

The best I can come up with: choke from Tome & Blood. It's 1d4 damage per round, Reflex half, and persistable (14400 rounds in a day). Average damage should be around 1 per round (2.5 / 2 = 1.25, assuming Ref save is successful). However, this spell only affects creature types that can suffocate: aberrations, animals, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, and outsiders. Target has to be large size or smaller, and doesn't work on undead, dragons, constructs, elementals, plants, or oozes.

I wanted to use thunderhead, but it's evocation, which I have a work-around for, but it involves losing the wizard bonus feats.

What other spells would work well here?

[EDIT] This should have been obvious, but apparently I just assumed Core spells weren't worth looking at too closely... Pleh noticed that Melf's acid arrow is the perfect spell for this combo. Conjuration school, duration in rounds, not dismissable, no SR, no save, energy damage cuts through DR and most common types of Regeneration. The only thing it doesn't do well against is incorporeal, and you've still got a 50/50 there and a backup Ocular Spell if the first one fizzles.

[LordOfCain]

Any suggestions for future Rubbish Arena Challenges?

[Malroth]

I thought i'd come up with something neat with a Soulborn who was just able to facetank a CR11 by massive overspending of Powerpoints but Mr Bigglesworth is a thing of beauty, Definately the more powerful build (at least untill Metamorphisis comes online for egoists at lv 7) and possibly the more creative build as well. but how is a tibbit qualifying for multistrike?

Edit: one note, while Mr bigglesworth is able to massively outdamage me vs a melee foe, My entry is able to deal with fliers, bad terrain, invisible foes, distant ranged attackers and incoporeal foes.

[Darrin]

but how is a tibbit qualifying for multistrike?

In cat form, they have claw/claw/bite.



Edit: one note, while Mr bigglesworth is able to massively outdamage me vs a melee foe, My entry is able to deal with fliers, bad terrain, invisible foes, distant ranged attackers and incoporeal foes.

Yeah, I was focused on a generic CR 11, but if you pick a specific CR 11, such as a stone golem or air elemental, then things can go horribly wrong for what is still mostly a housecat.

[Darrin]

Any suggestions for future Rubbish Arena Challenges?

Dragon Shaman or Divine Mind. Lurk might be good, too.

Uh... after that...

Monk and CW Samurai are both considered rubbish, but I'm not sure if there's much room left for optimization. You could probably throw Truenamer in with that group.

Oriental Adventures has several classes that have never really seen much use... notably the Sohei, but also Shaman and maybe Shugenja.

[ExLibrisMortis]

Any suggestions for future Rubbish Arena Challenges?
"Five tier five dips (1-2 levels)" gestalted with stuff. Pre-picked for maximum contradiction, with lots of MAD. Maybe shadowcaster 2/marshal 2/ninja 2/warmage 2/divine mind 2? (not all of these are really tier 5)

[Pleh]

Yeah, I was focused on a generic CR 11, but if you pick a specific CR 11, such as a stone golem or air elemental, then things can go horribly wrong for what is still mostly a housecat.

Yeah, I was a bit thrown off when I saw that the generic model didn't seek to average the special qualities. Most of the CR 11s on the list being averaged have 5 or 10 DR of various types.

That can be a real problem for a build based on damage built from iterative attacks. I was wondering if your build had any workarounds past that.

[Pleh]

What I was having trouble with... I need a spell that's not Evocation, not Necromancy, doesn't have a instantaneous duration, and isn't dismissible.

The best I can come up with: choke from Tome & Blood. It's 1d4 damage per round, Reflex half, and persistable (14400 rounds in a day). Average damage should be around 1 per round (2.5 / 2 = 1.25, assuming Ref save is successful). However, this spell only affects creature types that can suffocate: aberrations, animals, fey, giants, humanoids, magical beasts, monstrous humanoids, and outsiders. Target has to be large size or smaller, and doesn't work on undead, dragons, constructs, elementals, plants, or oozes.

I wanted to use thunderhead, but it's evocation, which I have a work-around for, but it involves losing the wizard bonus feats.

What other spells would work well here?

I was scouring the most exhaustive spell list I could find. I hope I have correctly understood your criteria, but did you consider melf's acid arrow? Conjuration, not instantaneous, doesn't seem dismissable, and within spell level for 6th level wizard.

[Darrin]

I was scouring the most exhaustive spell list I could find. I hope I have correctly understood your criteria, but did you consider melf's acid arrow? Conjuration, not instantaneous, doesn't seem dismissable, and within spell level for 6th level wizard.

That's... pretty darned near perfect! For some reason, I only skimmed through the Core spells, and I missed that one. Energy damage that bypasses DR, hits every creature type except the black dragon, goes through most Regeneration, no SR and no save. Incorporeal might still be trouble, but it's still 50/50 and Ocular a Spell gives you a backup in case the first one fizzles.

Ok, so... 14,400 rounds in a day. Average damage of 2d4 is 5, so total damage is about 72,000 HP. That's a pretty significant chunk of Ouch!

[Darrin]

Ok, so... 14,400 rounds in a day. Average damage for Melf's acid arrow is 5, so total damage is about 72,000 HP. That's a pretty significant chunk of Ouch!

Question, though... if I wanted to shoot off more of these than two per day... multi-headed doesn't help, as the feat says you can only carry two ocular spells at a time regardless of the number of eyes you have.

What about a Pearl of Power? It's a 2nd level spell, so for 4000 GP, can I recover the same persisted ocular acid arrow?

...aaaaand that's probably a "NO". Or rather, yes it works, but not in the way I thought it would. The Pearl of Power recovers a spell that has been cast, but it recovers it as it was prepared. Since it was prepared as an ordinary acid arrow with no metamagic, that's all you'd get. Of course, you could still spelldance it to make it persisted + ocular, but that would take six rounds of spelldancing.

Glyph Seal is probably more of what I'm looking for. 1000 GP to store a 2nd level spell, just key it to a piece of ammunition that can be drawn as a free action. Hmmm... I'm not quite sure how Ocular Spell interacts with spell-storing items, though. I'm guessing a spellcaster couldn't trigger this himself to load another spell into his eye. Nor does he want to become the target of 72,000 acid damage.

Ok. Huh. It looks like an Ocular Spell is actually cast twice: once into the eye, and then when it comes out of the eye, that counts as "casting" according to the text. We can't add Persistent Spell onto acid arrow when it goes into the eye, because it doesn't have a fixed range yet, but we can when it gets cast out of the eye. I think I see how the order of operations needs to work.

1) Spelldance for 2 rounds to add Ocular Spell onto acid arrow. This loads the spell into eye #1 as a ray with a 60' range, which is now eligible for Persistent Spell. Eye #2 is empty, so it's also eligible for Ocular Spell again.
2) Spelldance for 8 rounds, adding Persistent Spell and Ocular Spell to the spell in eye #1.
3) As a full-round action, cast the spell in eye #1 into eye #2. It's now a persisted 60' ray acid arrow that can be cast at any time in the next 8 hours.
4) As a full-round action, cast the spell in eye #2 into a Glyph Seal, spell-storing weapon, etc.
5) Rinse & repeat as necessary.

So this doesn't allow you to load two persisted acid arrows into both eyes, but you can load up however many spell-storing items you like this way.