Looking for fun character build

[Stryyke]

My pseudodragon just got splattered. My comrades took his hide and turned him into a glove. Sigh. Goodbye Sina! I'll miss you!

So I have a week to come up with a new character. I've been playing for 20ish years, so I've done everything standard, and want something really different and fun. I have lost 8 characters in this campaign in the last year, so something that can take a hit is preferable. I've recently done a skill monkey, a monk, an Ogre barb, a sorcerer, and a bard. Here are the restrictions:

3.5
Core and 1st party sources only.
Other sources are vetted pretty tough, but if it isn't broken, I may be able to talk my DM into it.
Starting ECL 9 with 5 class levels. Mandatory LA 4. Can include monstrous HD.
I would prefer a monster race, &/or interesting templates
The current party is: 1 melee focused Bard, 1 Barb, 1 dark priest, 1 troll (not the internet kind ;) )
The party is heavily evil, but I've successfully played good characters in it (successful RP, that is. Combat . . . Not so much)
Medium/low optimization type game
PrC's allowed
I tend to play rather aggressively, which is what keeps getting me killed.

Edit: Celestials and dragons are out. I got away with pseudodragon, but dragon lineage in his world is reserved. Celestials will just get slaughtered on sight.

I was thinking something like Warlock might be neat. I've never done it before. The concept of not having to track spells I like, but I was underwhelmed with the Warlock magic selection.

I appreciate any ideas. 8 characters in the last year is a lot, and I'm just out of ideas.

[weckar]

Just to be sure, is it a mandatory LA+4 or can that include monstrous HD?

[Stryyke]

Just to be sure, is it a mandatory LA+4 or can that include monstrous HD?

Sorry, that can include monstrous HD. I'll change that.

[flappeercraft]

What about a Dvati Draconic Saint Druid and on higher levels you take Beastmaster PrC. Basically this is just for ridiculousness coming from numbers.

[weckar]

A druid-based Eldritch Disciple (pick up turning in any number of ways to qualify) can be a ton of fun. I know from experience.

[Stryyke]

What about a Dvati Draconic Saint Druid and on higher levels you take Beastmaster PrC. Basically this is just for ridiculousness coming from numbers.

LOL That would certainly be different! I think Dvati may be a bit out of my DM's comfort zone. Especially since I would have to somehow talk him into re-writing the rules a bit to allow 2 moves and a standard action per round. Nice thought, though!

[flappeercraft]

LOL That would certainly be different! I think Dvati may be a bit out of my DM's comfort zone. Especially since I would have to somehow talk him into re-writing the rules a bit to allow 2 moves and a standard action per round. Nice thought, though!

If he doesn't ask him if you can take the Leadership feat and Improved Cohort and just refluff it as your Dvati Twin (But actually be a Human for the extra feat, basically a Dvati for fluff but mechanically a human with a Cohort 1 level lower)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Half-Goristro (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a):
+4 LA
+5 natural armor
+8 Str, +8 Con (or +8 Str, +6 Con, +2 Cha)
Size Increase (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#sizeIncreases) (unless you're already Huge or bigger)
Two slam attacks that add 1.5x Str to damage
SR, DR/Cold Iron, resistances, spell-like abilities, poison immunity, proficiency with all martial weapons (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#outsiderType), etc.

Put that on a Water Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater) and go Crusader or Warblade.



Use that same half-fiend variant to make a version based on an Arcanaloth (MM2, Yugoloth) which would get Dex +4, Int +8, Cha +4. Put that on a Warforged and go Psion (Shaper) with Adamantine Body or Mithril Body depending on your Dex. Use the Share Pain: Psicrystal plus Vigor shared trick for hp, and remember that the psicrystal's Hardness 8 reduces every instance of damage it takes from Share Pain by that much. Give the Psicrystal a Healing Belt and it can bring you back to life, since you'll retain the living construct subtype and everything that goes with it, even though your type is switched to outsider.

[Stryyke]

Half-Goristro (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060630a):
+4 LA
+5 natural armor
+8 Str, +8 Con (or +8 Str, +6 Con, +2 Cha)
Size Increase (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/improvingMonsters.htm#sizeIncreases) (unless you're already Huge or bigger)
Two slam attacks that add 1.5x Str to damage
SR, DR/Cold Iron, resistances, spell-like abilities, poison immunity, proficiency with all martial weapons (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#outsiderType), etc.

Put that on a Water Orc (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/races/elementalRacialVariants.htm#racesOfWater) and go Crusader or Warblade.

Very interesting! The only real problem I see is the huge size. Fun in theory, irritating in practice. We split our time relatively evenly between out-doors and indoors. I'm afraid that the huge size may be a problem half the time. It looks like the size growth is from monstrous hd, though. Could I use a lower HD form, retain the large size of the centaur, and advance class levels?



Use that same half-fiend variant to make a version based on an Arcanaloth (MM2, Yugoloth) which would get Dex +4, Int +8, Cha +4. Put that on a Warforged and go Psion (Shaper) with Adamantine Body or Mithril Body depending on your Dex. Use the Share Pain: Psicrystal plus Vigor shared trick for hp, and remember that the psicrystal's Hardness 8 reduces every instance of damage it takes from Share Pain by that much. Give the Psicrystal a Healing Belt and it can bring you back to life, since you'll retain the living construct subtype and everything that goes with it, even though your type is switched to outsider.

I thought about Psionics, but my DM doesn't like them, for some reason. I could try to talk him into it, but I think it's a losing battle.
I haven't tried warforged, though. That might be something. Let me read up on that.

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Very interesting! The only real problem I see is the huge size. Fun in theory, irritating in practice. We split our time relatively evenly between out-doors and indoors. I'm afraid that the huge size may be a problem half the time. It looks like the size growth is from monstrous hd, though. Could I use a lower HD form, retain the large size of the centaur, and advance class levels?

You wouldn't be using the Half-Goristro Centaur, you would be using the Half-Goristro version of Half-Fiend, applied to a different base creature. That increases you by one size, so applied to a medium creature it would make you large.



I thought about Psionics, but my DM doesn't like them, for some reason. I could try to talk him into it, but I think it's a losing battle.
I haven't tried warforged, though. That might be something. Let me read up on that.

Psionics are just another type of spellcasting. In previous editions it was sometimes a little too powerful, but in 3.5 it's no worse for balance then any of the base spellcasting classes.

[Rizban]

If you're going for a warlock, pick your favorite +0 LA and add the Air Element Creature template from Manual of the Planes. It's +4 LA, changes your type to elemental, gains fly 100 ft (perfect), air mastery, darkvision, DR, +6 Dex.

It's not the most powerful template, obviously, but it gives some nice stuff and makes for a nice mobile eldritch turret with flyby attack and the ability to always move in 3 dimensions perfectly without slowing down.

A half-fey at +2 LA is also decently good. Half-Fey Phrenic Creature would be amusing due to the sheer number of SLAs and PLAs you'd get from it. Tossed onto a warlock, and you'd have plenty of varied magic tricks to throw around.

[gooddragon1]

I'll suggest the clergy vigilant in my sig as an option. Not sure, but it's another possibility.