Grab bag of 3.5(Core) tricks and optimizations.

[TheCorsairMalac]

Please comment with your favorite tricks/optimizations (But not full builds) for D&D 3.5 using only the three core rulebooks(The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual). No other restrictions or limits.

Basically, using all my splatbooks takes forever and my characters become too complicated for me to enjoy playing. My recent Master of Many Forms character was particularly bad. I'm going to play using the core rulebooks only for a while and want some ideas on neat things that are possible under that restriction.

A couple of my own ideas:

Use your martial character's Handle Animal skill to keep a trained riding dog as a flanking buddy. The dog is trained to flank your opponent and spend all of its attacks using Aid Other to give you a +2 on attacks. When/if it gets flanking you get +2 on attacks. On turns when it succeeds its Aid Other attempt you get a further +2 on your first attack.

Buy a +1 Arrow Catching Arrow Deflection Light Shield and a pair of Gloves of Arrow Snaring. Now your sword-and-board character can actually protect nearby allies using his shield(from ranged attacks, and for a little while). The light shield leaves your hand free for use, so you can take advantage of the gloves. Arrow Catching can be deactivated with a command word if you're taking too many hits.

[Sheogoroth]

My favorite is enchanting each article of clothing with Constant Unseen Servant and having them run around undoing your opponents belts, causing their pants to fall down(100lbs dragged is plenty).
Makes robbing stores incredibly easy, as you just sit outside as the merchant's wares float silently out to you. You can also very quickly create hazards on the battlefield with caltrops, jugs of oil, jars of bees, etc. Enough of them can even make you fly!

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

Ancestral Relic (BoED) to make a custom Runestaff (MIC p224), effectively getting around a spontaneous class's limited number of spells known.

Get a cow (10 gp) and cast Flesh to Salt (Sandstorm) on it, increasing its value to 5 gp per pound (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/wealthAndMoney.htm#wealthOtherThanCoins).

[Eldariel]

This thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?514576-Compilation-of-PHB-Only-caster-tricks-combos) collected some of the things you can do with core spells, both in the more and the less broken end of the spectrum.

[Inevitability]

Take a raven familiar, have it activate magic items with command words for you.


Ancestral Relic (BoED) to make a custom Runestaff (MIC p224), effectively getting around a spontaneous class's limited number of spells known.

Get a cow (10 gp) and cast Flesh to Salt (Sandstorm) on it, increasing its value to 5 gp per pound (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/equipment/wealthAndMoney.htm#wealthOtherThanCoins).

That's hardly core.

[Fouredged Sword]

Wish for a ring of three wishes. Rinse, repeat.

[TheCorsairMalac]

Ooh! These are some fun ideas! I particularly like the link to that thread about spell-tricks. That's exactly the sort of nonsense I'm looking for.

Haha! A raven really could activate command word items! Fun!

[Darrin]

Cast (or pay for) a summon monster VII spell to summon a djinn. Tell the djinn to use his major creation SLA to create 20 cubic feet of black lotus extract. This has a market value of 86 million GP.

Place a Deck of Many Things inside Heward's Handy Haversack. Reach into the haversack and draw the specific card you want as a move action.



Haha! A raven really could activate command word items! Fun!

Something else it can do... fly above your opponent and activate a Feather Token: Swan Boat or Feather Token: Tree. 20d6 falling object damage.

Another good use for Feather Token: Tree... Swallow Whole.