Non-PHB Characters (3.5)

[SirNibbles]

A recent thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?538152-Favorite-book) about people's favourite books got me thinking about the fact that the PHB is definitely the best book.

That being said, what's the best character you can make using any source except the Player's Handbook?

You can't use any classes, races, spells, items/item enhancements, or feats that were published in the PHB, nor can you use any classes which are variants of PHB classes that were published in other sources (for example Wild Shape Ranger or Urban Druid). Spells or feats which were later republished in other sources are equally disallowed, unless that source changed the behaviour of the spell or feat.

PHB skills are allowed, because it'd be silly to not allow them.

[Forrestfire]

The Player's Handbook is in many circles accepted as one of the worst books in D&D 3.5, because of the insane imbalances between classes, and low variety in noncaster options. Playing campaigns that ban most of the options from the PHB is a fairly common idea, and generally leads to a significantly better-designed game.

With that in mind, one can make a Tome of Battle character, a Beguiler, a Binder, a Warlock, a Dragonfire Adept, a Factotum... one of the many 9-level casters that were published... Losing out on some prerequisite feats like Weapon Focus, or enabler feats like Power Attack or Weapon Finesse, as well as losing a handful of decent weapons, will be a bit painful, but overall it wouldn't be a huge issue. Some of them were reprinted elsewhere, anyway.

[Silva Stormrage]

STP Erudite Thrallherd is probably the best you are going to find. Bring in your cohort with the appropriate known spell to learn and you can basically cast all non PHP spells.

Artificer by these rules is also going to be utterly useless since it can't craft items without the important PHB crafting feats. What item creation feats would they have access to?

[Esprit15]

Shadow Creature Whisper Gnome Factotum taking nothing but Font of Inspiration.

[Forrestfire]

Artificer by these rules is also going to be utterly useless since it can't craft items without the important PHB crafting feats. What item creation feats would they have access to?

Nah, they'll be fine. Infusions are really quite strong. Their big hurdle will be lacking Extend Spell (unless getting it from the Planning domain allows it) and Iron Will, screwing over spell-storing item shenanigans. But only slightly. If either of these feats exists elsewhere, it might work? Otherwise they still have tons of utility and potential power.

[Telonius]

My winning entry from Villainous Competition VI (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19662145&postcount=66) almost meets the requirement straight out. You'd just need to swap out Track and the Shock Trooper line for something else. (Bonus Essentia or more Martial Studies, maybe).

[Zaq]

Martial characters other than ToB characters are screwed, since they almost always need PHB feats (either to actually use or just as prereqs). Even ToB characters will suffer from losing Power Attack, Weapon Finesse, and so on.

As mentioned, psionic characters are pretty self-contained.

Warlocks might be semi-functional once they have enough BAB to muscle past the penalty for not having Precise Shot.

[Menzath]

Easy
Wu Jen 7/prestige bard 2/sacred exorcist 1/sublime chord 1/ ultimate magus 7/archmage 2

[Nifft]

Easy
Wu Jen 7/prestige bard 2/sacred exorcist 1/sublime chord 1/ ultimate magus 7/archmage 2

Remember, no PHB spells.

What does that Sublime Chord cast?

[Mike Miller]

Remember, no PHB spells.

What does that Sublime Chord cast?

Sublime Chord casts from sorc/wiz list, yes? So, spell compendium all the way.

[Nifft]

Sublime Chord casts from sorc/wiz list, yes? So, spell compendium all the way.

Cool.

I guess non-PHB spells which reference or emulate PHB spells are legal, then.

[SirNibbles]

Easy
Wu Jen 7/prestige bard 2/sacred exorcist 1/sublime chord 1/ ultimate magus 7/archmage 2

Prestige Paladin/Ranger/Bard are counted as being variants of the originals.

[Menzath]

Prestige Paladin/Ranger/Bard are counted as being variants of the originals.
Aww. But prestige bard let's you be a prepared caster and still sing.
Well then artificer I suppose would be the "best", at least from mid to late game.

[Thurbane]

Races: Grey Elf, Neraph, Silverbrow Human, Strongheart Halfling, Tibbit...

Classes: Binder, Dragonfire Adept, Factotum, Swordsage, Warblade...

[remetagross]

Stone Power and Shadow Blade from ToB can be subsituted to Power Attack and Weapon Finesse for prereqs, respectively.

[WeaselGuy]

I'd do either a Sparrow Hengeyokai Warlock or a Tibbit Rokugan Ninja/Swordsage. Both of these fit my preferred playstyle and can function reasonable well without anything from the PHB.