D&D 3.5 manticore belt

[oholoko]

I really want to try making a decent manticore belt user, problem is precision damage is almost useless as my DM will just send an enemy with immunity to it(Even though he did rule that each strike will apply it). So it's possible to make it decent? My current plan was totemist 2/Psywarrior 18 using expansion and a large template(half-Minotaur) to become huge, and using intuitive strike to dump DEX and then all powers to boost or provide some sort of utility, maybe mantled psywarrior to grab freedom mantle.
Any tips would help, it would be even better if everything would be done from the manticore belt range(150 ft).

[Grod_The_Giant]

If you grab a level of Sorcerer, Draconic Heritage (Battle, Emerald, Howling, or Pyroclastic), and Dragonfire Strike, you can convert your Skirmish/Sneak Attack damage to Sonic and add an extra d6.

Or perhaps better yet, take a Sorcerer level to pick up a familiar and Draconic Heritage, then take some Bard/Harmonic Knight Paladin levels to pick up Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration. Take Share Soulmeld to turn the both of you into burning (howling?) machine guns of hypersonic death.

Sighting Gloves are also useful.

[Nifft]

Heartfire Fanner would be my choice for gaining Inspire Courage on a primary Sorcerer.

You need one bad feat to get into Soulcaster, and two bad feats to get into Heartfire Fanner, plus you need another feat for Dragonfire Inspiration, and another feat for either Draconic Heritage or (if you take the Dragonblood ACF) Obtain Familiar, and another for Share Soulmeld... yikes.

Sorc 4 / Totemist 2 / Soulcaster 9 / Heartfire Fanner 5 (probably taking all 5 Heartfire levels in the middle of Soulcaster)

Human

L1: Totemist 1
- Able Learner
- Negotiator

L3: Sorcerer 1 (ACF: Blood of Siberrys from Dragon #351 -- this gets us Diplomacy as a class skill)
- Draconic Heritage: Battle (Sonic breath and Perform as a class skill)

L6: Sorcerer 4
- Incarnum Spellshaping

L7: Soulcaster 1

L9: Soulcaster 3
- Skill Focus (Perform)

L10: Heartfire Fanner 1

L12: Heartfire Fanner 3
- Dragonfire Inspiration

L14: Heartfire Fanner 5

L15: Soulcaster 4
- Obtain Familiar

L18: Soulcaster 7
- Share Soulmeld


... so it can all fit, but wow, that's a loooooooooong wait for a fun trick.

I bet it's easier to just get a Bard Cohort via Leadership, and let that character handle the music.

[oholoko]

If you grab a level of Sorcerer, Draconic Heritage (Battle, Emerald, Howling, or Pyroclastic), and Dragonfire Strike, you can convert your Skirmish/Sneak Attack damage to Sonic and add an extra d6.

Or perhaps better yet, take a Sorcerer level to pick up a familiar and Draconic Heritage, then take some Bard/Harmonic Knight Paladin levels to pick up Inspire Courage and Dragonfire Inspiration. Take Share Soulmeld to turn the both of you into burning (howling?) machine guns of hypersonic death.

Sighting Gloves are also useful.

Dragonfire Strike wouldn't work because the rulling on that seems to be that if i hit the sneak attack i will deal the extra damage as a different type, he normally put enemies immune to it(Undead,plants, etc).
About the bard there's going to be a DFI bard there so if i make it a different element it might turn out to be a really fun idea, do they stack?


Heartfire Fanner would be my choice for gaining Inspire Courage on a primary Sorcerer.

You need one bad feat to get into Soulcaster, and two bad feats to get into Heartfire Fanner, plus you need another feat for Dragonfire Inspiration, and another feat for either Draconic Heritage or (if you take the Dragonblood ACF) Obtain Familiar, and another for Share Soulmeld... yikes.

Sorc 4 / Totemist 2 / Soulcaster 9 / Heartfire Fanner 5 (probably taking all 5 Heartfire levels in the middle of Soulcaster)

Human

L1: Totemist 1
- Able Learner
- Negotiator

L3: Sorcerer 1 (ACF: Blood of Siberrys from Dragon #351 -- this gets us Diplomacy as a class skill)
- Draconic Heritage: Battle (Sonic breath and Perform as a class skill)

L6: Sorcerer 4
- Incarnum Spellshaping

L7: Soulcaster 1

L9: Soulcaster 3
- Skill Focus (Perform)

L10: Heartfire Fanner 1

L12: Heartfire Fanner 3
- Dragonfire Inspiration

L14: Heartfire Fanner 5

L15: Soulcaster 4
- Obtain Familiar

L18: Soulcaster 7
- Share Soulmeld


... so it can all fit, but wow, that's a loooooooooong wait for a fun trick.

I bet it's easier to just get a Bard Cohort via Leadership, and let that character handle the music.


Forgot to say that our DM do PF progression so feats every odd level. But yeah that one sounds a bit too late to be worth it campain starts at level 3 and the progression is not really fast. And i will need to ask for Dragon Mag so preferably not but thanks for the sugestion.

[Rebel7284]

Factotum 8 would give you extra Standard actions and Int to attack and damage. You will need like 5 Fonts of Inspiration to make it usable often enough though, so dunno if it's worth it.

Also, Warrior Skald gives you access to all forms of bardic music with one dip. May be useful if you chose to go a different route but still want a few points of Inspire Courage.

[Grod_The_Giant]

Dragonfire Strike wouldn't work because the rulling on that seems to be that if i hit the sneak attack i will deal the extra damage as a different type, he normally put enemies immune to it(Undead,plants, etc).
About the bard there's going to be a DFI bard there so if i make it a different element it might turn out to be a really fun idea, do they stack?
Oh, if there's a DFI Bard you'll be fine; plenty of damage that way. Manticore Belt + Sighting Gloves is pretty nasty already.

Not sure what you mean by the Dragonfire Strike ruling; the feat converts all your precision damage to fire (or another element, if you have Draconic Heritage). Pretty much nothing is immune to sonic.

[oholoko]

Oh, if there's a DFI Bard you'll be fine; plenty of damage that way. Manticore Belt + Sighting Gloves is pretty nasty already.

Not sure what you mean by the Dragonfire Strike ruling; the feat converts all your precision damage to fire (or another element, if you have Draconic Heritage). Pretty much nothing is immune to sonic.

Yeah i know that i am talking about this part "When you gain extra damage from a sneak attack, sudden strike, or skirmish, you can choose for the extra damage to be fire damage." For exemple you don't get the extra damage on a undead/plant/etc or those immune to critical strikes for exemple. And there's pretty much 2 rogues/scouts on the party so i see a lot of those monsters. xD

[Rebel7284]

there's pretty much 2 rogues/scouts on the party so i see a lot of those monsters. xD

This sounds like bad DMing...

[Axel_690]

Yeah i know that i am talking about this part "When you gain extra damage from a sneak attack, sudden strike, or skirmish, you can choose for the extra damage to be fire damage." For exemple you don't get the extra damage on a undead/plant/etc or those immune to critical strikes for exemple. And there's pretty much 2 rogues/scouts on the party so i see a lot of those monsters. xD

Enemies being immune to a damage type doesn't mean the source of the damage ceases to exist when you attack them. The sneak attack damage dice are still there, the enemies just aren't taking the damage.


This is worth a read.
Chaingun Porcupine (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthread.php?471344-Weekly-Optimization-Showcase-Chaingun-Porcupine-(Tempest_Stormwind))

[Grod_The_Giant]

You could go Swift Hunter; a few strategically chosen Favored Enemies would clear up the problem right quick.

There's also the argument that

And you can stick to non-precision-based damage boosters. Sighting Gloves is an easy one. Dead Eye (Dragon Compendium). A Shiba Protector dip. Three Peerless Archer levels for ranged power attack. A Necklace of Natural Attacks with things like Collision.