Pilumancer: Avalanche of Javelins

[Darrin]

This isn't quite an "Infinite Attacks" combo, but could be close enough to get a couple books thrown at you:

Race: Human, Azurin, Stoutheart Halfling
1) Warblade 1. Feat: Weapon Focus Javelin. Human: PB Shot.
2) Warblade 2.
3) Warblade 3. Feat: Lucky Start (Complete Scoundrel).
4) Warblade 4.
5) Warblade 5. Bonus: Quickdraw.
6) Warblade 6. Feat: Tormtor School (Drow of the Underdark).
7) Warblade 7.
8) Warblade 8.
9) Warblade 9. Feat: Fortuitous Strike (Complete Scoundrel). Bonus: Blade Meditation.
10) Warblade 10.
11) Warblade 11.
12) Warblade 12. Feat: Better Lucky Than Good (Complete Scoundrel).
13) Warblade 13. Bonus: Ironheart Aura. Maneuver: Avalanche of Blades.

Ok, it boils down to this sentence from Tormtor School:

"You take no penalty when making a melee attack with a javelin."

And *YES*, I am well aware that I am deliberately misinterpreting that sentence to create a RAW loophole. I am a bad evil person doing WrongFun (tm). Now that we're clear on that... this is a reworking of a trick the Viscount used in his The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=21775399&postcount=86) build for Iron Chef LXXXIV: Waverider (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?514631-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIV). I suggested using Avalanche of Blades with Bloodstorm Blade's Thunderous Throw, but the rules implications of trying to mix a ranged attack with a maneuver that requires a melee attack are a bit wonky. And I think it was BloodSnakes'Cha that reminded me in another thread that I had previously pointed out the Tormtor trick in my TWF OffHandbook.

Anyway... so. Warblade 13 gets us Avalanche of Blades + Tormtor School: Make a melee attack with a javelin. If it hits, make another attack at no penalty, and keep attacking until your target is dead or dying. It's not quite an infinite loop because you have to stop once you get them below 0 HP, but there's also the chance of rolling that dreaded "Natural 1". We can mitigate this a little with some Luck feats... three of them, actually: Lucky Start, Fortuitous Strike, and Better Lucky Than Good. This gives us two possible rerolls, actually: one from Fortuitous Strike that works on any attack roll, and one from Better Lucky Than Good that allows you to treat a "1" as a "20". (Wow, I hadn't really looked all that closely at the Luck feats, but looking through them now... they *stink*. How did this get out of playtest like that?) Hopefully that's enough attacks to give your opponent a good shove into that Permanent Dirt Nap.

What I'm pondering now... well, obviously, we want to make sure that first attack has the best bonus possible. I'm thinking... maybe Duskblade 1 to pick up true strike? Maybe Knight of the Middle Circle for that lovely Combat Sense bonus. And Psychic Warrior for Deep Impact. Although that does bring up a question: do you get the same effects on your subsequent attack that you got on your first attack? For example, true strike gives you +20 on your next attack, so do you get that bonus on all your Avalanche attacks or just the first one? Same for Deep Impact, do you get touch attacks on all subsequent attacks or just the first one? Reading back through Avalanche of Blades: "If that attack hits, resolve your damage as normal. You can then make another attack against that foe with a –4 penalty on your attack roll" (emphasis added). It sounds to me like true strike and Deep Impact are only applied to the first attack.

What else should we add to this? Obviously, Power Attack, Combat Expertise/Improved Combat Expertise, and Stone Power come to mind, as we can ignore those attack penalties as well. Anything else we can throw in there?

[daremetoidareyo]

Hurling charge comes to mind.

Also, with warblade's weapon adaptabilitude, you might not need to use javelins?

Might i suggest alchemical weapons. Smash them in the face of your enemies like pies.

Might I suggest grell lightning lances?

An Item with the ability to cast bloodwind is mindboggling on this. you gonna need to weapon graft that javelin tho. "No, that was a ranged melee attack that i used as a ranged attack."

[Darrin]

Hurling charge comes to mind.


I'm not seeing how that would work. Avalanche of Blades requires a melee attack, and while you get one of those at the end of a charge, the full-round action required by Avalanche is incompatible with the full-round action required to charge.



Also, with warblade's weapon adaptabilitude, you might not need to use javelins?


I think you're confusing Warblade's Weapon Aptitude with the Aptitude weapon property. Two different things. And while there's an argument that you could use an Aptitude weapon with Tormtor School, you're going to get the stinkeye from some DMs, if you haven't gotten it already.



Might i suggest alchemical weapons. Smash them in the face of your enemies like pies.


Do you mean enchant some alchemical weapons with the Aptitude property? I guess you could do that... but it'd get a little expensive after a while. Also, if the alchemical flask breaks on your first attack, what exactly are you hitting them with on the subsequent attacks?

Otherwise, you could throw some weapon capsule retainers on the javelin for 3d6 energy damage, but they would also presumably only apply to the first attack.



Might I suggest grell lightning lances?


Suffers from the somewhat profound deficiency of "not being a javelin". I presume you mean adding the Aptitude property, but the lightning lance uses a ranged touch attack, and this is incompatible with Avalanche of Blades' melee attack requirement. Also, spending money to enchant a disposable item probably isn't an effective long-term strategy.



An Item with the ability to cast bloodwind is mindboggling on this. you gonna need to weapon graft that javelin tho. "No, that was a ranged melee attack that i used as a ranged attack."

Hmmm. Weapon Graft... now that might be promising. The text says, "The weapon actually becomes a natural weapon, though its other properties are unchanged." So it should still count as a javelin, I would think.

[The Viscount]

Very happy to see that my trick could inspire a cool build concept like this.

Finally a build that can really make sure the gloves of endless javelins earn their name.

I'd agree with you that the attacks in avalanche of blades count as separate attacks, so true strike and similar would only apply to the first.

Might Cleave be able to continue the Avalanche to other targets?

Two levels of Bloodstorm Blade for thunderous throw should allow you to use it at range, and because this counts as a melee attack, I think you would be able to negate range penalties.