Mundane Characters

[tstewt1921]

I'm looking for a good mundane character build, or at least a path or suggestions, I don't want to use any magical items by any means. Special material such as adamantine or silver is fine, but purely nothing magical. We have a game coming up in the future that will be taking place in Ravenloft and I think it would be even more interesting game for me to put it on an even harder mode than it will be on. So I'm open to suggestions. Almost all books are available.

[Falontani]

no magic items, but magic abilities? psilike abilities? or mundane as in as mundane as a commoner mundane? how about feats that mimic magic abilities? supernatural abilities? where is the line?

[tstewt1921]

no magic items, but magic abilities? psilike abilities? or mundane as in as mundane as a commoner mundane? how about feats that mimic magic abilities? supernatural abilities? where is the line?

Possibly, I don't want to be able to use any spells, shapeshifting, enhancing my strength or anything through magical means. So depending on the feat it may work.

[zlefin]

3.5 I presume?

what levels will you reach?
the biggest problem i'd say is that since you want to eschew all magic, that mostly pushes you toward martial; but it's very hard to be a martial without any magic items at all, they rely on the bonuses just to keep their numbers good enough.
You could run vow of poverty I suppose, which would compensate for that somewhat, though severely restricting your other options (and making it harder to use the special materials you'd need to counter some dr types).

it sounds like you don't want anything that highily optimized, otherwise i'd say ubercharger.

you could try running a handle animal build. like a less cheesy version of bubs the commoner
http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=7097263&postcount=38
iirc there are some more reasonable op handle animal builds, dunno what they're called.

[Venger]

I'm looking for a good mundane character build, or at least a path or suggestions, I don't want to use any magical items by any means. Special material such as adamantine or silver is fine, but purely nothing magical. We have a game coming up in the future that will be taking place in Ravenloft and I think it would be even more interesting game for me to put it on an even harder mode than it will be on. So I'm open to suggestions. Almost all books are available.

Then you are going to die. You cannot function without any magic at all in this game.

Even with a powerful, well-built character, ravenloft is one of the hardest campaigns there is. You will not be able to survive, much less meaningfully contribute without any actual powers.

If you still insist on doing this:

I assume for simplicity's sake other systems (initiation, binding, psionics, meldshaping) are not something you're interested in. If that's not the case, tell me what subsystems you like and I'll advise things in that vein.

One of the only classes that supports this kind of thing is the forsaker, which destroys the party's valuable loot for crappy dr and ability boosts, since you can't use magic or items.

If your gm's allowing all books, you might build a hulking hurler and throw (nonmagical) rocks at enemies (except incorporeal monsters, which there are a fair amount of in ravenloft. better leave those to the other pcs) instead of the normal +1 osmium yoyo hulking hurlers use.


what levels will you reach?

ravenloft recommends your guy starts the campaign at level 6, and it will take them through about level 9 assuming they finish the whole campaign and do all the encounters.

[Falontani]

I haven't decided what feat, just trying to get the bearings so that I dont build something that you turn down because its reliant on a feat: examples would be:
Hidden Talent (gain 2 power points, become psionic, gain the ability to manifest a first level power)
Shape Soulmeld (gain the ability to shape one of the many soulmelds native to Magic of Incarnum)
Bind Vestige (bind a vestige as if you were a binder)
or things that are less magical but still "magic" like:
paladin lay on hands
Tome of Battle's initiator abilities
Blazing Berserker feat (which grants you the fire subtype while raging)

Finally there is the Vow of Poverty which gives you many many benefits of magical items while wearing none of them.

What kind of point buy are you looking at, and are Ravenlofte specific books in play?

[Venger]

I haven't decided what feat, just trying to get the bearings so that I dont build something that you turn down because its reliant on a feat: examples would be:
Hidden Talent (gain 2 power points, become psionic, gain the ability to manifest a first level power)
Shape Soulmeld (gain the ability to shape one of the many soulmelds native to Magic of Incarnum)
Bind Vestige (bind a vestige as if you were a binder)
or things that are less magical but still "magic" like:
paladin lay on hands
Tome of Battle's initiator abilities
Blazing Berserker feat (which grants you the fire subtype while raging)

Finally there is the Vow of Poverty which gives you many many benefits of magical items while wearing none of them.

What kind of point buy are you looking at, and are Ravenlofte specific books in play?
All of these are good suggestions for any character, especially a mundane.

Pretty much regardless of specific build:

shape soulmeld (airstep sandals) for flight (since you can't do it without items unless you're a raptoran, take draconic wings feat, etc) and it's a notable hole in vop's crummy benefits, assuming op is interested in that and can otherwise play an exalted character. its ability boosts in addition to forsakers could get naked numbers pretty high, helpful in many builds, such as war hulking hurler.

are you asking about those 3rd party sword and sorcery books, or something else? I've never heard of any 3.5 ravenloft books aside from the campaign one.

[tstewt1921]

All of these are good suggestions for any character, especially a mundane.

Pretty much regardless of specific build:

shape soulmeld (airstep sandals) for flight (since you can't do it without items unless you're a raptoran, take draconic wings feat, etc) and it's a notable hole in vop's crummy benefits, assuming op is interested in that and can otherwise play an exalted character. its ability boosts in addition to forsakers could get naked numbers pretty high, helpful in many builds, such as war hulking hurler.

are you asking about those 3rd party sword and sorcery books, or something else? I've never heard of any 3.5 ravenloft books aside from the campaign one.

It's more than likely the 3rd party sword and sorcery books, we won't be playing any one specific campaign we will just be in a setting of Ravenloft.

[tstewt1921]

Thanks guys & gals, that answers my question :smile:

[Venger]

It's more than likely the 3rd party sword and sorcery books, we won't be playing any one specific campaign we will just be in a setting of Ravenloft.

does your gm only allow first party books, or do you want recommendations from third party books and/or dragon magazine?

[MaxiDuRaritry]

How do you feel about innate shapeshifting? A changeling warshaper building off of a Tome of Battle class for healing (crusader, for preference) would be somewhat self-sufficient if you could build on that for additional shapeshifting. Flight, swimming, climbing, burrowing, variable physical stats, the ability to produce poisons and acids on your own, and one magic item to give your natural weapons a +1 or better bonus so you can affect incorporeal things (which is non-negotiable in Ravenloft), and some tiny forms with high Dex so you could scout and such would do quite a lot for you. Try to work your way into more shapeshifting classes so you can get more defenses (such as the [fire] and [cold] subtypes for the attached immunities) and such would be great, as well.