(3.5) - Help a noob

[landjones]

Hello guys.

I'll play rpg for the first time. We will play dnd 3.5, and I would like to ask your help on how I can make a good build for a Half-Orc Spirit Shaman or Duelist. Without multiclass.

[SLOTHRPG95]

What resources is your DM allowing? What sort of play style are you going for? What stats do you have to work with? There's a lot of questions that need answering before anything concrete can be suggested, or else there's too high a risk of total mismatch.

[weckar]

Withut multiclassing you cannot get duelist. All you really need to pick is your feats.

[SLOTHRPG95]

Withut multiclassing you cannot get duelist. All you really need to pick is your feats.

You can single-class Fighter or Swashbuckler or Scout and qualify for Duelist pretty easily (and also still get use out of doing so). Some bare-bones examples, assuming Elite array for stats:

1) Human Fighter 8/Duelist X; starting stats Str 12, Dex 15, Con 13, Int 14, Wis 10, Cha 8, bumping Con at 4th and Dex thereafter; feats are 1st Weapon Finesse, Dodge, and Mobility, 2nd Weapon Focus (Rapier), 3rd Combat Expertise, 4th Spring Attack, 6th Whirlwind Attack and Weapon Specialization (Rapier), 8th Melee Weapon Mastery (Piercing). This is a feat-heavy build that lets you somewhat compensate for otherwise low damage with Weapon Spec + Melee Weapon Mastery, but it also has some nice tactical moves it can pull off.

2) Grey Elf Swashbuckler 6/Duelist X; starting stats Str 10, Dex 17, Con 12, Int 15, Wis 8, Cha 10, bumping Int at 4th and Dex thereafter; feats are 1st Weapon Finesse and Dodge, 3rd Mobility, 6th Combat Expertise. Swashbuckler is sort of the non-PrC version of Duelist so of course it's easy to qualify for Duelist as a Swashbuckler, and the Insightful Strike ability means you don't have to worry about Strength for damage. The extra bit of skill points (and better class skills) also let you play out the idea of a wry, Cyrano-esque duelist who is just as good with bluster as with a blade.

3) Half-Orc Scout 8/Duelist X; starting stats Str 15, Dex 15, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 6, bumping Str at 4th and Dex thereafter; feats are 1st Dodge, 3rd Weapon Finesse, 4th Track, 6th Mobility, 8th Spring Attack. This is a Duelist that doesn't play to type, not really taking advantage of Canny Defense but being able to dish out a punch with decent Str, skirmishing spring attacks (and precise strike damage stacks). This character is a classic melee skirmisher, hunting down foes, weaving through their ranks, then disappearing when things get rough (for which the fast movement helps). Also, with 8 skill points per level, hunting and fighting are only two of many things that this character can do.

I think the last is of most interest to OP as Half-Orc was mentioned, but the first two could be easily modified to account for the difference in character race. Just note that a Half-Orc's Int penalty doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense when building a Swashbuckler/Duelist, if that's the route you go.

[weckar]

I meant that going into a prc IS multiclassing.

[SLOTHRPG95]

I meant that going into a prc IS multiclassing.


Prestige classes offer a new form of multiclassing. Unlike the basic classes, characters must meet Requirements before they can take their first level of a prestige class. The rules for level advancement apply to this system, meaning the first step of advancement is always choosing a class. If a character does not meet the Requirements for a prestige class before that first step, that character cannot take the first level of that prestige class. Taking a prestige class does not incur the experience point penalties normally associated with multiclassing.
-d20srd

So yes, they're technically multiclassing, but they're treated differently. Given the OP's statement, I assume they're using the common (non-technical) parlance and not considering having a single base class plus a single prestige class as really multiclassing. But again, the base class equivalent of the Duelist is just the Swashbuckler.

[noob]

It is hard to go wrong with a spirit shaman but if you can take versatile spellcaster you should and if you can take spontaneous summoner it can be a good idea since it allows to not need to prepare summon natural ally to cast it but you need the feat that allows preparation of spells while being a spontaneous caster.

There is a feat that allows to prepare spells you know when you are a spontaneous caster and another feat that allows to get a spell book then you can write all the spells you want in the spellbook and thus know them and then be able to prepare them.
The only disadvantage of that tactic is the books thrown at you by the gm because while it is rule legal it is considered as being too contrived for some people.

Of course you can mash my two paragraphs of advice in one and then be able to retrieve spells as a spirit shaman then be able to cast any spell in your spellbook by sacrificing two spells of one level lower and be also able to prepare all the spells you want from your spellbook and finally be able to use any slot to cast any spirit shaman spell you retrieved or any spell from the summon natural ally line.
but if you do that the gm either is blissfully unaware of what is rudisplork or your gm is ready to accept all the cheeze but multi-classing or your gm will simply shout no.