Anthrowhale
2019-08-29, 09:40 PM
What are the best ways to up-tier the tier 4/5/6 class concepts? The goal here is covering the quintessential abilities of low-tier base classes on a tier 1 chassis without unduly compromising the Tier 1 status. This goal is extreme, but I expect success to imply Tier 2 or Tier 3 versions are possible. The means here can vary: theurging feats, ACFs, and prestige classes all seem relevant. The monk build probably provides a benchmark for cost: at most 2 feats and at most 2 levels of spell advancement from a tier 1 caster.
Examples:
Iconic abilities: Melee attack, Rage
Barbarian 20 -> Druidic Avenger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druidVariantDruidicAve nger)(-Animal companion -Spontaneous Summons +Rage +Barbarian Fast Movement) 20. With Wild Shape based strength this makes a Barbarian++.
Iconic abilities: Lore, Spells, Skills
Bard 1/Cloistered Cleric 19 taking the Divine Inspiration feat (Dragon #333). You have Lore from cloistered cleric, plentiful skill ranks (enhanced if you take Able Learner), as well as the cleric skill spells (Divine Insight, Guidance of the Avatar). You also have full bardic music via the Divine Inspiration feat.
Cloistered Cleric 5/Halfling Whistler 2/Heartfire Fanner 1/Cloistered Cleric 12 taking Negotiator, Skill Focus(Perform), and Divine Inspiration feats. This avoids losing a level of spell advancement at the cost of 2 feats. Halfling Whistler is there to grant access to Perform. An alternative is Mystic Wanderer, although that may require more than 2 levels.
Iconic Abilities; Melee attack, Channel Spell, Spells
(from rebel7284) Duskblade 20 -> (Cloistered) Cleric 4/Ordained Champion 3/Other cleric prestige classes 13. Ordained Champion provides a form of channel spell while cleric provides much more advanced spell access including the killer Surge of Fortune + Sense Weakness which combines with a Vorpal Sword to autokill many opponents.
Duskblade 5/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 8/Duskblade 5 Use the Apprentice[Criminal] feat for the Bluff skill, take Spell Focus[Evil] and acquire Iron Will via the Otyugh Hole. This starts slower but it plausibly reaches tier-1 via Ur-Priest casting which infamously gives 9th level spells as early as level 14.
Iconic Abilities: Melee Attacks, Heavy Armor&Shields, Feats
Fighter 20 -> Cleric[War Domain, Spell domain] 20. Heavy armor, and full BAB once Divine Power comes online. Choose any preferred martial weapon via the War Domain and consider Holy Warrior as a feat. By level 9 you can autocrit via Surge of Fortune + Sense Weakness. Add in a vorpal weapon to autokill many opponents. For feats, use Anyspell[Heroics] and Triadspell.
Erudite (Spell to Power) 6/Anarchic Initiate 2/Slayer 10/Anarchic Initiate 2 taking the feats Overchannel and Track. This loses one level of power advancement but the arsenal of psionic powers (including heroics) more than makes up for it. Heavy Armor and martial weapons come from Slayer.
Iconic Abilities: Unarmed damage, AC bonus, Flurry of blows, Fast Movement
Monk 20 -> Monk 1/Wizard 4/Enlightened Fist 5/Master of the East Wind 10 provides provides full monk abilities with an item. Combined with Wraith Strike and Greater Mighty Wallop, it can crank out quite substantial damage. This sacrifices 2 levels of spell casting and 2 feats (Carmendine Monk/Kung Fu Genius and Combat Casting).
(from rebel7284) Monk 20 -> Monk 1/Spell to Power (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a) Erudite 19 taking the feats Monastic Training and Tashalatora. This provides an extremely adaptable psion with monk abilities.
Iconic Abilities: Melee attack, Weak Turning, Divine Grace,
Paladin 20 -> Champion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cleric) (=-Turn Undead + Smite + Aura of Courage) Cleric 7/Witch Hunter 1/Sacred Exorcist 1/Cleric 11. Smite, a divine grace variant, and full BAB via Divine Power. You lack a mount, but you could pick one up via Wild Cohort.
Iconic abilities: Melee or Ranged Attack, Favored Enemy, Skills
Ranger 20 -> Deadly Hunter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druid)(=-Wild Shape +Monk AC +Monk Fast Movement +Favored Enemy +Swift Tracker +Track) Druid 20. Favored Enemy + tracking is great. At high levels, use Owl's insight + Intuitive attack to make up for relatively low BAB.
Iconic abilities: Skills, Sneak Attack
Rogue 20 -> Rogue 1/Wizard 4/Unseen Seer[Hunter's Eye, Divine Insight, Guidance of the Avatar, ??] 10/Arcane Trickster 5 provides a "Tier 1 rogue" which can do pretty much anything that a Rogue can do except plausibly better. The Intelligence focus provides a similar number of skills with much higher skill checks. With Hunter's Eye you get 14d6 sneak attack easily, Wraithstrike means they nearly always hit, and polymorph means many additional attacks/round to crank up applications. This requires 1 feat (Practiced Spellcaster).
Rogue 20 -> Rogue 1/Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric)[Trickery domain, Travel Domain, Knowledge Devotion] 4/Shadowbane Stalker 3/Cloistered Cleric 12 using 1 feat(Sacred Outlaw) creates a tier 1 "Rogue" with 10d6 sneak attack, slightly fewer skill ranks, much higher skill checks, fighter+ full attack (via divine power), and single-level retarded Cleric casting.
Iconic abilities: Skirmish, Skills
Scout 20 -> Scout 1/Druid 19 taking the Swift Avenger feat. A little light on skills (4+Int instead of 6+Int), but capable of full skirmish.
Iconic abilities: Illusion/Shadow magic
(from rebel7284) Shadowcaster 20 -> Illusionist 5/Shadowcrafter 2/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Shadowcrafter +7/Nightmare Spinner 1 taking Spell Focus[Illusion] and Greater Spell Focus[Illusion]. See the shadowcraft mage handbook (http://bg-archive.minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=5638.0) for how to abuse.
Examples:
Iconic abilities: Melee attack, Rage
Barbarian 20 -> Druidic Avenger (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druidVariantDruidicAve nger)(-Animal companion -Spontaneous Summons +Rage +Barbarian Fast Movement) 20. With Wild Shape based strength this makes a Barbarian++.
Iconic abilities: Lore, Spells, Skills
Bard 1/Cloistered Cleric 19 taking the Divine Inspiration feat (Dragon #333). You have Lore from cloistered cleric, plentiful skill ranks (enhanced if you take Able Learner), as well as the cleric skill spells (Divine Insight, Guidance of the Avatar). You also have full bardic music via the Divine Inspiration feat.
Cloistered Cleric 5/Halfling Whistler 2/Heartfire Fanner 1/Cloistered Cleric 12 taking Negotiator, Skill Focus(Perform), and Divine Inspiration feats. This avoids losing a level of spell advancement at the cost of 2 feats. Halfling Whistler is there to grant access to Perform. An alternative is Mystic Wanderer, although that may require more than 2 levels.
Iconic Abilities; Melee attack, Channel Spell, Spells
(from rebel7284) Duskblade 20 -> (Cloistered) Cleric 4/Ordained Champion 3/Other cleric prestige classes 13. Ordained Champion provides a form of channel spell while cleric provides much more advanced spell access including the killer Surge of Fortune + Sense Weakness which combines with a Vorpal Sword to autokill many opponents.
Duskblade 5/Ur-Priest 2/Mystic Theurge 8/Duskblade 5 Use the Apprentice[Criminal] feat for the Bluff skill, take Spell Focus[Evil] and acquire Iron Will via the Otyugh Hole. This starts slower but it plausibly reaches tier-1 via Ur-Priest casting which infamously gives 9th level spells as early as level 14.
Iconic Abilities: Melee Attacks, Heavy Armor&Shields, Feats
Fighter 20 -> Cleric[War Domain, Spell domain] 20. Heavy armor, and full BAB once Divine Power comes online. Choose any preferred martial weapon via the War Domain and consider Holy Warrior as a feat. By level 9 you can autocrit via Surge of Fortune + Sense Weakness. Add in a vorpal weapon to autokill many opponents. For feats, use Anyspell[Heroics] and Triadspell.
Erudite (Spell to Power) 6/Anarchic Initiate 2/Slayer 10/Anarchic Initiate 2 taking the feats Overchannel and Track. This loses one level of power advancement but the arsenal of psionic powers (including heroics) more than makes up for it. Heavy Armor and martial weapons come from Slayer.
Iconic Abilities: Unarmed damage, AC bonus, Flurry of blows, Fast Movement
Monk 20 -> Monk 1/Wizard 4/Enlightened Fist 5/Master of the East Wind 10 provides provides full monk abilities with an item. Combined with Wraith Strike and Greater Mighty Wallop, it can crank out quite substantial damage. This sacrifices 2 levels of spell casting and 2 feats (Carmendine Monk/Kung Fu Genius and Combat Casting).
(from rebel7284) Monk 20 -> Monk 1/Spell to Power (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070629a) Erudite 19 taking the feats Monastic Training and Tashalatora. This provides an extremely adaptable psion with monk abilities.
Iconic Abilities: Melee attack, Weak Turning, Divine Grace,
Paladin 20 -> Champion (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#cleric) (=-Turn Undead + Smite + Aura of Courage) Cleric 7/Witch Hunter 1/Sacred Exorcist 1/Cleric 11. Smite, a divine grace variant, and full BAB via Divine Power. You lack a mount, but you could pick one up via Wild Cohort.
Iconic abilities: Melee or Ranged Attack, Favored Enemy, Skills
Ranger 20 -> Deadly Hunter (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#druid)(=-Wild Shape +Monk AC +Monk Fast Movement +Favored Enemy +Swift Tracker +Track) Druid 20. Favored Enemy + tracking is great. At high levels, use Owl's insight + Intuitive attack to make up for relatively low BAB.
Iconic abilities: Skills, Sneak Attack
Rogue 20 -> Rogue 1/Wizard 4/Unseen Seer[Hunter's Eye, Divine Insight, Guidance of the Avatar, ??] 10/Arcane Trickster 5 provides a "Tier 1 rogue" which can do pretty much anything that a Rogue can do except plausibly better. The Intelligence focus provides a similar number of skills with much higher skill checks. With Hunter's Eye you get 14d6 sneak attack easily, Wraithstrike means they nearly always hit, and polymorph means many additional attacks/round to crank up applications. This requires 1 feat (Practiced Spellcaster).
Rogue 20 -> Rogue 1/Cloistered Cleric (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloistere dCleric)[Trickery domain, Travel Domain, Knowledge Devotion] 4/Shadowbane Stalker 3/Cloistered Cleric 12 using 1 feat(Sacred Outlaw) creates a tier 1 "Rogue" with 10d6 sneak attack, slightly fewer skill ranks, much higher skill checks, fighter+ full attack (via divine power), and single-level retarded Cleric casting.
Iconic abilities: Skirmish, Skills
Scout 20 -> Scout 1/Druid 19 taking the Swift Avenger feat. A little light on skills (4+Int instead of 6+Int), but capable of full skirmish.
Iconic abilities: Illusion/Shadow magic
(from rebel7284) Shadowcaster 20 -> Illusionist 5/Shadowcrafter 2/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Shadowcrafter +7/Nightmare Spinner 1 taking Spell Focus[Illusion] and Greater Spell Focus[Illusion]. See the shadowcraft mage handbook (http://bg-archive.minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=5638.0) for how to abuse.