Iron Chef Optimization Challenge: E6 Appetizer Edition (Round XXIV)

[Zaq]

Welcome back to the Iron Chef Optimization Challenge E6 Appetizer Edition! This round is inspired by life in the age of a pandemic and will make sense to anyone who's had any appreciable number of work-from-home video meetings recently.

The form of this challenge is to take a particular D&D 3.5 game element (our "secret ingredient," or SI) and turn it into a functional E6 (https://esix.pbworks.com/f/E6v041.pdf) build, which must feature the SI as heavily as possible. (The only hard rule about this is that you must take at least one level—where applicable—in the SI, though judges are encouraged to look favorably on builds that take as many levels as possible in said SI or that otherwise use it as heavily as possible.) Your final build submission should consist of your 6 regular levels and your first 10 epic bonus feats, though providing a snapshot at earlier points through the progression is heartily encouraged. Entries are to be PM'd to the Chair (that would be me!), and they will be posted anonymously; our volunteer judges will then grade each build on a 1-5 point scale in four categories: Originality, Power, Elegance, and Use of the Secret Ingredient. The builds with the highest three scores will be awarded medals, with the Honorable Mention award going to the non-medaling build that the Chair likes best and/or that receives the most votes for HM in this thread. (HM may not always be awarded, particularly if the number of builds is very small.) And then we all have cake!*

*Note: You must provide your own cake.

This is basically like the regular Iron Chef, and let's be brutally honest with ourselves here: this isn't a gargantuan community, and we basically all know what we're talking about at this point. Make the builds, send 'em in, post some scores, and have fun. If you've got questions, lemme know. Still, let's lay out a few rules!

Cooking Time: Builds must be submitted via PM to the Chair by 4:59 PM GMT - 9 on Monday, July 27, 2020 (1:59 AM GMT on Tuesday, July 28). The reveal shall be on the first evening the Chair has free following the cooking deadline, which is hoped to be that evening or the immediately subsequent one—I'll do my best, anyway. Judging is then encouraged to go as quickly as possible; if multiple judges volunteer, we'll set about a two-week window, but if we only get one judge, we'll try to wrap up as soon as possible after that judge presents scores. (I will admit that the deadline time may not be an exact science, but don't hide from me and we'll probably be cool.)
Kitchen: Let's break this one down a bit.



ALLOWED: Almost all D&D 3.5 material published by WotC: Core, Completes, monster books, Races Of books, alternate power source books (Expanded Psionics Handbook, Magic of Incarnum, Tome of Battle, Tome of Magic, etc.), Spell Compendium, Book of Exalted Deeds, Book of Vile Darkness, Eberron material, Forgotten Realms material, and other WotC-published 3.5 material. (This list is NOT exhaustive and there are many other legal books that I did not mention by name!)
ALLOWED: Material from the 3.5 archives of the Wizards of the Coast website (including, but not limited to, the Mind's Eye articles). If you use it, link it.
ALLOWED: Official errata from WotC. If you're relying on this in a material fashion, it's a good idea to link it and to discuss it.
NOT ALLOWED: Unofficial errata, including "class fixes" (regardless of the source, including from the original author if not published in a WotC book) or fan-created content.
ALLOWED: Unupdated WotC-published 3.0 material (e.g., Sword and Fist, Masters of the Wild, etc.) except for 3.0 psionics. No 3.0 psionics allowed. If you are using 3.0 material, use the general-purpose skill updates (Wilderness Lore becomes Survival, Innuendo becomes Bluff, etc.) and the general-purpose rules updates (spells with a casting time of "1 action" become "1 standard action," etc.) when appropriate.
NOT ALLOWED: 3.0 material for which a direct 3.5 update exists. Use the updated material instead.
ALLOWED: Dragon Compendium and its errata (http://paizo.com/download/dragon/compendium/DragonCompendiumVolumeIErrata.pdf).
NOT ALLOWED: Content from Dragon Magazine and/or Dungeon Magazine unless said content appears in an otherwise allowed source.
ALLOWED: Oriental Adventures, including the 3.5 update to Oriental Adventures from Dragon Magazine #318. This is a specific exception to the "no Dragon" rule!
NOT ALLOWED: Pathfinder content, regardless of whether it is "D&D 3.5 OGL" or not. If it didn't come from WotC, we don't want it.
ALLOWED: From Unearthed Arcana: racial paragon classes, alternate class features/variant classes, spelltouched feats, and variant races. (Traits and flaws are technically legal, but traits warrant a -0.5 point penalty in Elegance, and flaws warrant a -1 penalty in Elegance.)
NOT ALLOWED: Other Unearthed Arcana content, including (but not limited to) bloodlines, LA buyoff, fractional BAB/saves, alternate casting systems, alternate skill systems, item familiars, prestigious character classes, generic classes, gestalt, etc. When you're wondering if UA content is allowed, err on the side of caution and don't mess around with it.
NOT ALLOWED: Leadership, regardless of source. Game elements functionally equivalent to Leadership (including, but not limited to, Dragon Cohort, Undead Leadership, and Thrallherd) are similarly banned. (Familiars, Improved Familiar, animal companions, Wild Cohort, psicrystals, elemental envoys, and similar game elements are allowed, and they are not considered to be "Leadership." If the difference isn't obvious, feel free to contact the Chair with specific questions.)
NOT ALLOWED: Third-party content, homebrew, or other non-WotC content.
NOT ALLOWED: Epic feats from the Epic Level Handbook. Just because you're "epic" in E6 after 6th level doesn't mean that you're that kind of epic.
NOT ALLOWED: Any race or template with a level adjustment other than +0. (Or any other source of LA other than a race or template, if any such things exist.)
NOT ALLOWED: For our judges: penalizing solely based on legal sources used, regardless of whether those sources are plentiful, sparse, common, obscure, or something in between. If the material is legal, then it doesn't matter how many or how few books it came out of.
ALLOWED: Also for our judges: penalizing for using a source (other than material in Core; don't be vindictive about genuinely obvious stuff) that isn't listed in the build writeup. The chef may choose to present the sources in-line with the text, in a consolidated source list, or somewhere else, but if the source is listed (and is otherwise legal), it counts. If the source is not listed, you may choose to penalize for that.

If you have questions about anything in this section (or hell, in this ruleset), feel free to ask the Chair.

Character Creation: 32 point buy is assumed. For the purposes of this contest, Level Adjustment greater than +0 is banned. (This may be revised at a later point, but I don't feel that the E6 LA rules are conducive to fun in the context of this contest.) No more than two entries per chef per contest, please; if you submit two builds and somehow are so overcome with inspiration for a third that you can't help yourself, PM me and tell me which two you care about the most.
Highlighted because of past issues: It is not enough for your build to end with a level adjustment of +0. You must be +0 from start to finish. No using ANY build elements with a level adjustment above +0, even if they then get mitigated or reduced somehow.
Speculation: Please do not post any form of speculation before the reveal. Just don't do it, guys. It's not cool. This means NOT posting any of the following or anything substantially similar: what you think is going to be common, significant elements of your planned build or of other potential builds, or anything else that could directly influence someone else's build choices for good or for ill. (It's acceptable to ask for rules clarifications as appropriate, but try to avoid tipping your hand too much.) Speculation is bad because it can discourage people from posting builds and can also "taint the judging pool" when it comes to Originality, so please just try to be aware of how other people might react to your speculation.
E6: Here's how E6 works for the purposes of this contest. Build your character normally for the first six levels. After you reach level 6, you stop gaining levels and start gaining bonus feats every time you would gain 5,000 XP. Since we aren't actually tracking XP, you'll basically list your first ten epic bonus feats in the order that you take them, and we think of them as being kind of like levels. We will not use the LA-equals-reduced-point-buy rules, instead preferring to just ban races with LA, at least for now. We will not use the "capstone feats"; all feats that you take must be normal legal 3.5 feats, not homebrew E6 ones. You may not use the Epic feats from the Epic Level Handbook, though if for some reason there are non-Epic feats from the ELH that you qualify for, you may take those. (I don't think there are any, but I'm sure someone will prove me wrong.) It is up to the discretion of each judge whether this is a "hard E6" (magic above 3rd level spells is simply beyond mortal reach, items that have a listed CL above 6th are just plain not available, etc.) or a "soft E6" (if you can somehow get the magic on your character, it's yours, regardless of level), though I honestly don't expect it to come up. Don't go crazy with making assumptions about items and we probably won't have to find out.
Presentation: Please use the table found below in the spoiler. List your epic bonus feats (in clear order) after the table. If you find a clever way of formatting that that isn't annoying and that doesn't break anything, have fun; if it's portable, I may steal it for the next round. When sending your build or any disputes to the Chair, clearly include your build's name in the subject of the PM, and please present your build exactly as you want the Chair to copy and paste it into the thread.
If you're using a picture, cite the source and follow any relevant citation rules. Because we have had issues with this in the past, when listing your skills, please make it very clear how many ranks you have at each level. There are multiple ways to do this and we do not wish to cramp anyone's individual style by dictating exactly how this must look, but make sure that somewhere in your entry there's an explanation of how many actual skill ranks you have. It's still fine to list total skill bonuses, if that's your style, but don't only list bonuses; make sure that there is a clear listing somewhere of your ranks alone.

Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


Code for the table:

Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


2nd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


3rd
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


4th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


5th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


6th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities

Contest houserules: Nearly the same as the main contest's rules here: all creatures are proficient with natural weapons they have or may acquire, bonus feats that are explicitly granted without meeting prereqs are usable even without those prereqs, and feats that affect which skills are class skills for you and/or how you spend your skill points (Able Learner, Martial Study, Truename Training, Apprentice, etc.) apply immediately at the level at which you take them (even though you normally spend skill points before taking a feat). When taking Open Minded as an epic feat, any skill that has ever been a class skill for you (including through your class, your race, your feats, or similar game elements, though please don't muck around with retroactively making something stop being a class skill for some stupid reason) is a class skill when determining how the 5 granted skill points may be spent. All usual rules about HD-related skill caps apply. When taking Open Minded as a non-epic feat, treat it as normal; the class skills of the class you took at the level you gained Open Minded (plus race, feats, etc.) are your class skills for those skill points, similar to if Open Minded's skill points came straight from your class.
Judging guidelines: The minimum score in a category is 1, and the maximum is 5. Judges are expected to be fair, consistent, and open-minded, and they are expected to make a good-faith effort to engage with any reasonable disputes that arise, especially when RAW is in question. That said, contestants are asked to not dispute more than necessary; let's do everything in good faith and really only dispute when a judge is being inconsistent, being unfair, or is otherwise grossly misinterpreting a build.
Judges may not penalize Originality solely because a build is a tribute or homage to an existing creative work (in or out of D&D canon; note that this is not the same thing as penalizing Originality for using well-known optimization tactics), nor may judges penalize based solely on sources used (whether those sources are plentiful, sparse, common, obscure, or something in between, you should judge the build elements and how they work together rather than what book or what books they came out of, as long as those books are legal for this contest and are cited in the entry).
As with the main contest, we will follow the "One Mistake, One Penalty" guideline, and it is very important that the judges adhere to it. I'm going to directly copy and paste this from the main thread, and hopefully the original author won't mind too much:
Judges are only allowed to penalise once for a given mistake. If someone messes up their skills and doesn't qualify for a PrC, ding them as hard as you like. Once. In one category. You don't then get to declare that because they didn't qualify for that PrC, they don't get those levels, and thus don't qualify for anything else. If Ranger is a common ingredient, ding them for Originality. Once. Don't also take off points for Two-Weapon-Fighting being a common ingredient.

Non-exhaustive list of examples:

Skills
Allowed:

Giving a penalty for miscalculating the number of skill points gained
Giving a penalty for not having enough ranks to meet a prerequisite
Increasing the harshness of a skill miscalculation penalty if it affects critical skills including prereqs


Not allowed:

Giving separate penalties for miscalculating skill points and for non-qualification where the non-qualification is solely caused by the miscalculation



Prereqs
Allowed:

Giving a penalty for not meeting prereqs
Scaling the penalty depending on how important the item that the build failed to qualify for is
Giving minimum score in UotSI for not qualifying for the SI
Not giving credit for (note: not the same as penalising for) tactics using feats or classes other than the SI that were not qualified for (but see below)


Not Allowed:

"Cascading" failures to qualify - declaring that because a build doesn't qualify for a feat, for example, it also doesn't qualify for anything using that feat as a prereq
Treating a build as having fewer levels than it does because of FtQ for classes



Other general things that are no longer allowed:

Penalising because someone has chosen to build a tribute to an existing creative work
Deciding that a backstory has not met a fluff prerequisite well enough, or because its method of meeting it is "unrealistic". You may penalise if a fluff prereq is not addressed at all, but not for how well it is addressed.


Note that these are protections, not licenses. Deliberately taking a feat that you know you don't qualify for hoping to just suck up the judging penalty for a feat that you couldn't normally take is not okay, and may lead to your build being disqualified.
Dispute guidelines (NEW, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION): Disputing is long, annoying, and emotional. It's also sometimes necessary, but it's often not actually something that makes everyone have more fun. Let's go into a little more detail here.
Do NOT dispute to make an argument that goes fundamentally beyond what's in your write-up. It is the responsibility of the chef to make sure that the write-up is complete and contains their best arguments for what the build does and why it's awesome. If you didn't explain your tactics well or didn't spell out something that a judge misses, just do better next time. Don't drag it out after the fact.
Do NOT dispute just to be clever or witty or cheeky. Please. We're all adults here and so I assume you know what that means. Don't treat the build as a setup and your oh-so-clever dispute as the punchline. It's not as funny as it is in your head. Trust me. I've been down that road.
Do NOT dispute just to say "oh yeah, my bad, I missed that" or some equivalent. If you're not directly challenging the judge, save the commentary until after the reveal. I 100% get that the urge to respond to commentary is very strong, but type it out and sit on it for a while if you've gotta.
Do NOT dispute just to try to wheedle more points out of the judge. Note that this is different from saying that the judge is being truly unfair or is being truly wrong by black-and-white RAW. A dispute is NOT the place to try to scrape together a few last quarter-points. If you didn't put it in your write-up, that's on you. This also means that a dispute is really not the place to have long back-and-forth tit-for-tat arguments. That's a surefire way to get people grumpy. It's a contest on a D&D board, guys, not the results of a federal election.
Do NOT dispute to tear down another build. That's just plain not cool. If you entered the contest, it's not on you to judge the other builds.
DO dispute if the judge is being blatantly biased by giving you a substantially different ruling on a build element compared to another chef who used the same build element in nearly the same way. (Note that position in a build may affect if you're using that element in "nearly the same way" or not.) Please reserve this for the truly blatant examples. I mean it. Remember, it's the contestant's responsibility to make their best argument in the original write-up.
DO dispute if the judge is actively going against the contest rules. Note that there are relatively few ways in which a judge can go against contest rules (we intentionally give very wide discretion to our judges), but examples include truly breaking One Mistake One Penalty, penalizing just because of number of sources of (legal) material, and so on.
DO dispute if the judge is clearly ignoring unambiguous RAW. Note that this is for unambiguous RAW; if the RAW is shady and you're making an argument that isn't completely clear and that it wouldn't be strange for a GM to frown on, the judge has every right to frown on it as well. (You generally know when you're indulging in shady RAW. Be mature about this.) But if the judge is saying you didn't hit a prereq that you clearly did hit (and included in your write-up!), saying you can't do something that the plain text of the ability says you can do, or anything like that, by all means, call 'em out.
Do NOT dispute if the judge doesn't agree with your interpretation of ambiguous RAW. Yes, this is a retread of the previous bullet point; this is that important. If you're relying on ambiguous RAW, it's on you to lay out clearly why it should work the way you want it to work. Again, be mature and act in good faith: you really know when you're pushing things like this. If they don't like it, they don't like it. Move on.


Disputing is a privilege, not a right. In the Chair's sole discretion, disputes that do not meet these guidelines and/or that do not seem to be offered in good faith may be suppressed. The Chair reserves the right to choose to post all, some, or none of a dispute if appropriate.


Other bits and bobs: If there's something major and relevant I haven't mentioned, assume that the way I handle it will probably be the same as the main contest unless stated otherwise or unless doing so would be an obviously absurd result. If you've got questions, I'll give you answers.




This round's secret ingredient:
PETS!
Allez Optimizer!

Okay, let's talk about that.

This round's ingredient is inspired by everyone who's been on a video meeting from home over the past few months. "Ooh, lemme see the kitty! No, no, it's fine, bring your doggo over to say hi! Hey, cutie! What's this good boy's name?"

So let's talk about what we mean by "pets." The term is intentionally left generic for a reason, and part of your job is to sell to the judges why your entry is based around a pet or pets! The idea is that your character has one or more friends, presumed to usually be non-humanoid (Leadership is still banned, after all), who are critical to what you do. (No, not the rest of the party, and you know that, dammit. Don't be like that.) The pet should, on a conceptual level, be at least slightly independent from your character, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it should be GM-controlled. (More that it should be something that could theoretically be targeted separately from your PC, though that alone is not sufficient to be a pet.)

A partial, non-exhaustive list of examples (let me say this again: it is 100% fine to find pets not on this list; these are examples ONLY!)

Familiars
Animal companions
Psicrystals
Special mounts
Wild cohorts
Any other similar game element that fills a similar role for your character! You are still using the secret ingredient even if your pet isn't on this list, as long as it's still clearly a PET.

"So, are X or Y or Z a pet?" Answer: If it's not clear, then your job is to make it clear and really highlight why the build element you're talking about fits the bill and is important to you.

Please only go in good faith (I really, really don't want an argument about why your armor or the arrows you're firing should or should not count as a pet; diving into the optimization weeds is fine, but don't be obtuse for the sake of being obtuse, okay?), but I trust that we're mature enough to handle that. Judges, please be mature in return.




The Builds:



Build
Stub
Score
Chef


Buttercup (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632808&postcount=33)
Horse, plus elf paladin 5 / beastmaster 1
james
14


Dar (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632810&postcount=34)
Azurin druid 3 / totemist 2 / beastmaster 1
PrismCat21
15.5, silver


Erzu (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632811&postcount=35)
Dragonborn human druid 1 / duskblade 3 / beast heart adept 1 / beastmaster 1
PrismCat21
15, bronze


Irela Swiftwing (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632821&postcount=36)
Wood elf ranger 4 / barbarian 1 /moonsea skysentinel 1
DeTess
11


Rawulf (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632822&postcount=37)
Lupin marshal 1 / savage nature bard 4 / beast heart adept 1
MinimanMidget
16, gold




Round 4: Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?542333-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(IV))
Round 5: Ninja (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?548763-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-V))
Round 6: Racial Paragon Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?551174-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-VI))
Round 7: Hexblade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?553767-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-VII))
Round 8: Shugenja (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?555626-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-VIII))
Round 9: Swashbuckler (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?559135-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-IX)")
Round 10: Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?562183-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-X))
Round 11: Soulknife (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?565669-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XI))
Round 12: Factotum (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?569723-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XII))
Round 13: Prestige Classes (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?572441-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XIII))
Round 14: Mountebank (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576318-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XIV))
Round 15: Sorcerer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?582751-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XV))
Round 16: Dragon Shaman (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?585121-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XVI))
Round 17: Lurk (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?588149-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XVII))
Round 18: Paladin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?591516-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XVIII))
Round 19: Scout (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?595369-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XIX))
Round 20: Incarnate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?599279-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XX))
Round 21: Shadowcaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?602325-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XXI))
Round 22: Dragonmarks (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?606051-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XXII))
Round 23: Fighter (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?611114-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XXIII))


Round 1: Divine Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?197000-Iron-Chef-Appetizer-Edition!-(e6))
Round 2: Monk (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?201548-Iron-Chef-Appetizer-Edition!-(e6)-II)
Round 3: Marshal (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?235221-Iron-Chef-Appetizer-Edition-(E6)-III)

[Zaq]

Here's a few gentle recommendations that are intended to improve scores and make things easier for the judges. As always, THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS POST ARE NOT RULES. Judges and contestants are free to honor them or ignore them; my intent here is only to help, and NONE of what I'm saying here is required. (That said, did you see the new dispute guidelines? Those ARE rules, so please go read them. And I'm even going to be better about enforcing them this time.)

Recommendations:
Double-check ALL of your prereqs. Every. Single. One. Feats, PrCs, whatever. You might even go so far as to spell out when you meet each one, but again, that's not a requirement. But one of the single biggest causes of point loss is failure to meet prereqs.
Tell the judges what's cool about your build! You spent hours or days on this (y'know, probably) and know it inside and out, but the judges are getting a whole bunch of these dishes all at once and don't know the build history of each one. You're significantly more likely to score well if you spell out exactly what makes you awesome than if you try to just let it stand on its own.
Make it easy to read! Skill tables are awful, though they're an incredibly necessary evil. Full Monster Manual-style statblocks are occasionally useful but are also insanely dense if not formatted well. Judges are very likely to miss something if you aren't careful with how you present your info. Remember that judging takes a lot of time, energy, and focus, so don't rely on the judge being willing/able to decode something in order to see what makes you interesting!
Be memorable. Remember that we're all using the same ingredient here. What makes you different?

Since this round is an idea more than a class, it's going to be your task to spell out for us why your pet is a pet (if it's not obvious), why your pet is interesting, and why your pet is indispensable to the build. Maybe your pet is a combat pet and maybe they're a utility pet. Maybe you've got more than one pet. Maybe you've got a pet who somehow changes over time. Maybe it's something else entirely, and that's okay as long as you sell us on it!

I do recommend that, if your pet is likely to be a target in combat, you highlight why they aren't likely to simply die (or stay dead).

Note that since the partial list of examples (which, I say again, is NOT COMPLETE AND YOU CAN USE OTHER STUFF IF YOU WANT) does include special mounts, it can be acceptable if your pet isn't present on the battlefield every round of every day. That said, if I were judging (and, I hasten to add as always, I am not judging and I am not the one you need to convince), I'd look more favorably on a pet that exists most if not all of the time than on a pet that only exists for a couple rounds per day. But maybe you can convince us otherwise! The choice is yours!

Now get cooking and show me all your good boys and girls! They're all so good.

[jdizzlean]

mmmm.... curious. might be in for this one :()

[DeTess]

Just marking this thread, as I've got a nice idea.

[crankykobold]

Thanks to DeTess for judging the last round.

[daremetoidareyo]

It seems I pulled the trigger on extra contacts feat x10 one round too soon.

[Heavenblade]

Looks really fun, I already have a couple of ideas!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

It seems I pulled the trigger on extra contacts feat x10 one round too soon.

I tend to have the opposite problem. One round later, I'll get the most awesome idea that would have worked with the previous round. That actually worked out pretty well for me when the new round for the Villainous Comp. was the Do-Over; less well every other time it's happened.

[thorr-kan]

Huh. I was just futzing around with d20 Pokethulhu in my head...

Too bad the Extra Familiar feat and it's friends from Dragon 280 aren't available. Too easy, though.

[Quentinas]

sorry if i couldn't judge but internet problem

[Zaq]

Happy weekend, everyone! How goes the cooking?

[Korahir]

Happy weekend, everyone! How goes the cooking?

Mulling ideas while watching the rain drop. Vizzini myself out of most of them. So many interesting things have already been done.

[DeTess]

Happy weekend, everyone! How goes the cooking?

I've got a build done that just needs some final double checking, tweaking and then a writeup.

[thorr-kan]

I was 2/3s of the way through a commoner build abusing the Chicken Infested flaw when I remembered it's Dragon content and therefore inedible.

Back to the drawing board!

[MinimanMidget]

Happy weekend, everyone! How goes the cooking?

I have a build mostly done, but I'm not quite happy with it.

[jdizzlean]

I was 2/3s of the way through a commoner build abusing the Chicken Infested flaw when I remembered it's Dragon content and therefore inedible.

Back to the drawing board!


that was my immediate thought as well, but i didn't invest anytime in in :)

[DeTess]

Hey Zaq, your inbox is full :P

[Zaq]

Not anymore it isn't!

(Thanks for the heads-up. My bad.)

[thorr-kan]

that was my immediate thought as well, but i didn't invest anytime in in :)
I kinda want to pull one together and submit it after the judging for comparison's sake. But that's distracting me from the real ingredient!

[jdizzlean]

i will try to get thru it this week, but i may need an extension to finish up. i'll let you know sunday whether i do or not

[Zaq]

I’ve got three entries in my inbox. Can I expect a few more over these final days?

[MinimanMidget]

I’ve got three entries in my inbox. Can I expect a few more over these final days?

Assuming I can get myself motivated enough to finish it 😒

[daremetoidareyo]

Im not gonna make it. Something just clicked for the atavist round...

[jdizzlean]

i was nearly done, and then stumbled upon a few more things that require some rework...

this is my "long week", meaning i'm working sun-wed, however i'm on night shift, meaning i get off work the following morning. i have a trainee at work all this week, so can't devote time to finishing this up then... I'll continue to work on it in the mornings when i get home before i have to crash. If you could extend this a week, that'd be great.

xoxo

[Zaq]

Have another week, team! New deadline Mon, July 27, 2020.

[PrismCat21]

I'm curious on the deadline time. It says, "4:59 PM GMT - 9 on Monday, July 27, 2020 (1:59 AM GMT on Tuesday, July 28)."

The GMT time is 1:59, right?

[Zaq]

Yes, that's correct.

[MinimanMidget]

Have another week, team! New deadline Mon, July 27, 2020.

Thanks Zaq! I would've gotten mine in, but it'll be a lot better for an extra week.

[Zaq]

Happy weekend (to those of us with a “traditional” work schedule, anyway)! How goes the final push?

[MinimanMidget]

Happy weekend (to those of us with a “traditional” work schedule, anyway)! How goes the final push?

Ready to submit, currently trying to write a backstory.

[thorr-kan]

I can't get mine to gel, so I'm out.

I *am* looking forward to what others come up with.

[Zaq]

Pencils down! We've got five humanoids and a whooooole lotta non-humanoids coming our way.

[Zaq]

Let's focus on what—and who—really matters here.



Buttercup
and an Elf Paladin 5/Beastmaster 1

Buttercup is a mighty horse from the fields of the Beastlands. She has chosen to carry a rider that, like her, is touched by the fey.

This build focuses on improving a character's special mount.

The Celestial Mount feat adds the celestial template to Buttercup, changing her type to magical beast. This gives her a d10 hit dice and a good BAB progression. To give Buttercup more HD, skill points, and feats, the rider will take the Devoted Tracker feat, which adds the special powers of an animal companion to a special mount. With the Beastmaster prestige class and the Natural Bond feat, the Buttercup gains the special abilities of a 6th level druid's animal companion, which grants 4 HD. Buttercup is now a 10 HD Magical Beast, making her a powerful melee combatant.

Buttercup gains a feat at 6 HD and 9 HD. She takes Fey Heritage and Fey Legacy. Fey Legacy is a feat unavailable to E6 characters (but available to horses) that breaks the magic soft cap in E6, granting the 4th level wizard spells Confusion and Dimension Door and the 5th level druid spell Summon Monster V. Buttercup casts these spell-like abilities at 10th level. Summon monster V opens up many options, such as directing a janni to cast Plane Shift, a 5th level cleric spell, or directing several unicorns to cast healing spells. This makes Buttercup a powerful spellcaster.

Buttercup is a peerless gish in the E6 universe, but her skills are lacking considerably. Her rider fills in the weak spots: communication and ranged attacks.



Ability
Final Score
Base Score
Point Buy Cost[


Strength
10
10
2


Dexterity
18
15
8


Constitution
10
12
4


Intelligence
12
12
4


Wisdom
12
12
4


Charisma
16
16
10



At 4th level, a point was added to Dexterity. The High Elf race grants +2 Dexterity and -2 Constitution.



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Paladin
+1
+2
+0
+0
Diplomacy 4, Handle Animal 4, Sense Motive 1, Survival 4
Nymph's Kiss
Aura of good, detect evil, ranged smite evil 1/day


2nd
Paladin
+2
+3
+0
+0
Diplomacy 5, Handle Animal 5, Ride 1, Sense Motive 2, Survival (cc) 4
-
Divine grace, lay on hands


3rd
Paladin
+3
+3
+1
+1
Diplomacy 6, Handle Animal 6, Ride 2, Sense Motive 3, Survival 4
Skill Focus (Handle Animal)
Aura of freedom, divine health


4th
Paladin
+4
+4
+1
+1
Diplomacy 7, Handle Animal 7, Ride 3, Sense Motive 4, Survival (cc) 4
-
Turn undead


5th
Paladin
+5
+4
+1
+1
Diplomacy 8, Handle Animal 8, Ride 4, Sense Motive 5, Survival (cc) 4
-
Ranged smite evil 2/day, special mount


6th
Beastmaster
+6/+1
+6
+3
+1
Diplomacy (cc) 8, Handle Animal 9, Ride 9, Sense Motive (cc) 5, Survival 4
Celestial Mount
Animal companion, wild empathy


Bonus feats:

Track
Devoted Tracker
Natural Bond
Mounted Combat
Mounted Archery
Improved Mounted Archery
Point Blank Shot
Rapid Shot
Improved Rapid Shot
Weapon Focus (Shortbow)

Elf paladin substitution level at 1st level grants Survival as a class skill and ranged smite evil as a class feature.

Skill Focus (Handle Animal) at 3rd level and ranks in Handle Animal and Survival satisfy the Beastmaster prestige class prerequisites.

Elf paladin substitution level at 5th level, which grants a unicorn mount, is not taken. This would give up 2 HD which prevents getting Fey Legacy.

Wild empathy class feature, Smite evil class feature (ranged smite evil is considered identical), and Track feat satisfy Devoted Tracker prerequisites.

Size/Type: Large Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 10d10+30 (75 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 23 (–1 size, +2 Dex, +12 natural), touch 11, flat-footed 21
Base Attack/Grapple: +10/+18
Attack: Hoof +16 melee (1d6+6)
Full Attack: 2 hooves +16 melee (1d6+6) and bite +11 melee (1d4+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Smite evil 1/day, spell-like abilities
Special Qualities: Damage reduction 5/magic, darkvision 60 ft., devotion, empathic link, link, low-light vision, improved evasion, resistance to acid, cold, and electricity 10, scent, share spells, share saving throws, spell resistance 15
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +4
Abilities: Str 22, Dex 15, Con 17, Int 2, Wis 13, Cha 6
Skills: Listen +5, Spot +4
Feats: Endurance, Run, Fey Heritage, Fey Legacy
Alignment: Neutral good

Based on a Heavy Warhorse with the following modifications:
- 5th level Paladin special mount bonuses

- +2 HD
- +4 Natural Armor
- +1 Strength
- 6 Intelligence
- Empathic link, improved evasion, share spells, share saving throws
- Celestial template

- Darkvision 60 ft.
- Damage reduction 5/magic
- Resistance to acid, cold, and electricity 10
- Special resistance equal to HD + 5
- 6th level Druid animal companion bonuses

- +4 HD
- +4 Natural Armor
- +2 Strength
- +2 Dexterity
- 3 Bonus Tricks (not applicable)
- Link, share spells, evasion, devotion
- 8th level ability score adjustment: Strength

I didn't spend Buttercups six skill points because I'm not sure what her class skills are.

HD: 5d10
AC: 19 (full plate and buckler). 11 touch, 18 flat-footed.
Saves: Fort +9, Ref +10, Will +4. Divine Grace included.
Full attack with shortbow: +11/+11/+6 1d6 damage.
Skills: Diplomacy +15, Handle Animal +17, Ride +15, Sense Motive +6, Survival +5
Languages: Common, Elf, Sylvan.
Spells prepared: Protection from Evil.

Elf Paladin substitution levels: Races of the Wild
Celestial Mount, Nymph's Kiss: Book of Exalted Deeds
Beastmaster prestige class, Devoted Tracker, Natural Bond: Complete Adventurer
Fey Heritage, Fey Legacy: Complete Mage
Improved Mounted Archery, Improved Rapid Shot: Complete Warrior

[Zaq]

What? Comments? Sorry, I was too busy staring at the obligatory sexy picture. Such levels of pure honest kitsch command respect!




Dar, The Beastmaster!

https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2BHE6CK/film-artwork-the-beastmaster-1982-2BHE6CK.jpg
alamy stock photo


In an age, where Nature and Magic ruled the world,
There is an extraordinary legend.
The story of a warrior, who communicates with animals,
To fight Sorcery and the unnatural.
His name is Dar, last of his tribe,
but everyone calls him, Beastmaster!!!


On the mysterious island of Nimbral was a small nation ruled by a harsh, but fair king, soon expecting his first child. The High Priest of this nation was in secret, a servant of an Evil God, and sought to overthrow his king and become Lord of the land. There was a prophecy told to the High Priest that stated he would eventually be destroyed by his King’s unborn son.

In desperation, the High Priest led his followers to the King’s bedchamber, kidnapped the Queen, and performed an Unholy ritual to transfer the growing child in the Queen’s womb into the womb of a cow. A follower of the High Priest led the cow away to give birth so the child could be sacrificed to the dark god. Before the ritual was complete, a wandering warrior found the unholy scene, slayed the servant, and took the newborn child as his own to raise.

Such an unnatural birth had a side effect, however. The child, named Dar by the warrior, was mystically linked to the beasts of the wild. He could command them and borrow their strength as needed. Like most of the people of this land, he learned basic magical abilities, but Dar always preferred the natural magic of the land to the arcane arts. His adopted father trained him well and taught him of the evil priests that nearly murdered him as a babe. He grew to be a powerful warrior in his own right, relying on his animal friends to accompany him and fight with him in his travels to make the land safer from the destructive forces of evil men.


Azurin - Druid 3 (Huntsman), Totemist 2, Beastmaster 1
Huntsman Druid trades in Armor/Shield Proficiency and Wild Shape, for a Monk’s Armor Bonus and Fast movement, as well as a Ranger’s Favored Enemy, Track bonus feat, and Swift Tracker (unused).
Medium size, 30 ft. speed, Humanoid (Human)(Incarnum), 1 extra feat at first level, Bonus Essentia: 1.
Basically a Human that gets an 1 total extra Essentia Point instead of an extra skill point every level

Neutral Good
Str: 14 (+1 @ lvl 4)
Dex: 14
Con: 14
Int: 12
Wis: 14
Cha: 12



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Druid 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Handle Animal 4,
Knowledge (Nature) 4,
Ride 4,
Spellcraft 4,
Survival 4
Magical Training (Sorcerer) (H)
(gain 2 cantrips),
Skill Focus
(Handle Animal +3),
Track (B)
Animal Companion,
Nature Sense,
Wild Empathy,
AC Bonus: Wisdom to AC,
1st Favored Enemy (Arcanists)


2nd
Druid 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Handle Animal 5,
Knowledge (Nature) 5,
Ride 5,
Spellcraft 5,
Survival 5
-
Woodland Stride


3rd
Druid 3
+2
+3
+1
+3
Handle Animal 6,
Knowledge (Nature) 6,
Listen 2,
Survival 6
Natural Bound
(+3 to effective Druid level)
Trackless Step,
Fast Movement +10 ft.


4th
Totemist 1
+2
+5
+3
+3
Handle Animal 7,
Knowledge (Nature) 7,
Listen 4,
Survival 7
-
Wild Empathy,
Illiteracy


5th
Totemist 2
+3
+6
+4
+3
Handle Animal 8,
Knowledge (Nature) 8,
Listen 6,
Survival 8
-
Totem Chakra Bind (+1 capacity)


6th
Beastmaster 1
+4
+8
+6
+3
Handle Animal 9,
Knowledge (Nature) 9,
Listen 8,
Survival 9
Power Attack
Animal Companion,
Wild Empathy




Level
Soulmelds
Essentia
Chakra
Binds
Druid
Caster
Level
Arcane
Caster
Level
Effective
Druid
Level
Druid
Spells/Day
0
Druid
Spells/Day
1st
Druid
Spells/Day
2nd
Sorcerer
Cantrips
Known
Sorcerer
Cantrip
Slots/Day


6th+
4
5
3
3
5
9
4
3
2
2
3


Dar, The Beastmaster
Medium Humanoid (Human) (Incarnum)
HD: 5d8+1d10+12 (44 hp average)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 Wis), touch: 14, FF:12
BAB/Grapple: +4/+6
Attack: Claw +6 (1d6+2) (+3d4 acid with full essential)
Full Attack: 2 Claws
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
SA: Acid claws, Thunderstep Boots (+1d4 sonic damage, +3d6 with full essential, possible Stun with sonic damage
SQ: Track, Speak with Animals, continue to fight at 0 or less hp (dead at -16 with full essential), Share Soulmelds, 2 Cantrips (CL:5), Wild Empathy 1d20+13 (+15 with full essential)
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +10, Will +6
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 12
Skills: Handle Animal +15 (+19 with full essential),
Hide +6 (+12 with full essential),
K. (nature) +14,
Listen +10,
Move Silently +6 (+12 with full essential),
Ride +9,
Spellcraft +6,
Survival +13 (+15 in aboveground natural environments)

1: Practiced Spellcaster: +4 caster level (Sorcerer)
2: Exalted Companion: Animal Companion gains the Celestial Template in exchange for -1 effective druid level
3: Bind Vestige: Bind a 1st level Vestige and gain 1 power
4: Improved Bind Vestige: Bind up to 3rd level Vestiges
5: Obtain Familiar: Gain a familiar
6: Bonus Essentia: +2 Essentia
7: Open Least Chakra (Crown): Can bind a soulmeld to Crown chakra, +1 insight bonus on Will saves
8: Share Soulmeld: Can share the effects of soulmelds with Animal Companions and Familiars within 5 ft. If the distance becomes greater than 5 ft. the shared effects ends. It immediately resumes when distance is again within 5 ft.
9: Shape Soulmeld (Thunderstep Boots): Feet chakra
10: Open Least Chakra (Feet): Can bind a soulmeld to chakra, +1 insight bonus on Balance and Move Silently checks

Beast Tamer Circlet (Crown): +2 insight bonus Handle Animal and Wild Empathy checks.
Essentia: Every point invested increases bonus by 2.
Bound to Crown Chakra: Speak with Animals at-will any round that essential is invested. Can also communicate with Magical Beasts with an Intelligence score of 1 or 2.

Kruthik Claws (Shoulders)(Totem)(Essentia capacity: 3): +4 competence bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks.
Essentia: Every point invested increases bonus by 2.
Bound to Totem Chakra: Can use two claws as natural weapons (1d6+Str).
Every point of essential invested add 1d4 acid damage with each claw.

Rage Claws (Hands): Continue to fight while disabled or dying and act normally at 0 hp. -1 to -9 hp you stay conscious and do not lose 1 hp each round.
Essentia: Every point invested reduces the point you die beyond -10 by 3. (-13 hp, -16 hp, ect..)

Thunderstep Boots (Feet): Gained through feat. +1d4 sonic damage at the end of a charge.
Essentia: Every point invested sonic damage by 1d4.
Bound to Feet Chakra: Any creature taking damage from Thunderstep Boots is stunned for 1 round, Fort DC:10+Con+Essentia negates.

Celestial Tiger (Animal Companion)
Large Animal
HD: 8d8+32 (72 hp avg)
Speed: 40 ft.
AC: 17 (-1 size, +3 Dex, +5 Nat), touch: 12, FF:14
BAB/Grapple: +6/+17
Attack: Claw +12 (1d8+7)
Full Attack: 2 Claws and Bite +7 (2d6+3)
Space/Reach: 10 ft./5 ft.
SA: Imp. Grab, Pounce, Smite Evil
SQ: Low-light vision, Scent, Darkvision 60 ft., Damage Reduction 5/magic, Resistance to Acid, Cold, and Electricity 10, Spell Resistance 13
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +9, Will +3
Abilities: Str 24, Dex 16, Con 18, Int 3, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Bal +7, Hide +4, Lis +3, MS +12, Spot +3, Swim +12
Feats: Alertness, Imp. Nat. Attack (Bite)(Claw)

Imp. Grab: When Rhu hits with a claw or bite attack, he can attempt a grapple as a free action without provoking an AoO. If he wins, he can establish a hold and can Rake.
Pounce: Full attack after a charge.
Rake: +12 (1d8+3)
Smite Evil: 1/day, Rhu adds 8 damage when attacking an Evil creature.
+4 racial bonus on Bal, Hide, & MS checks. +8 Hide in tall grass.


Ferret (Familiar)
Tiny Animal
HD: 6, (? hp)
Speed: 20 ft., climb 20 ft.
AC: 17 (+2 size, +2 Dex, +3 Nat), touch: 14, FF:15
BAB/Grapple: +4/-8
Full Attack: Bite +8 (1d3-4)
SA: Attach
SQ: Low-light vision, Scent, Imp. Evasion, Share Spells, Empathic Link, Deliver Touch Spells, Speak with Master, grants Dar the Alertness feat and a +2 to Ref saves
Saves: Fort +8, Ref +8, Will +4
Abilities: Str 3, Dex 15, Con 10, Int 8, Wis 12, Cha 5
Skills: Bal +12, Climb +10, Esc Art +4, Hide +11, MS +8, Spot +3
Feats: Agile, Weapon Finesse

Attach: If Podo hits with a bite attack, she latches onto the opponent’s body and automatically deals bite damage each round. Podo loses Dex to AC and has an AC of 15


Raven(Vestige:MALPHAS)
A standard Raven. Roughly 2 feet long with a wingspan of about 4 feet.
Dar can summon a raven at will using Malphas’s Bird’s Eye Viewing ability. He has complete control of its actions and can see and hear anything that it does. Dar can perform skill checks based on Sharak’s observations. Only one raven can be summoned at a time, but it stays until dismissed or another is summoned.

Dar is able to fulfill a few roles in the party thanks to his friends, the animals. Sharak is a wonderful scout, flying high in the sky as just another common bird. Dar is able to see through Sharak’s eyes and observe everything he does. If he dies or is too far away to return quickly, Dar can just summon another raven without penalty.

Podo is the thief. She steals everything she can get her greedy hands on and with her Intelligence, can determine the valve of something before she steals it. Her small size helps her to hide and sneak around. She tends to avoid fights but if forced to, she has great defenses and decent hp to survive. When fighting, she latches onto her opponent and if adjacent to Dar, goes to town biting and clawing her way to victory, sharing Kruthik Claws for that of so sweet extra claw and acid damage.

Rhu is the powerhouse of the beasts. Gifted by the Gods to assist Dar in his many adventures. Large size, great hp, DR, resistances, spell resistance, Imp. Grab, Pounce and Smite Evil, everything you could want in your faithful kitty. Rhu can help track with Scent, Darkvision, and has a Climb speed, giving utility to him outside of combat. He charges/pounces into combat after Dar in order to utilize the soulmelds shared by Dar when he comes within range.

Dar has great Survival skills to assist the party in Tracking and making their way through the wilderness. He’s a decent melee combatant that distrusts magic users and tends to target them first in battle to shut them down quickly. His animal friends mostly cover the party roles he is not suited for himself. He’s a basic melee combatant that relies on his Soulmelds and animals to distinguish himself.

Access up to 2nd level Druid spells gives Dar some decent options to choose from when he knows what he’s up against ahead of time. He mainly uses utility spells in his downtime, but often prepares spells that will enhance himself, Rhu, and Podo. Aspect of the Wolf to turn into wolves to escape from or confuse foes. Winged Watcher to turn into birds to quickly travel long/difficult distances. Crabwalk for bonuses on changing for him and Rhu. Basic ability enhancement and healing spells for that extra oomph sometimes needed.

The Soulmelds listed are what Dar typically has prepared, but he’s perfectly willing to change them up to better prepare for different situations. Thunderstep boots were obtained by a feat so that one will always be shaped unless the Feet Chakra is otherwise needed. Beast Tamer Circlet is Dar’s signature ability and only shapes something different when absolutely necessary. Regular Soulmelds have an Essentia Capacity of 2 and whichever Soulmeld is bound to the Totem Chakra has an Essentia Capacity of 3. Essentia can by reallocated every round as a swift action so it’s easy to move them around as needed. Beast Tamer Circlet keeps 1 Essentia invested out of combat to continually be able to use Speak with Animals. Kruthik Claws will typically have 3 Essentia invested in it during battle to gain maximum use of the extra acid damage. Thunderstep Boots will take any spare Essentia for the extra sonic damage, but its main use is the Stun effect when the sonic damage is applied. When Dar’s friends are next to him charging enemies, they apply the stun effect as well. If Dar or one of his animals loses too much hp, he’ll reallocate Essentia to Rageclaws to keep fighting longer and having a better chance of surviving the damage taken.

Bind Vestige and Imp. Bind Vestige will typically be used to gain access to Sharak through Malphas. If Dar knows he’ll spend a lot of time where birds are not too welcome (i.e. underground), he has more than a dozen other Vestiges to choose abilities from. This with the versatility from Soulmelds gives Dar options for nearly any situation.

Huntsman Druid was chosen because I had no interest in Dar using Wild Shape and wanted him wearing as little as possible like in the typical Sword and Sorcery 80’s movies/cartoons. Instead of a normal Favored Enemy I chose the option of Arcanist due to Dar’s less than positive experience with magic users. He gets to add a little damage boost and a small bonus to skills against them. Druid, Totemist, and Beastmaster are used for the nature and animalistic abilities. Handle Animal and Wild Empathy are maxed out making it easy to make new friends with any animal or low Intelligence magical beast they come across. Beast Tamer Circlet makes it childsplay.

The 2 Cantrips Dar knows are thanks to Magical Training are Silent Portal (makes opening doors, windows, chests… completely soundless) and Ghost Sound (creates a variable sound at a distance, as much as 20 humans or a single Dire Tiger :smallamused: )

Dar comes with a lot of flavor and the feat choices reflect that. 9 out of the available 14 feats were used in acquiring his ‘pets’ and improving them beyond their base abilities. 2 feats for Sharak, 3 feats for Podo, 3 feats and a prestige class for Rhu, and 1 more feat to share his Soulmelds.

Player’s Handbook: Druid, Monk/Ranger Abilities, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Handle Animal), spells
Monster Manual: Tiger, Ferret (Weasel), Raven, Celestial Template
Book of Exalted Deeds: Exalted Companion
Complete Adventurer: Beastmaster, Natural Bound
Complete Arcane: Obtain Familiar
Complete Divine: Practiced Spellcaster
Complete Mage: Arcane Hunter (Favored Enemy – Arcanists)
Complete Scoundrel: Winged Watcher spell
Magic of Incarnum: Azurin, Totemist, Soulmelds, Shape Soulmeld, Share Soulmelds, Open
Player’s Guide to Faerun: Magical Training
Spell Compendium: spells Least Chakra, Bonus Essentia
Tome of Magic: Vestiges (Sharak), Bind Vestige, Imp. Bind Vestige
Unearthed Arcana: Huntsman Druid

[Zaq]

It's not what you know, it's who you know.



Erzu, the draconic master of beasts

https://www.d20radio.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Raatch-600x381.jpg
dndwiki - dragonborn abomination

Human: Medium size, Speed 30 ft., 1 extra feat at 1st level, 1 extra skill point per level (4 at 1st level), Bonus language (any), Favored class (any)



Level
Str
Dex
Con
Int
Wis
Cha
Reason


1st
12
14
14
14
12
14
32 point buy


4th
+1
-2
+2
-
-
-
4th level increase, Dragonborn transformation


total
13
12
16
14
12
14
-


Final Stats: HD:5d8+1d10+18 (avg 50hp), Attack bonus: melee/ranged +6, Fort: +12, Ref: +4, Will: +8, Balance +5, Handle Animal +17, K. Arcana +7, K. Dungeoneering +5, K. Nature +11, Ride +14, Spot +5, Spellcraft +8, Survival +9, Tumble +5

Erzu was a typical Human boy living on the wilderness frontier. He’d spend much of his time playing with the critters of the forest, mountain, and river. The underwater river folk took some interest in the strange Human boy that played on their shores, and helped teach him skills like fishing, basket weaving (using kelp, so it must be done underwater), and even simple nature magic. The frontier Erzu lived on was the dominion of a powerful silver dragon that helped protect the good mortal races that lived there. As Erzu got older, he took more interest in the beasts surrounding him, training them to be his friends and companions as he explored further and further from home.

Erzu eventually built enough courage to approach the Great Dragon’s home and request to be trained as a warrior. The silver dragon placed his blessing on the boy and introduced him to the local Forest Elves to be instructed in both the way of the blade and the arcane arts, training Erzu to become a Duskblade. The Elves were impressed with his relationship with animals and nature and helped him develop a more personal connection with the beasts of the world. When his training with the Elves was complete, the dragon petitioned Bahamut together with Erzu to turn him into Dragonborn, so he might put all that training to Good use under the Platinum Dragon’s guidance. This was truly a turning point in Erzu’s life where he put away childish fancies and committed himself fully to his patron and future. Childish skills such as basket weaving were forgotten completely.

The training with the Elves proved more useful than Erzu thought when he was able to befriend not just animals, but true monsters. His feelings struck directly to the heart of nearly every creature he came across, only fighting with them if he was unable to make them his friend. As Erzu reached the peak of his abilities, he was assisted once more by his Silver Dragon friend in unlocking special abilities within himself and acquiring draconic companions to aid him in his journey. Combined with the beasts that he had already collected, Erzu is a mighty force to face off against and valuable friend to have as party of any adventuring party.





Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Druid 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Craft (Underwater Basketweaving) 4,
Handle Animal 4,
Knowledge (Arcana) 2,
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 2,
Knowledge (Nature) 4,
Ride 4,
Spot 4,
Survival 4
(H) Able Learner,
Animal Affinity
(+2 Handle Animal
and Ride)
Animal Companion
(Phynxkin Companion),
Nature Sense,
Wild Empathy


2nd
Duskblade 1
+1
+4
+0
+4
Craft (Underwater Basketweaving) 5,
Handle Animal 5,
Knowledge (Arcana) 3,
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 3,
Knowledge (Nature) 5,
Ride 5,
Survival 5
-
Arcane Attunement,
Armored Mage


3rd
Duskblade 2
+2
+5
+0
+5
Craft (Underwater Basketweaving) 6,
Handle Animal 6,
Knowledge (Arcana) 4,
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 4,
Ride 6,
Spellcraft 2
Favored
Combat Casting (B)


4th
Duskblade 3
+3
+5
+1
+5
Craft (Underwater Basketweaving) 7,
Handle Animal 7,
Knowledge (Arcana) 5,
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 5,
Ride 7,
Spellcraft 4
-
Arcane Channeling


4th
Dragonborn
Transformation
+3
+5
+1
+5
Handle Animal 8,
Knowledge (Arcana) 5,
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) 5,
Ride 7,
Spellcraft 4
Primary Contact,
lose Combat Casting from level 3
Wings


5th
Beast Heart Adept 1
+4
+7
+1
+7
Balance 2,
Handle Animal 8,
Ride 8,
Tumble 2
-
Monstrous Companion,
Monster Empathy,
Monster Handler


6th
Beastmaster 1
+5
+9
+3
+7
Balance 4,
Handle Animal 9,
Ride 9,
Tumble 4
Skill Focus (Handle Animal)
Animal Companion,
Wild Empathy


1 – Natural Bond: +3 effective druid level
2 – Practiced Spellcaster: +4 arcane spellcasting level
3 – Obtain Familiar: Obtain a stronger familiar
4 – Improved Familiar: Obtain a Blink Dog as a familiar
5 – Dragon Steed: Obtain a Dragonnel for use as a mount/companion
6 – Wild Cohort: Swindlespitter, Dinosaur
7 – Draconic Aura (Vigor): fast-healing 1, up to half hp
8 – Mounted Combat: 1/round, Ride check to negate attack on mount
9 – Shape Soulmeld (Anhkeg Breastplate): +2 armor bonus
10 – Share Soulmeld: animal companion and familiar gain benefit of soulmeld when within 5 ft.



Stat
Block
Animal Companion
Monstrous Companion
Improved Familiar
Wild Cohort
Dragon Steed


-
Dire Phynxkin
Anhkeg
Blink Dog
Swindlespitter,
Dinosaur
Dragonnel


Size/Type
Large Animal (dragonblood)
Large Magical Beast
Medium Magical Beast
Small Animal
Large Dragon


HD (HP)
6d8+24 (56 hp)
3d10+12 (36 hp)
6 hd (25 hp)
5d8+5 (31 hp)
6d12+6 (45 hp)


Initiative
+7
+3
+6
+6
+5


Speed
50 ft., climb 30 ft.
30 ft., burrow 20 ft.
40 ft.
30 ft.
40 ft., fly 90 ft. (average)


AC/touch/FF
16/12/13
18/9/18
17/13/14
22/17/21
16/10/15


BAB/Grapple
+4/+14
+3/+12
+5/+5
+3/-1
+7/+15


Attack
Bite +9 (1d8+6)
Bite +7 (2d6+7, +1d4 acid)
Bite +8 (1d6)
Beak +10 (1d4)
Bite +9 (2d6+4) or
Claw +4 (1d8+2)


Full Attack
Bite & 2 Claws +4 (1d6+3)
Bite
Bite
Beak
Bite and 2 Claws


Space/Reach
10 ft./5 ft.
10 ft./5 ft.
5 ft./5 ft.
5 ft./5 ft.
10 ft./5 ft.


Special
Attacks
Pounce
Link
Share Spells
Imp. Grab
Spit Acid
Link
-
Poison Spray
Roar


Special
Qualities
Low-light vision
+4 on saves vs. spells
Darkvision 60 ft.
low-light vision
tremorsense 60 ft.
Blink
darkvision 60 ft.
dimension door
low-light vision
scent
Uncanny dodge
evasion
darkvision 60 ft.
low-light vision
scent
Immunity to magic sleep effects and paralysis
darkvision 60 ft.
low-light vision
scent


Fort/Ref/Will
+9/+8/+4
+6/+3/+2
+9/+7/+10
+5/+10/+4
+6/+6/+6


Str/Dex/Con
Int/Wis/Cha
23/16/19
2/14/12
21/10/17
1/13/6
10/17/10
10/13/11
10/22/13
2/16/14
19/13/12
6/12/10


Skills
Climb +14
Hide +3
Intimidate +3
Listen +2
Move Silenty +5
Spot +2
Climb +8
Listen +6
Spot +3
Hide +3
Listen +5
Sense Motive +3
Spot +5
Survival +6
Hide +11
Listen +5
Move Silently +8
Sleight of Hand +11
Spot +5
Hide +6
Listen +12
Move Silently +10
Spot +12


Feats
Dodge,
Imp. Init.
Mobility
Alertness,
Toughness
Iron Will,
Run,
Track
Mobility,
Run,
Weapon Finesse
Ability Focus (roar)
Alertness
Imp. Init.


Alignment
N
N
LG
N
N


Special
Pounce: full attack at end of a charge
Link: Handle Dire Phynxkin as free action, +4 wild empathy and Handle Animal regarding Dire Phynxkin
Share Spells: spells can effect both Erzu and Dire Phynxkin
Imp. Grab: hit with Bite, start grapple as free action
Spit Acid: 30 ft. line, 1/6 hours, 4d4 acid damage, Ref DC:14 half
Link: Handle Anhkeg as free action, +4 wild empathy and Handle Animal regarding Anhkeg
Blink: blink as the spell (CL:8) free action to start or end it
Dimension Door: teleport as dimension door spell (CL:8) 1/round as a free action
Scent: detects opponents within 60 ft., pinpoints them within 5 ft., track
Alertness: Grants Erzu Alertness feat
Imp. Evasion
Share Spells: spells can effect both Erzu and Blink Dog
Empathic Link: Communicate empathically up to 1 mile
Poison Spray: once every 1d4 rounds, 15 ft. cone, Contact, Fort DC:13, initial damage blindness for 2d4 minutes; secondary damage 1d4 Con
Evasion
Roar: 1/day, all enemies w/in 30 ft. radius spread, Will DC:14 or shaken for 1d6 rounds


1st level treats Erzu as a typical druid. Able Learner lets him spend only 1 skill point per rank for any skill, so no ½ rank for cross-class skills
2nd level starts Erzu’s training as a Duskblade, allowing him to cast but arcane and divine spells, and allowing him to cast in light armor.
3rd level Erzu becomes a valued, even Favored, member of the Elven community. They teach him special abilities giving him a bonus to Handle Animal.
4th level finishes Erzu’s Duskblade training. He’s able to cast spells through his weapon and strike with it at the same time. With his training complete, he becomes a Dragonborn. The transformation is strenuous on both his body and mind. He loses some typical human abilities and gains draconic traits. Craft (Underwater Basket Weaving) is no more and no more extra skill point per level. Normally the bonus racial feat is done away with as well, but since it’s not a specific feat granted, Erzu is allowed to choose any other feat he knows to substitute it with.
Dragonborn reduces Dex by 2 but increases Con by 2, so I’ll call that a win. Erzu grows Wings granting a gliding speed which turns into flight at 6 HD. Erzu now has the Dragonblood subtype.
5th level Ezru enters Beast Heart Adept giving him an Anhkeg Monstrous Companion and effectively negating any penalty from Wild Empathy vs Magical Beasts.
6th level Erzu enters Beastmaster increasing his Effective Druid Level by 4. Combined with Natural Bond and the Dragonblood subtype he is able to get a Dire Phynxkin as an Animal Companion.

Duskblade levels with Practiced Spellcaster, Obtain Familiar, and Improved Familiar gets him a Blink Dog Familiar, which was also an option for Monstrous compainion, good synergy :)
Dragon Steed grants the use of a Dragonnel as a combat mount (grants Silver Dragon).
Wild Cohort gives a Swindlespitter Dinosaur. (Not quite a dragon, but similar enough looking.
Draconic Vigor allows healing for Erzu and all his allies, which includes all his pets.
Shape Soulmeld (Anhkeg Breastplate) and Share Soulmeld is mainly for fun. It suggests a bigger connection between Erzu and his Anhkeg. Mechanical benefit is an armor bonus for Erzu as well as the Blink Dog, Dire Phynxkin, and Dragonnel when within 5 ft. An argument could be made for the Anhkeg as well with it being a Monstrous Companion, but I won’t make that argument.

Dire Phynxkin: Good HP, great initiative, fast speed, climb speed is great, decent damage, good saves, Pounce is great, useable as mount
Anhkeg: Decent HP, average speed, burrow speed is great, decent AC, good damage, special attacks are great, tremorsense is great, useable as mount
Blink Dog: Good initiative, fast speed, decent AC, good saves, Scent/Track is great, Dimension Door is great, Blink is great
Swindlespitter Dinosaur: Decent HP, good initiative, great AC, great special attack, scent is good, decent definsives, sneaky sneaky is great
Dragonnel: Good HP, good initiative, fast speed, fly speed is super great, good attacks and damage, good saves, scent is good, good skills, defenses are good, Roar is great

Cityscape: Favored, Primary Contact
Complete Adventurer: Beastmaster, Natural Bond
Complete Arcane: Obtain Familiar
Complete Divine: Practiced Spellcaster
Complete Warrior: Improved Familiar
Dragonomicon: Dragonnel, Dragon Steed
Dungeonscape: Beast Heart Adept
Dragon Magic: Dire Phynxkin, Draconic Aura
Magic of Incarnum: Shape Soulmeld, Share Soulmeld
Monster Manual: Anhkeg, Blink Dog
Monster manual III: Swindlespitter Dinosaur
Player’s Handbook: Human, Druid, Animal Affinity, Skill Focus, skills
Player’s Handbook II: Duskblade
Races of Destiny: Able Learner
Races of the Dragon: Dragonborn
Online Article: Wild Cohort

[Zaq]

Featuring: evolved dinosaurs!


Irela Swiftwing

Gerrit was rudely shaken awake. "Shape up, and keep an eye out for trouble, recruit! This isn't the time to rest!"

Groggily he made his way out of the cart where he'd fallen asleep on top of the ill gotten gains of their expedition. The other men escorting the small caravan all seemed on edge, though Gerrit couldn't figure out why. "Why so tense, sarge?" he asked. "We'll be at the keep by nightfall, no one would be stupid enough to attack us now."

"That sort of thinking is what they're counting on, recruit!" The sergeant snapped. "Now shut your mouth and keep your eyes and ears open for trouble."

Gerrit marched along silently for a while, the sergeant's tense attitude getting to him. Yet as he looked voer his surroundings he slowly relaxed again. Sure, there was a dense forest not that far away, but any attacker would have to cross a hundred meter or so of open ground, so no one would eb ambushing from there, and the other side of the road was warded by a steep cliff, so no one would be coming from that direction either.

"Listen sergeant, even if someone'd be stupid enough to attack the bleeding Zhentarim, they'd not do it here." He started whining again. "Look around you! I bet the only thing larger than a mouse within a mile is that hawk up there." He pointed up at the bird of prey he'd spotted hanging high up in the air when he woke up.

The response by the Sergeant was immediate, and not at all what Gerrit expected. The man's gaze snapped upwards to where Gerrit had pointed, and then he gathered his breath for a shout. He didn't get much further than "GET..." before an arrow punch through his throat.

What followed next was chaos and pandemonium. Arrows rained down on Gerrit's colleagues while a large winged shape passed by overhead. Gerrit took cover beneath one of the wagons to wait out the storm, but it quickly became clear that none of his colleagues had had the same sense. A silence settled over the battlefield. battlefield? More like slaughterhouse. Gerrit hadn't even seen their attacker, yet they'd taken out all the soldiers protecting the caravan.

With a creak, a great weight settled on the cart Gerrit was hiding underneath, and a female voice called out. "I know you're down there, little Zhent. Don't worry, I'm not planning on killing you today. Someone needs to take a message back to the keep after all, telling them that the knights of the North have struck again!"



stub: CG wood elf ranger 4/barbarian 1/moonsea skysentinel 1
Ability scores
str 16
dex 18 (includes +1 at level 4)
con 12
int 10
wis 12
cha 12



Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1
ranger 1
1
2
2
0
listen 4, spot 4, ride 4, handle animal 4, hide4, survival 4
track(ranger bonus), wild cohort(dire-ish hawk (eagle))
track, spiritual connection(ACF), arcane hunter(ACF), champion of the wild (ACF)


2
ranger 2
2
3
3
0
listen 5, spot 5, ride 5, handle animal 5, hide5, survival 5
rapid shot (ranger combat style)
combat style (archery)


3
ranger 3
3
3
3
1
listen 6, spot 6, ride 6, handle animal 6, hide6, survival 6
endurance(ranger bonus), mounted combat



4
ranger 4
4
4
4
1
listen 7, spot 7, ride 7, handle animal 7, hide7, survival 7
point blank shot(champion of the wild bonus)
distracting shot(ACF)


5
Barbarian 1
5
6
4
1
listen 8, spot 7, ride 8, handle animal 8, hide7, survival 8

Ferocity(acf), spirit eagle totem (ACF)


6
moonsea skysentinel 1
6
8
4
1
listen 8, spot 7, ride 9, handle animal 9, hide 7, survival 8
mounted archery
dire hawk steed, magical defense+1


Epic feats:
improved mounted archery
plunging shot
weapon focus(composite longbow)
dead eye
power attack
ride-by-attack
spirited charge
manyshot
improved rapid shot
iron will




We start this build off with some levels in ranger, though you'd be forgiven for thinking that it's some other class given that we trade away nearly all the class features. At first level we swap wild empathy for spiritual connection so that we can talk to our feathered friend, we get the arcane hunter ACF because the Zhents have mages, and those mages need a bit more killing than normal Zhentarim soldiers, and we get the champion of the wild ACF because we can't invest enough in wisdom to be able to really make use of our spellcasting, so we might as well get another bonus feat (which we'll get at level 4) instead.

For our wild cohort we get a dire-ish hawk. Unfortunately, there is no statblock for that creature, so we'll be using the eagle statblock instead. Our feathery friend will be useful for scouting, especially since we can actually talk to her to get herr report, rather than having to somehow interpret a collection of screeches as meaning that Timmy has fallen into the old well again.

weapon-wise Irela will use a composite longbow, because her high-ish strength means that'll give her a nice damage bonus.



These levels give Irela some more ranger things. We pick archery for our fighting style and pick up the mounted combat feat to fill a prerequisite later. She could definitely get a horse or similar at this point to engage in a spot of horse archery while we wait for the real awesomeness to arrive.



Because this is our last level in ranger the ranger pet won't help us much. Instead, we get the distracting shot Acf, which causes all targets of our ranged attacks to be considered flanked until after an ally attacks them. This helps with buffing the attacks of our feathered friend a bit.



The 5th level of ranger could get us an additional favored enemy, which is not completely terrible, but not as nice as what a one level dip of barbarian can give us. As with the ranger we'll trade away the class features for ACF's. We swap range for ferocity, which'll increase our dex and strength by 4 but penalizes ranged attacks taken from beyond 30 feet 1/day. The dex bonus actually cancels out the penalty, so you could use it as a purely defensive move (though it'll add damage if you have a second composite longbow or a fancy magic self-adjusting one), but it'll be very useful during close quarters combat.

Likewise, we'll of course take the spiritual totem from complete champion for that sweet, sweet pounce +4 to spot and search from the eagle totem.... what, there's no rule that says you have to take the pounce one. Obviously, we'll refluff the 'eagle' totem to the 'hawk' totem. There's a theme we've got to stick to here.



This is where things get awesome. Before we where fairly standard ranger, but now we bring death from above. Moonsea Skysentinel gets us an awesome dire hawk mount (technically, we get that from the Knights of the North, who we joined way earlier because we both dislike the Zhents and like sneaking about and ambushing them).

Now, this is not a normal dire hawk (as found in MM2, page 76, also see the update booklet for feats). No, this dire hawk has been advanced to large size (9HD) and gets maximum HP. Champions of valor refers to page 122 for the stats, but the given statblocks are not for generic dire hawk steeds (instead they're matched to example characters), and the statblocks ignore the 'maximize hp' bonus. These statblocks do show that the bigger dire hawks can retrain the weapon finesse feat for something more useful, but they're either stuck with alertness, or the writer thought that'd be nice to have. When training my own dire hawk, I'll assume the first.

Moonsea skysentinel gives us and the hawk a small save bonus against spells and SLA's, which is nice to have, especially given Ilera's bad will save.

The mounted archery feats helps reduce the penalties gained from shooting from a moving mount.



Ability scores
str 20
dex 20
con 19
int 2
wis 15
cha 11

feats: alertness, flyby attack, diving charge, improved flight.
skill bonus: spot +4 (+12 in daylight), move silent +17 (12 skillpoints, 5 dex)
AC: 19(+5 dex, +5 natural, -1 size)
HP: 108 (maximized 9d8, +4 from con per HD).
saves: fort +10, reflex +11, will +5
attacks: 2 claws +10 (+6 BaB, +5 STR, -1 size) (1d6+5 damage), 1 bite +5 (secondary) (1d8+5 damage).
tricks: attack, down, fetch, heel, come, defend

Ilera has enough ranks in handle animal to ensure Greyfeather knows all the tricks listed, and ensure that he is combat trained. The size change gave the hawk +8 Str, -2 dex, +2 NA anda damage die increase on his natural attacks in addition to the size penalties (see the improving monsters table in most MM's and the SRD).

For feats we've picked flyby attack (for obvious reasons), diving charge (for bonus damage when hitting someone on a flyby when specific circumstances are met) and improved flight. Improved flight improves maneuverability to good, which means greyfeather can hover. All of GreyFeather's skillpoints have been invested in move silently to remove the typical noise that alerts people that something big and flying is coming their way and maybe they should look up.



Ability scores
str 11
dex 16
con 12
int 2
wis 14
cha 6

feats: alertness, weapon finesse (bonus), flyby attack
skill bonus: spot +19 (7 skill points, +8 racial bonus, +2 wis, +2 alertness)
AC: 18(+3 dex, +4 natural, +1 size)
HP: 22 (4d8, +4 from con).
saves: fort +5, reflex +5, will +3
attacks: 2 talons +7 (+3 BaB, +3 dex, +1 size) (1d4 damage), 1 bite +2 (secondary) (1d4 damage).
tricks: attack, down, guard, fetch, heel, come, defend, perform

Windsinger's first job is as a scout. Her solid spot bonus means very little will escape her attention, and Ilera being able to speak with animals a couple of times per day means that Windsinger can give a proper report. After level 6 she also has the flyby attack feat, which means she can get involved in a fight with talon-assisted strafing runs.


Epic feats:

This feat mostly eliminates the penalties from moving and shooting. More importantly though it allows Ilera to shoot at any point during Greyfeather's move. This means she could, for example, shoot at the start of Greyfeather's move, triggering distracting shot, which greyfeather then capitalizes on with a flyby attack.



plunging shot gives +1d6 damage to ranged attacks when attacking from more than 30 feet up. This should be easily achievable while on a flying mount.



+1 to hit is nice, but it's mostly a prerequisite for the next feat.



+dex to damage is pretty nice, but it only works while within 30 feet, so doesn't combo with plunging shot. (I'll discuss this anti-synergy a bit later when I talk about the three phases of a fight).



So, with the feats for ranged combat mostly figured out, it's time to diversify a bit. With these three feats and a lance Ilera will be able to land a pretty solid hit in melee (especially when ferocity is up). This is useful in situations where shooting arrows isn't practical, such as when the only relevant opponents are locked in melee, or when she needs a single big hit over a couple smaller hits (such as when an opponent has DR), or when she just wants to look stylish and put the fear of the knights of the North in her Zhent targets by impaling someone with extreme prejudice. Ilera lacks shocktrooper to get the most out of power attack, but she should still be able to land some pretty solid charges.



manyshot is here really just to qualify for improved rapid shot, as you'll be able to full attack with your bow most of the time while mounted. Improved rapid shot simply eliminates the penalty from rapid shot, which is nice.



Ilera's will save is really bad. Now it's slightly less bad.


Final notes:

As noted before, Ilera has a couple of abilities that are somewhat anti-synergistic. This plays into the three phases of any fight she gets into, though.

The first phase is the opening. In this phase she keeps her distance and snipes down any high-priority targets. During this phase the bonus from plunging shot will be in play. This phase will only last 1-2 rounds in a typical fight. Once it's clear that she can handle what the enemy has up their sleeves, she'll close in for phase 2. Against overwhelming numbers this'll be the main phase though.

The second phase is the strafing phase. During this phase she'll close in and Greyfeather and Windsinger will make repeated dive attacks while she keeps filling the enemy with arrows. Most of the time dead-eye and point blank shot will be active during this phase. Her pets will also be contributing significant combat damage. Once most enemies are down, teh final pahse follows.

The last phase is the charging and clean-up phase. Once most enemies are down Ilera will grab her lance to conserve arrows. She'll land charges on the remainder to take them out, and then the looting can begin. The charging phase might start early if the enemy has specific defenses against arrows.



HP: 14+4d8+1d12(38 average)
AC: 18(chain shirt+dex) This can improve to 20 if you have a mithral chain shirt and activate ferocity, and you can get +4 AC from cover from your mount when you pass a DC15 ride check.
saves: fort +9, ref +8, will +4 (+7 against enchantement spells due to racial bonus and moonsea skysentinel bonus).
notable skills: listen +11, spot +14, search +6, ride +16, handle animal +10, hide +12, survival +9

Typical phase 1 attack:
Ilera (composite longbow w/ plunging shot): +13/+13/+8 to-hit, 1d8+1d6+3 (average 11) damage per shot

typical phase 2 attacks:
Ilera (composite longbow w/ point-blank shot and dead eye): +14/+14/+9 to-hit, 1d8+8 (average 12) damage per shot, up to 1d8+12 with ferocity and a +5 rated composite longbow.
Greyfeather (diving charge flyby): +10 to-hit, 3d6+5 x2 (average 30) damage.
Greyfeather (normal flyby): +10 to-hit, 1d6+5 (average 8) damage.
Windsinger (dive flyby): +7 to-hit, 1d4 x2 (average 4) damage.
Windsinger (flyby): +7 to-hit, 1d4 (average 2) damage.

typical phase 3 attacks:
Ilera (lance, no power attack, no ferocity): +11 to-hit, 1d8+3 x3 (average 21) damage.
Ilera (lance, full power attack, ferocity): +7 to-hit, 1d8+17 x3 (average 63) damage.
Greyfeather & Windsinger attack as in phase 2.




PHB classes: ranger, barbarian, feats: rapid shot, point blank shot, power attack, mounted combat, mounted archery, ride-by-attack, spirited charge, weapon focus, manyshot, iron will
web (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a) wild cohort
web (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a) ferocity
complete warrior improved mounted archery, improved rapid shot
complete champion champion of the wild, spiritual connection, spiritual totem(eagle)
phb2 distracting shot
complete mage arcane hunter
dragon compendium dead eye
races of the wild plunging shot, diving charge
champions of valor moonsea skysentinel
complete adventurer improved flight
any Monster manual flyby attack

[Zaq]

Four wolf moon? That's, like, 33% extra wolves per moon!


Rawulf
Lupin CN Marshal 1/Savage Nature Bard 4/Beast Heart Adept 1


A stone room, 10 feet by 10 feet by 10 feet. A locked door in one wall. A locked chest set against the opposite wall. Two torches that never went out, and produced no smoke or heat. Periodically, food and water that appeared out of nowhere, tasted of nothing, and did not cause him to urinate or defecate. He slept, ate, drank, and waited. Occasionally, he thought about the man who took him from his family, put him in this room, muttered something about "mixing things up a little", and disappeared.

When clicking, scraping noises started coming from the door, Rawulf thought he was imagining them. When a man wearing plate armour and carrying a greatsword charged through it, he thought he was going to die. But then a voice called out "Wait! It's a lupin! They're a rare species of intelligent non-evil wolflike humanoids who live in nomadic tribes, have a strong connection to nature and a cultural hatred for werewolves!" The charging fighter halted, turned, and said "Hey, nice Bardic Knowledge check."

The adventuring party who found Rawulf had already finished the dungeon, and killed the wizard. Now, they were just clearing out side rooms in search of treasure. When they left the dungeon, they took him with them. He looked after their horses, and the bard started teaching him the basics of his profession. Then, on a day like any other, with Rawulf and the horses waiting outside another dungeon while the party explored it, they didn't come back. So he set out on his own, looking for more friends so that he would never be alone.




Ability
Score
Modifiers
Final Score


Strength
9
-
9 (-1)


Dexterity
14
-
14 (+2)


Constitution
14
-
14 (+2)


Intelligence
14
-
14 (+2)


Wisdom
8
-
8 (-1)


Charisma
17
+1 (Level 4)
18 (+4)





Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1st
Marshal 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Diplomacy +4, Handle Animal +4, Knowledge (arcana) +4, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +4, Perform (sing) +4, Speak Language (Draconic), Survival +3
Animal Affinity
Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Minor aura (Motivate Strength)


2nd
Savage Nature Bard 1
+0
+4
+0
+4
Concentration +2, Diplomacy +5, Handle Animal +5, Knowledge (arcana) +5, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +5, Perform (sing) +5, Survival +3
-
Bardic music, countersong, fascinate, animal companion, nature sense, wild empathy


3rd
Savage Nature Bard 2
+1
+5
+0
+5
Concentration +4, Diplomacy +6, Handle Animal +6, Knowledge (arcana) +6, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +6, Perform (sing) +6, Survival +3
Wild Cohort
-


4th
Savage Nature Bard 3
+2
+5
+1
+5
Concentration +6, Diplomacy +7, Handle Animal +7, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Perform (sing) +7, Survival +3
-
-


5th
Savage Nature Bard 4
+3
+6
+1
+6
Concentration +8, Diplomacy +8, Handle Animal +8, Knowledge (arcana) +8, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +8, Perform (sing) +8, Survival +3
-
Resist nature's lure


6th
Beast Heart Adept 1
+4
+8
+1
+8
Concentration +9, Diplomacy +9, Handle Animal +9, Knowledge (arcana) +9, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +9, Perform (sing) +9, Survival +3
Draconic Aura (Vigor)
Monstrous companion, monster empathy, monster handler


E6 Feats:

Obtain Familiar
Improved Familiar
Natural Bond
Spell Focus (Conjuration)
Augment Summoning
Touch of Healing
Lyric Spell
Extra Music
Extra Music
Extra Music

Spells:


Level
Slots
Spells Known


0
3
Daze, flare, ghost sound, know direction, light, resistance


1
3
Summon nature's ally I, cure light wounds, calm animals


2
1
Summon nature's ally II, cure moderate wounds




Unfortunately, not all of the friends that Rawulf will acquire can benefit from a Marshal's auras, but for those that do it's a nice boost to their trip checks.

Nature Bard has one somewhat unique feature - it gets an animal companion, but it's also an arcane caster, making it the only base class I know of that can scale a familiar and an animal companion simultaneously. Rawulf's new friend is a wolf named Madras. Savage Bard goes nicely with Nature Bard thematically, and gives us summon nature's ally for more wolf buddies!

Wild Cohort adds another wolf to the pack. Tantris is going to be the runt of the group, but he'll keep up okay.

There's really not much to talk about for either of these levels.

The pack really starts to ramp up here, as Beast Heart Adept adds a worg to their number. Worgs are intelligent wolves, perfect for filling out Rawulf's pack. They're normally evil, but this one (Rodan) isn't. While Rawulf is tapping into his monster side, he also learns to project another aura - fast healing 1 isn't a lot, but it will help keep everyone alive during combats and heal them up in between.

Make that two worgs! This one (Drazic) is still evil, but he's loyal to Rawulf, and the rest of the pack will help keep him in line.

This bumps Madras to the next row in the animal progression table, giving him a bunch of small but significant bonuses.

Gives summoned wolves an offensive and defensive boost.

It's a little redundant with the Vigor aura, but anything that helps keep everyone alive is worth having.

Bardic Music burning a hole in your pocket and you don't know what to do with it? Turn it into spell slots so you can turn those spell slots into more wolves!





Size/Type: Medium Monstrous Humanoid
Hit Dice: 4d6+1d8+20 (38.5 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 30 ft. (6 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+2 Dex, +4 chain shirt), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+3
Attack: Light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8)
Full Attack: Light crossbow +6 ranged (1d8)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: -
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., Acute Sense of Smell, Expert Rider
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +3, Will +7
Abilities: Str 8, Dex 14, Con 14, Int 14, Wis 8, Cha 18
Skills: Concentration +11, Diplomacy +16, Handle Animal +15, Knowledge (arcana) +11, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +11, Listen +1, Perform (sing) +13, Ride +6, Survival +2
Feats: Animal Affinity, Skill Focus (Diplomacy), Wild Cohort, Draconic Aura, Obtain Familiar, Improved Familiar, Natural Bond, Spell Focus, Augment Summoning, Lyric Spell, Extra Music, Extra Music, Extra Music, Extra Music



Size/Type: Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 6d8+12 (39 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +6 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 16
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+6
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, evasion, devotion
Saves: Fort +7, Ref +7, Will +3
Abilities: Str 15, Dex 17, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +7, Spot +3, Survival +1
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite), Combat Reflexes, Vexing Flanker



Size/Type: Medium Animal
Hit Dice: 5d8+10 (32.5 hp)
Initiative: +4
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 19 (+3 Dex, +5 natural), touch 13, flat-footed 15
Base Attack/Grapple: +3/+5
Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+2)
Full Attack: Bite +6 melee (1d6+2)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Low-light vision, scent, evasion
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +2
Abilities: Str 14, Dex 16, Con 15, Int 2, Wis 12, Cha 6
Skills: Hide +6, Listen +3, Move Silently +6, Spot +3, Survival +1
Feats: Track, Weapon Focus (bite), Distracting Attack



Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+8 (30 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 14 (+2 Dex, +2 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 12
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent
Saves: Fort +6, Ref +6, Will +3
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 6, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Hide +4, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Spot +6, Survival +2
Feats: Alertness, Track



Size/Type: Medium Magical Beast
Hit Dice: 4d10+8 (19.25 hp)
Initiative: +2
Speed: 50 ft. (10 squares)
Armor Class: 16 (+2 Dex, +4 natural), touch 12, flat-footed 14
Base Attack/Grapple: +4/+7
Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Full Attack: Bite +7 melee (1d6+4)
Space/Reach: 5 ft./5 ft.
Special Attacks: Trip
Special Qualities: Darkvision 60 ft., low-light vision, scent, improved evasion
Saves: Fort +10, Ref +6, Will +10
Abilities: Str 17, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 7, Wis 14, Cha 10
Skills: Concentration +11, Diplomacy +9, Handle Animal +9, Hide +4, Knowledge (arcana) +7, Knowledge (dungeoneering) +7, Listen +6, Move Silently +6, Perform (sing) +9, Spot +6, Survival +5
Feats: Alertness, Track



Marshal, Distracting Attack: Miniatures Handbook
Savage Bard variant, Nature Bard variant: Unearthed Arcana
Wild Cohort: Web (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/re/20031118a)
Beast Heart Adept: Dungeonscape
Draconic Aura (feat): Dragon Magic
Draconic Aura (Vigor), Vexing Flanker: PHB II
Obtain Familiar: Complete Arcane
Improved Familiar: Complete Warrior
Natural Bond, Lyric Spell, Extra Music: Complete Adventurer
Touch of Healing: Complete Champion
Everything else: SRD content

[Zaq]

That's the whole zoo!

On your marks, get set, JUDGE!

[thorr-kan]

Nice selection of characters here. I especially like somebody else grabbing Primary Contact and using it for both Beastmaster and Beast Heart Adept.

[DeTess]

Hmmm. There's things I want to say about the selection of builds, but it'd probably reveal which build is mine, so I'll wait until the reveal. Did anyone commit to judging yet?

[jdizzlean]

i had gone full artificer w/ a army of constructs and effigy's. then screwed up my feat pre-reqs and then just never got around to reworking it. i even named him the Great Vizzini, and of course now no one went artificer at all :p

[daremetoidareyo]

I had a hengeyokai druid 1/stoneblessed 3/goliath barbarian 1

With shape soulmeld, mounted fury, wild cohort, natural bond, gnoll ferocity

Stacking myself on a soulspark on an AC climb dog on a wild cohort horse.

Using mountain rage and gnoll ferocity to up all of our sizes and grant bite attacks through the web mounted fury feat. A lot of exotic saddles for us.

Musicians of bremen style.

It just wasn't very good...

[thorr-kan]

My first idea was a commoner with Magical Training + Precocious Apprentice + Mothercyst + Chick-Infested for flocks of necrotic exploding chicken goodness (perhaps a poor choice of words!). Alas, cruel rules!

My second idea was a summoner wizard tricked out with the UA ACFs and Focused Summoner with a bunch of feats in support of summoned creatures. But that wasn't really...pets. It was about the summoner. Back into the characters-I'll-never-play folder.

The final one was a strongheart halfling adept with:
Improved Familiar for better familiar
Wild Cohort for wild cohort
Beastmaster for animal companion
Natural Bond feat for improved animal companion
Beast Heart Adept for monster companion
Hidden Talent for astral construct
Psicrystal Affinity for psicrystal
Shape Soulmeld for soulspark
? for special mount

Fun, but I couldn't shoehorn in a special mount, and I couldn't get the feat selection to finalize nicely. So no submission for me.

[Zaq]

Anyone feel like judging?

[Zaq]

Happy Saturday! Hope that this is a restful weekend for folks who have traditional weekends.

Weekends are also a good time to get some judging in! Do we have any volunteers yet?

[Zaq]

Hello, yes, pardon me, so sorry, I seem to have misplaced my judge! I thought there was a judge around here somewhere. Has anyone seen my judge? They're about this tall, they're super attractive, they're very cool, they're revered as a great authority, and people want to be like them.

Anyone know where a judge might be?

[jdizzlean]

With an endorsement like that, who can resist?

Score 14
Power: Nymph’s Kiss seems a shameless power grab, and you provide no fluff to back this choice up.
You are making your mount the main character, and your PC the companion which is a novel approach, but your mount doesn’t fully come online until Epic 3rd, and then you largely ignore any further progression of the mount in favor of increasing your archery skills while mounted which seems a disconnect.
Score 3

Originality: Despite being able to squeeze a pally’s mount into this round, I didn’t think anyone would actually do that!
Score 5
Elegance: I’m inclined to treat the round as a “hard e6” meaning spells above 3rd, don’t exist, and CL’s can’t get to the levels you push your mount to. To do otherwise is to give you an unfair advantage over all other competitors.
Survival is not a class skill for Paladins, so there’s no way you could get 4 ranks at level 1. To avoid confusion, please list ACF’s/Substitution Levels (1st, and 3rd) on the build table, not in the notes that I almost missed :p
Natural Bond specifically requires an animal companion, which Beastmaster does provide, but a Paladin’s special mount IS NOT an animal companion, so you can’t stack beastmaster on top of it to progress it as you have. Devoted Tracker fixes this, but I think this is really skirting the spirit of the feat as it’s built for ranger/pally which you aren’t. Putting aside the semantic argument of where periods are in the feat’s text, meaning you are applying only the 2nd sentence, and then parts of the 3rd on to fit your build seems particularly smelly to me.
Given the 6 int, the fact that the mount eventually gains the celestial template, and the fact that the paladin code of conduct requires that: A paladin may accept only henchmen, followers, or cohorts who are lawful good. I think it's pretty reasonable to say the mount is lawful good. Which would preclude it from being able to take fey legacy/heritage
Score 2

Use of SI: instead of a plethora of pets, you’ve chosen your special mount, and then progressed it accordingly. This is for certain a novel approach. Elegance and e6 rules aside, this is a good use of a rather vague SI.
Score 4

Score 14.5
Power: Beast Tamer allowing you to communicate with your celestial AC is a nice synergy
You have a lot of options for sure. I’ve always been somewhat against bind vestige, as when you lose the battle of wills, you likewise lose some of the control you have over how your character acts.
Score 4
Originality: Arcane Hunter is the only good favored enemy worth taking, but as such isn’t particularly original. Using vestiges is another thing entirely.
Totemist 2 is a well-known dip, but you manage to make it work instead of using it solely for cheese inducing badness.
Score 4

Elegance: Obtain Familiar requires Knowledge Arcana 4, which you don’t have. Also, OF states:

For the purpose of determining familiar abilities that depend on your arcane caster class level, your levels in all classes that allow you to cast arcane spells stack.
You don’t have any class levels that allow your casting, so your familiar has no abilities…
Score 3.5
Use of SI: AC, Familiar, using a Vestige as a pet was wholly unexpected. Ability to share spells, soulmelds. Nearly half of your feats are to expand on soulmelds/essential, and while they do help out your pets, the pets aren’t the main focus for those feats.
Score 3

Score 15
Power: Primary Contact is a neat twist to break the level cap for skill points in order to get into beast heart adept a level sooner.
You have quite an army of beatstick pets, but it does take quite a while into the build for them to all come online. All the way to epic 6th.
Vigor is nice for some slow, but free, healing.
Score 4
Originality: Beastmaster is expected, but 2 PrC’s in one build was not.
Score 5
Elegance: Dragonborn makes you lose the bonus skill points that human gives you up to that point, which is 7 points total. You not only don’t lose any, but somehow gain a rank in Handle Animal from the transformation. Presumably that is from Primary Contact? And further down you do indeed lose craft basketweaving, but this could’ve been much more obvious than a footnote in the breakdown.
Beastmaster requires you to have Skill Focus (Handle Animal), which you don’t get until you’ve taken beastmaster…
Score 2.5
Use of SI: Quite a large number of pets, and decent but not overwhelming investment into them.
Score 3.5

Score 11
Power: Ferocity is good for 5 rounds, and if combat hasn’t ended, you then get -2 to attack/dmg, skill/ability checks for the duration of the combat. Plus, you can only use it once per day. Maybe twice, it’s vague as to whether its 4th lvl overall, or 4th lvl of barbarian that it increases. Since it requires you to be a 17th lvl barb to negate these, I’d say you only get 1/day use. Ok, but not great.
Score 3
Originality: kudos for invoking Lassie in your level 1 breakdown. Sky Sentinel is interesting, but the rest is pretty vanilla.
Score 3
Elegance: There’s a few places that Wood Elves come from, and you don’t state which one you’re using, so it’s impossible to check whether your point buy is legal.
Wild Cohort grants you a regular Hawk, and only scales up to a 4HD Hawk by 6th lvl.
Score 3
Use of SI: Distracting Attack makes you lose your AC. Since your AC is part of the SI, you’ve given up part of the SI.
Every single one of your feats, with the exception of wild cohort is taken to benefit your ranger side, and not your pets side. Seems a disconnect to the spirit of the round. Do you have pets? Yes. Do you optimized THEM? No.
Score 2

Score 16
Power: Touch of Healing and Vigor are nice, but Touch basically negates your 2nd lvl slot entirely leaving you with only 1st lvl spells. To which you take Lyric and Extra Music to give yourself 16 total music uses/day. 1 first lvl spell is 2 uses, a 2nd lvl is 3. So you get some flexibility, but investing 4 feats to get it seems a steep cost considering your known spells.
Score 3.5
Originality: Marshall seems an odd choice to begin with, but Motivate Strength probably does more to pump up your pets than anything else could.
Score 4
Elegance: Minor point of contention. You’re missing a HD on Rawulf, and how are you getting +20 to your HP total with a CON of 14?
Everything else appears legal
Score 4.5
Use of SI: Aside from Natural Bond, which is essentially a feat tax for this round, your feat choices are geared more to enhance your spellcasting, rather than your pets. Sure you can use that casting for some short duration pets, but it seems a disconnect as well.
Score 4




I expect there'll probably be a few disputes. It'll be next weekend before i can do more than read them on my phone, fyi.

[Zaq]

I knew my judge was around here somewhere! Thank you very much, jdizz. It's greatly appreciated!

Dispute from Irela Swiftwing:


Hey Jdizzlean (and Zaq, who'll see this message first),

First of all, thanks for judging!

With that out of the way, I've got two comments. You seem to penalize me for swapping out the animal companion I get from my class. however, over my progression, I both get a pet at level 1, and a special mount by level 6, so in what way would my build deserve a penalty where the paladin (who only gets their one pet by level 5) gets none? Likewise, you focus on how I picked feats that enhance me and penalize me for that, and yet the paladin build, which has a similar theme (mounted archery), doesn't get such a penalty at all.

Please don't take this as too combative, btw. I haven't read the builds as in-depth as you have, so I could very well have missed something that you did see.

Regarding my wild cohort pet: I did specifically state that I'd use the eagle statsblock and fluff it as the 'dire-ish hawk':

For our wild cohort we get a dire-ish hawk. Unfortunately, there is no statblock for that creature, so we'll be using the eagle statblock instead.
You're right that it only gets to 4 rhd at level 6, but I don't think I ever stated that it'd get there earlier?

Greetings,
The person that build Irela

[Zaq]

A few more!


A few things you seem to have passed over and/or didn't understand.



Power:Beast Tamer allowing you to communicate with your celestial AC is a nice synergy.
You have a lot of options for sure. I’ve always been somewhat against bind vestige, as when you lose the battle of wills, you likewise lose some of the control you have over how your character acts.

Beast Tamer Circlet not only allows telepathic communication with Rhu (Celestial Tiger), but with any and every animal Dar comes across, and animal-intelligent magical beasts. That's Dar's primary ability.
Losing some control over how your character acts is only an issue if you disprove of the influence you're being subjected to. The influence of Malphas is that you fall in 'love' too easily and apply poison to weapons. They both fit the early 80's fantasy character of Dar just fine.
Even if you make a bad pact and are influenced in a way you don't want, you can always just ignore it. You do not lose ANY control over your character unless you allow it. You suffer a temporary, minor penalty when you resist the influence of a Vestige during a bad pact. The penalty goes away when you unbind the Vestige.


Elegance:OF states: "For the purpose of determining familiar abilities that depend on your arcane caster class level, your levels in all classes that allow you to cast arcane spells stack."
You don’t have any class levels that allow your casting, so your familiar has no abilities…

Magical Training: "You can cast three 0-level arcane spells per day as either a sorcerer or wizard (your choice,... - ...treated as a sorcerer or wizard of your arcane spellcaster level (minimum 1st)" - I choose Sorcerer.
Practiced Spellcaster: "Your caster level for the chosen spellcasting class increases by 4." - Applied to Sorcerer.
The part you quoted ensures that your familiar's abilities aren't restricted by levels in a single class. It says that if you have more than one class that grants spellcasting, ALL of your spellcasting granting classes count. That rule is permissive, not restrictive, and does not apply to this character. Dar has the casting of a Sorcerer with a caster level of 5. His familiar receives the level 5 benefits.


Use of SI: AC, Familiar, using a Vestige as a pet was wholly unexpected. Ability to share spells, soulmelds. Nearly half of your feats are to expand on soulmelds/essential, and while they do help out your pets, the pets aren’t the main focus for those feats.

Dar's pets are the main focus of his feats, especially the meldshaping ones. If they were for Dar, they would be wholly different. Out of the 14 feats he has, the only one for him is Power Attack.
5/14 feats is not "nearly half", but since the meldshaping ones seem to be the issue, let's go over them.
Open Least Chakra (Crown) allows Dar to bind Beast Tamer's Circlet to his Crown Chakra, which is what allows him telepathic communication with animals and magical beast. - Very pet oriented that you referenced yourself in the Power category.
Share Soulmelds entire purpose is pet specific as it allows all soulmelds affecting Dar to also affect Rhu and Podo.
Shape Soulmeld (Thunderstep Boots) and Open Least Chakra (Feet) adds up to 3d4 sonic damage at the end of a charge, and has a Stun effect when that damage is applied. Rhu is a Tiger that likes to pounce, because that allows him to make a full attack after a charge. When he charges the creature Dar is fighting, he deals the extra sonic damage and has an even better chance of applying the Stun effect since Rhu has a better Con score than Dar.
Bonus Essentia allows 'fuel' to power up the soulmelds, which are applied to both Rhu and Podo.

The other two soulmelds aren't from feats, but two of the feats, (Share Soulmeld and Bonus Essentia), are made oh so much more powerful/useful because of them.
Kruthik Claws adds up to +10 on Hide and Move Silently. Rhu (Hide +8 in heavy undergrowth, Move Silently +12) and Podo (Hide +11, Moe SIlently +8) are already naturally great at it, can end up rivaling the masters when this soulmeld is shared (Shape Soulmeld/Bonus Essentia). They also grant 2 claw attacks and add 3d6 acid damage per attack. Rhu is already a Beast in a fight, these make him 6d6 acid/round more dangerous. Podo tends to stay out of fights. When he's forced to however, these gives the 2 claw attacks and acid damage as well.
Rage Claws keeps all three of us up and fighting even in negative hit points. We can go as far as -16 hp before dying instead of the usual -10. That's effectively +16 hp for all three thanks to Shape Soulmeld/Bonus Essenta.

This was all explained in the build... Every soulmeld listed also had an explanation of how the pets would use it.
The Soulmelds and feats chosen had the pets as the center focus. Is your issue that the pets are not the sole recipient of the soulmelds? Sharing resources with no loss of resource resulting from the sharing should be praised.
Pets can have nice things. So can Dar. They are all able to have and use the same nice things.


Most of your main points of contention have been addressed and explained, becoming a non-issue. May I expect an increase in the score?


Thanks for judging! One minor dispute:


Minor point of contention. You’re missing a HD on Rawulf, and how are you getting +20 to your HP total with a CON of 14?

Both questions have the same answer - 1st-level HD give the maximum value, so the d8 from Marshal is 8, then 12 from +2 Con over 6 levels = 20.


A couple things I don't understand.


Elegance: Dragonborn makes you lose the bonus skill points that human gives you up to that point, which is 7 points total. You not only don’t lose any, but somehow gain a rank in Handle Animal from the transformation. Presumably that is from Primary Contact? And further down you do indeed lose craft basketweaving, but this could’ve been much more obvious than a footnote in the breakdown.

Take a second look at the skills area at 4th level, (this includes Dragonborn Transformation, which is still 4th level). After the transformation, Craft (Underwater Basketweaving) has been completely removed. Handle Animal has increased, and the rest of the skills points from 4th level are unchanged. Those were the changes from the Dragonborn transformation. I did not lose them 'further down'. I lost them right then and there. It was mentioned in the story for the fluff and in the breakdown of levels to make it even more clear for those that overlooked it in both the story and build table. Those skill points never mattered for the character to begin with. That's why they were put in Craft (Underwater Basketweaving)
I'm confused by what you mean by "somehow gain a rank in Handle Animal from the transformation. Presumably that is from Primary Contact"? You specifically called it out in Power, two categories before Elegence.

Power: Primary Contact is a neat twist to break the level cap for skill points in order to get into beast heart adept a level sooner.
I don't understand your confusion. You clearly understand its intended purpose.



Use of SI: Quite a large number of pets, and decent but not overwhelming investment into them.

All of his class levels, most of his class features, and literally every single feat was used to either acquire a pet or make them stronger. That's not an overwhelming investment to you?

[Zaq]

Rounding out the list! There should be no more coming, since we've got no more dishes left...


jdizzlean, thanks for judging. Here is a dispute of some of your judgment of Buttercup.

On Elegance, Alignment:
Buttercup's alignment is neutral good. As a heavy warhorse, her alignment begins as neutral and her alignment changes to neutral good as a result of applying the Celestial template. The alignment field of the template reads "Always good (any)". This may be interpreted as changing the good/evil component of alignment to good while preserving the lawful/chaotic component or changing the good/evil component of alignment while allowing the choice of the lawful/chaotic component. Either way, neutral good is a valid choice.
Because her alignment is neutral good, she satisfies the nonlawful alignment prerequisite of Fey Heritage and Fey Legacy.

On Elegance, Associates:
Buttercup is an animal companion and special mount but not a henchman, cohort, or follower.
Consider this line from the section labeled "Animal Companions" on page 205 of the Dungeon Master's Guide: "Druids can begin play with animal companions, which are something like cohorts". This implies that animal companions are not special cohorts.
One may infer that special mounts are not special cohorts from the paragraph labeled "Paladin Cohort Mounts" from page 200 of the Dungeon Master's Guide.
Additionally, the line cited concerning cohorts from page 44 of the Player's Handbook describes an alignment restriction on Leadership. The contest rules does not allow Leadership and further clarifies that both special mounts and animal companions are not governed by these rules.

On Elegance, Devoted Tracker:
The Devoted Tracker feat grants three distinct benefits which are written as paragraphs, not sentences. This feat is difficult to read on account of two of the benefits being conditional, but it is not ambiguous.
The first paragraph of Devoted Tracker describes a benefit for characters with paladin and ranger levels. The second paragraph of Devoted Tracker describes a benefit for characters with the special mount and animal companion class features. A Paladin 1/Ranger 2 benefits from the first feature but not the second, while a Paladin 5/Druid 1 benefits from the second feature but not the first.
Some feats require class levels, like Spell Mastery and Weapon Specialization from the Player's Handbook, but Devoted Tracker does not. If the condition of the first paragraph applied to the entire text, it would have been a prerequisite.
Compare the feat Ascetic Rogue, on page 106 of Complete Adventurer. Many classes can be used to fulfill the sneak attack prerequisite, including a base class from the same book, the Spellthief. A Monk/Spellthief could take Ascetic Rogue, benefit from a stunning fist/sneak attack interaction while missing out on other benefits. Such a character is not "skirting the spirit of the feat".

[jdizzlean]

Irela

I didn't compare any two builds to each other in this round, as for the most part they were all built differently. so comparing how i judged your build, vs how i judged the paladins build is a non starter. the round is Pets. you gave up a pet. It's irrelevant as to that you ended up w/ 2 and someone else ended up with 1, as their 1 was optimized to the point that if allowed it essentially broke e6. As for feat choices, this is one of those occasions where this round could've been absolutely anything and you could have the same build because yes you had some pets, but you didn't build around them.

no change.

Dar

I know how binder works. You could search every single judgement I've done if you were so inclined and you'd see that every single time I make this distinction in how it affects your gameplay.



Magical Training: "You can cast three 0-level arcane spells per day as either a sorcerer or wizard (your choice,... - ...treated as a sorcerer or wizard of your arcane spellcaster level (minimum 1st)" - I choose Sorcerer.
Practiced Spellcaster: "Your caster level for the chosen spellcasting class increases by 4." - Applied to Sorcerer.
It says that if you have more than one class that grants spellcasting, ALL of your spellcasting granting classes count.


AS a sorceror, means you cast them like a sorcerer, it doesn't make you one, ...chosen spellcasting class, you have no spellcasting class, you're simply casting them as a sorcerer, it's a nonissue. if anyone in the world could burn a feat for casting some cantrips as a sorcerer, and then gain the benefit of the class w/o taking ranks in it, everyone would do it.

I once built around share soulmeld as well, and it was pointed out to me then, that it really is largely unoptimal as if they move farther than 5ft away from you, they lose all benefit of it. I tend to agree after that. One AoE spell or effect and your entire army is kaput. However, you have some valid points, in the future please don't attack any judges in trying to get your point across, it just ruffles feathers unnecessarily.

+1 to Use of SI, new total 15.5

rawulf

that was more of a observatory point, not a build penalty, but thanks for clearing it up, i was scratching the noggin.

Erzu

the skill point thing was just poorly done. i was pretty certain that the basketweaving is what you lost, but the way your skills were laid out on the table didn't make it abundantly clear as if you go back and look at ranks 5 and 6, you aren't listing your total ranks in everything each level, just what you change. you mention it lower down in then notes, but it's not obvious. just because the skills don't matter to you, doesn't mean anything. the general way i judge is to make notes to myself in each category as i go along. you weren't penalized points for this whole thing as it did make sense by the time i went through it w/ a fine tooth comb, but it shouldn't be that hard to understand how it works. the average person that may be looking at your build to play in a game shouldn't have to go into this level of detail to understand it. the more needlessly complicated you make it to understand, the worse off it is. i didn't even assign a headache penalty to it...

I wasn't confused on primary contact, that was a kudos to you comment, not everything is negative in judging.

on the SI:

in this case, now that i've said i don't compare builds, i'm going to. you actually take a spellcasting class *duskblade*. and then use practiced on it to pump the levels in order to increase your familiar. however you could've pretty much spent 1 level on it, and used the other 2 levels in better ways to improve your pets. likewise, share soulmeld is fairly useless, you aren't going to have 3 large, a med, and a small pet around you all w/in 5ft and able to benefit. 1, maybe 2, and that's it. otherwise you're going all the way to epic 8th, and arguably epic 10th before everything comes together. and while there's nothing particularly wrong w/ that, it is the longest progression for the SI of all the builds. Having a ton of pets is one way of "optimizing" the round, but in doing so, you spread yourself out pretty thin as for resources to apply to them.

no change.

[Zaq]

That's a wrap, folks! Thanks for stepping up to judge, jdizzlean.



Build
Stub
Score
Chef


Buttercup (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632808&postcount=33)
Horse, plus elf paladin 5 / beastmaster 1
james
14


Dar (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632810&postcount=34)
Azurin druid 3 / totemist 2 / beastmaster 1
PrismCat21
15.5, silver


Erzu (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632811&postcount=35)
Dragonborn human druid 1 / duskblade 3 / beast heart adept 1 / beastmaster 1
PrismCat21
15, bronze


Irela Swiftwing (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632821&postcount=36)
Wood elf ranger 4 / barbarian 1 /moonsea skysentinel 1
DeTess
11


Rawulf (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24632822&postcount=37)
Lupin marshal 1 / savage nature bard 4 / beast heart adept 1
MinimanMidget
16, gold



Thanks to everyone for playing! Great job all around. Special congrats to our medalists: MinimanMidget takes gold, and the other two are swept up by PrismCat21!

New thread here (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?617510-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-E6-Appetizer-Edition-(Round-XXV)&p=24666502)!

[jdizzlean]

I still have buttercup to do...

lol

[Zaq]

Um.

Welp.

That’s awkward.

My bad for not reading the whole thing. Mea culpa. Though I would request that the next time you respond to 80% of the outstanding issues, please mention that you’re working on the remainder, I guess?

Seriously, sorry for getting trigger-happy... that’s on me, team. I’ll try harder.

[jdizzlean]

I didn't see it either until after I posted, then I was out of time and I've been afb since

[PrismCat21]

So... is this round over now??

[Zaq]

Yes, we're on to the next round now.

[PrismCat21]

Alrighty. Since this round is now over, I have a couple questions for jdizzlean. I wanted to ask them before the reveal while waiting for all the disputes to be answered, so it would be more fresh, but with another's concern that it would turn into an endless back-and-forth, I decided to wait until the round was over. With the Judge saying that he still had a dispute to do, I assumed he was going to eventually do it, so I waited for the response to the last dispute so the round could end.

{Scrubbed}

[daremetoidareyo]

Alrighty. Since this round is now over, I have a couple questions for jdizzlean. I wanted to ask them before the reveal while waiting for all the disputes to be answered, so it would be more fresh, but with another's concern that it would turn into an endless back-and-forth, I decided to wait until the round was over. With the Judge saying that he still had a dispute to do, I assumed he was going to eventually do it, so I waited for the response to the last dispute so the round could end.

{Scrub the post, scrub the quote}

{Scrubbed}

[truemane]

Metamagic Mod: thread re-opened after review.