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BOC2
2007-10-30, 05:07 PM
Alright, I'm usually a caster-type, but at the moment I'm getting ready for a very melee-themed campaign... And I'm completely devoid of good ideas... I need a good idea for a 12th level melee character that can involve any of the following:

PhB
Complete Mage
Complete Arcane
Complete Divine
Complete Scoundrel
Complete Warrior
Heroes of battle ( awesome supplement =) ))

Needs to be roleplayable, but not a wimp either. Please? Anyone?

Enguhl
2007-10-30, 05:11 PM
Shield basher!
I love shield bashers!

herrhauptmann
2007-10-30, 05:15 PM
Look up tactical feats and weapon style feats.
If you want an 'original' idea, you should only take broad suggestions from others, otherwise, you're just using their idea.

nobodylovesyou4
2007-10-30, 05:15 PM
leap attack, disarming, grappling, and tripper are my recommendations for type. everything else is up to you.

Glyphic
2007-10-30, 05:24 PM
Shield basher!
I love shield bashers!

I agree, go Captain america. Get an over sized heavy steel shield, give it spikes. Pick up a couple of shield bashing feats and maybe even shield sling (cwarrior, I think). Wear spandex and kick ass.

Oversized, it should count as a two handed weapon, so you can power attack and charge all you like.

cupkeyk
2007-10-30, 05:27 PM
Okay, this uses books other than what you specified but I just wanted to pimp my kobold. He uglifies people to death. (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60800)

Fax Celestis
2007-10-30, 05:32 PM
Beguiler/Duskblade. Wield a sap and channel the whelm series of spells. Knock people out with single swings.

Stormcrow
2007-10-30, 05:33 PM
*smiles at the title* By asking someone else for the idea doesn't it cease to be original when you use it?

Iku Rex
2007-10-30, 05:37 PM
How about something like this (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2741325&postcount=7)? It uses the cheesy wraithstrike spell from Complete Adventurer (not on the list, I know) for heavy damage, but it's still a solid character without it. The general build can easily be adapted to a fighter/wizard base.

Jack Mann
2007-10-30, 05:45 PM
Go into drunken master. Buy out a fishmonger. Dual-wield squid.

BOC2
2007-10-30, 05:45 PM
*smiles at the title* By asking someone else for the idea doesn't it cease to be original when you use it?


Yeah, well... I didn't mean COMPLETELY origninal... In this day and age, there's no such thing. >.<

But I like the sheild basher ideas a lot, and I was thinking about doing a Drunken Master as well (soooo many roleplay oppurtunities, but it wouldn't fit very well into where the party is starting [which is in a land completely dominated by dragons and barbarians] ) I bet I'd like all of the other ones if I had the supplements to know what the heck they were talking about. :smalleek: They sound cool, though...:smallsmile:

Temp
2007-10-30, 05:58 PM
A Druid focusing on Mounted Combat and Summoning. Ride your Nature's Allies into battle?

cupkeyk
2007-10-30, 06:07 PM
Oh I have always wanted to play a wizard5, swiftblade 10, abjurant champion 5

TheOtherMC
2007-10-30, 06:09 PM
I agree, go Captain america. Get an over sized heavy steel shield, give it spikes. Pick up a couple of shield bashing feats and maybe even shield sling (cwarrior, I think). Wear spandex and kick ass.

Oversized, it should count as a two handed weapon, so you can power attack and charge all you like.

Shield Sling is in PH2 actually. PH2 has a metric ****ton of awesome shield feets in it.

Kizara
2007-10-30, 06:09 PM
Barbarian 1/fighter 2/paladin of freedom 3 (or hexblade, if you dont wanna be a pally)/frenzied beserker 6.

Finish FB at level 16, and then go occult slayer.

Feats: Power attack, cleave, destructive rage, intimidating rage, extra rage, leap attack, improved bull rush, shock trooper.

Be human and consider grabbing improved initiative. Alternately, be a goliath (Races of the Wild, gain powerful build (wield bigger weapons) and a nice bonus to str and con for +1 LA).

Also consider getting leadership and getting a cleric or bard cohort, so someone has an 'off' switch for you (calm emoitions).

BardicDuelist
2007-10-30, 09:30 PM
Stab people with arrows/bolts. This has the advantage of giving you cheaper weapons!

No, I don't have any serious ideas today.

Hawriel
2007-10-30, 11:27 PM
ok the shield basher is nice but its been done twice, Captain America and the knight character from the old D&D cartoon.

I say moddle your melee character after Captain Caveman

Dwarven Barbarian Berserker that fights with a magical great club.

Lemur
2007-10-31, 02:02 AM
Maybe not so "original" original, since I've seen others come up with a similar idea, but the War Chanter PrC provides some flavorful and not too shabby melee options (plus you'll help your melee allies). I favor "the orc who wants to be an opera singer" (but who clearly has the wrong kind of voice for it, being an orc).

Mix bard with fighter and/or barbarian for the levels before WC, throw in karmic strike and combat reflexes, and obviously power attack, and you're already pretty solid. Leap attack or headlong rush aren't bad ideas, but elusive target might be a good thing to shoot for instead. Either way, you'll be pretty good, and you'll make your companions better as well.

The main problem with this concept is pissing off your group by trying to speak in a gravelly voiced recititive, although I guess you could just not be an orc or half-orc. But then it's not quite as funny.

Nowhere Girl
2007-10-31, 02:49 AM
Actually, yes, go drunken master, but use an ordinary hammer (which counts as an improvised weapon if used to fight) as your weapon of choice. Heck, get an adamantine one made (obviously, you can't manage to break that on a natural 1 no matter what the rules say, unless your DM is nuts), get it all enchanted up, and really go to town.

But here's the important part: you also need a sling, and you must use it to fire all kinds of weird and varied ammunition.

Finally, when you use the hammer, you must shout, "Usopp ... HAMMER!"

Dhavaer
2007-10-31, 03:05 AM
Go into drunken master. Buy out a fishmonger. Dual-wield squid.

You've been playing Pseudoquest, haven't you?

TheGreatJabu
2007-10-31, 03:49 AM
Sundering a Carried or Worn Object
You don’t use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object’s AC. A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. To attempt to snatch away an item worn by a defender rather than damage it, see Disarm. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.


Use whatever classes you want, but make a super-strong Sundering machine. Then make liberal use of the rules allowing you to sunder worn/carried objects. Chop up the shield, then you can chop that Ring of Protection +5 right off of their hands! After that, bash the armor off of them, and suddenly that AC 34 person you were facing off with is down to about 16.

Nowhere Girl
2007-10-31, 04:05 AM
Even more fun with sundering:

Use a whip.

I'm serious. You won't be optimal, but you'll make everyone laugh.

Whips are one-handed weapons. As with any one-handed weapon, per RAW you can use a whip two-handed. You can also Power Attack with it.

At higher levels, Power-Attacking for full, you'll be able to slice through solid steel doors like a hot knife through butter. Whips are slashing weapons, so they can be used to attack weapons and shields as well. Go down the feat chain to Shock Trooper, grab pounce through barbarian, and you can make an accurate full attack charge, Power-Attacking at your full BAB, from 15 feet away (20 if you're Enlarged). Not even adamantine weapons will survive your onslaught! And you can trip, too.

To garner even more giggles out of the group, add Combat Brute to your repetoire. Now make one of those Power-Attacking Shock Trooper charges, sunder your opponent's adamantine greatsword like it's made of tissue paper in a mighty thundering blow, and then watch your whip bounce harmlessly off of his flimsy padded armor on the Sundering Cleave follow-through.

Dullyanna
2007-10-31, 07:47 AM
Sundering a Carried or Worn Object
You don’t use an opposed attack roll to damage a carried or worn object. Instead, just make an attack roll against the object’s AC. A carried or worn object’s AC is equal to 10 + its size modifier + the Dexterity modifier of the carrying or wearing character. Attacking a carried or worn object provokes an attack of opportunity just as attacking a held object does. To attempt to snatch away an item worn by a defender rather than damage it, see Disarm. You can’t sunder armor worn by another character.

Can't do that last part, Jabu. And it'd be a far better idea to disarm the guy, so you get his weapon later on.

BrotherMick
2007-10-31, 08:02 AM
You would need MM2 but i always wanted ot try making a Tauric halfling/blink dog that was a scout and used a lance. Once a round blink away and charge in again. Base the Character off the little knight that rode the dog in Labyrinth, Sir Didymus

Roderick_BR
2007-10-31, 08:40 AM
Be a half-orc, and hit people with a tree.

"He hit me. With a tree!"
- A dazzled Krusky (masters of the wild, 3.0)

I don't remember it well, but converting from 3.0, it would be a 2 handed exotic bludgeoning weapon that deals 2d6 damage for a medium character, and can be thrown, as a throwing hammer. Get the Brutal Throw from PHB2, and you can hit people on the head with a high strength score.
Yeah, it does look like a huge log. Have it built with metal, and enchant it with a returning spell.

Ninja Chocobo
2007-10-31, 08:43 AM
Go into drunken master. Buy out a fishmonger. Dual-wield squid.

SOMEBODY MUST DO THIS.

Indon
2007-10-31, 08:46 AM
Can't do that last part, Jabu. And it'd be a far better idea to disarm the guy, so you get his weapon later on.

Does it cost anything, in terms of XP, to repair magical items?

I seem to recall that when a magical item is repaired, it regains its' power.

The J Pizzel
2007-10-31, 08:55 AM
Be a goblin with non-normal eyes who forsakes his evil heritage and tries to make a life among humans. Also, he should have an alter ego named "the savage", which he uses to kill everything in sight. Also, he should have a celestial badger that he calls sometimes. Also, he should definitly carry two short swords.

What...?

Keld Denar
2007-10-31, 09:01 AM
0 Goliath (for powerful build)
2 Barbarian 1 (Lion Totem) Power Attack
3 Fighter 1 Improved Bull Rush
4 Fighter 2 Dungeoncrasher (alt class feature from Dungeonscape) +4d6 dmg
5 Fighter 3 Knockback
6 Fighter 4 Exotic Weapon: Spiked Chain
7 Fighter 5 Weapon Focus:Spike Chain
8 Fighter 6 Dungeoncrasher (same, increases to +8d6)
9 Exotic Weapon Master (Flurry of Strikes)

20 Profit

Now, you charge someone and hit them....hard. The first attack from pounce, hit, trigger knockback, bullrush 5' 2nd hit, knockback, bullrush 5', 3rd hit (flurry), knockback, bullrush 5', 4th hit (haste?), knockback, bullrush 5'. Hope your opponent hits a wall at some point. If they do, you churn them into butter with the rest of your attacks as you bullrush them into the wall for +8d6 damage each swing due to Dungeoncrasher. Get an Anklet of Translocation so you can teleport 10 ft to you opponent if you move them out of your full attack range. If they try to move away from the wall, claim your AoO and churn some more. Brutal.

Hyfigh
2007-10-31, 12:20 PM
How about a bard? I know most don't associate them with melee intensive, but this is actually OK.

Human, Bard 10/Sorcerer 1/Swashbuckler 1/Fighter 1/Dread Pirate 7 (Not taken in that order)

Quite feat intensive to get here, but with the right set up you end up with around 16BAB, weapon finesse, and two-weapon fighting.

Feats: Song of the Heart, Words of Creation, Lingering Song, Focused Performer, Focused Performance, Draconic Heritage (Emerald Dragon), Dragonfire Inspiration.

With this set up you can end up with a boost to your allies over +10 from your inspire courage. If you don't want a straight up attack bonus, use it with Dragonfire Inspirations for +10d6 sonic damage. For an additional 3 bardic music uses, use them both!

You can alternatively target a single person in the same fashion but double those numbers even.

Bauglir
2007-10-31, 12:55 PM
See if you can't get your DM to allow you to stack Battle Sorcerer (UA) and Stalwart Sorcerer (Complete Mage). You'll have an effective d12 hit die, medium BAB, good Fort and will, Weapon Focus in any martial weapon of your choice, and really crappy spellcasting. There will be trouble on those levels where you know 0 spells, though. Minor detail. Just make sure to grab Spell Shield (lose familiar, it's in Dungeonscape) and Arcane Strike, so you can use those spell slots you get anyway to boost your damage absorbing capability and your damage dealing capability when you need to. I'm playing this right now, actually, in a gestalt game, and liking it. My CHA is 16 when I have 7th level spell slots, but what do I care? I can't cast anything out of them anyway.

tomaO2
2007-11-01, 01:13 AM
If you have the stats for it, how good is going with the Two-Weapon Fighting tree for a melee-er? I like the idea of two weapons as opposed to a single one, with or without a shield but I'm not sure how great it is in comparison. I also read good things about Improved Trip, so might making the offhand weapon a light trip weapon be a good idea? If not, what kinds of weapon combo?

Or is the whole thing too feat heavy against some other options?:smallconfused:

Goumindong
2007-11-01, 01:32 AM
Play an improved disarm, improved unarmed attack generalist fighter.

Steal your opponents weapon and then hit him with it.

Jack Mann
2007-11-01, 01:33 AM
You've been playing Pseudoquest, haven't you?

Nope. Do they do that? Gosh darn it, I hoped I'd had an original idea. Phooey.

Temp
2007-11-01, 01:39 AM
If you have the stats for it, how good is going with the Two-Weapon Fighting tree for a melee-er? I like the idea of two weapons as opposed to a single one, with or without a shield but I'm not sure how great it is in comparison. I also read good things about Improved Trip, so might making the offhand weapon a light trip weapon be a good idea? If not, what kinds of weapon combo?

Or is the whole thing too feat heavy against some other options?

Two Weapon Fighting is horrible for a non-Rogue. Rogues do it well because it multiplies their Sneak Attack Dice.
Non-Rogues do it poorly for a few reasons:

1:It requires a full-Round action to be useful (this hurts Rogues too, but Rogues usually don't have Two-Handed Power Attack potential so they aren't missing out on anything).
2:It hurts Power Attack and Power Attack is the primary damage source for most melee fighters.
3:It costs too many feats... to basically make your character worse... there's a problem.
4:It introduces MAD into your Build. You need Dex to meet requirements and Dex does nothing to help with damage.

Trip+Light Weapons is not a good move. Read the Trip rules. You want two hands and you want reach to make that effective.

The most effective Two Weapon Fighters are Tiger Claw-Focused Warblades/Swordsages with Bloodclaw Master dips. If you can, get TWF through Ranger (With 6 Ranger levels you can still get 9th level maneuvers). The most effective weapon combinations are Two-Handers and armor spikes.
Swords and Shields are *okay* if you're really needing an extra push in your defenses and you think Animated Shields are cheesy.


Realize I'm not saying it's not a possibility. It's just not as powerful as other options, which has nothing to do with the OP's request.

tomaO2
2007-11-01, 02:09 AM
I see, Thank you for explaining it Temp.

Well, what is you DID want to introduce some MAD though? One of the things that intrigued this admittedly novice player is the concept of what I'd do with high stats and being able to take full advantage of all three of the physicals if you are luckly enough to get the chance.

Funkyodor
2007-11-01, 02:20 AM
Reach is definately more effective with trip. But weapon size does not matter with trip, only with disarm. The only thing that matters with trip is opponent physical size compared to your size.

Reach trip with a Guisarme, then when they get up and can't attack you because you are too far away... Full attack em' and trip again.

Grynning
2007-11-01, 02:27 AM
TWF isn't necessarily horrible, and a lot of people like it for the coolness factor. Personally, I'm not a huge fan, but you can still get decent damage out of TWF builds. A fighter/scout or ranger/scout that PRC's into Dervish from CW is a great combo, since dervish dance lets you full attack and get your skirmish bonus on each attack (skirmish applies to every attack in the round, it's just usually limited by the fact that you have to move), and the high crit rate of scimitars in both hands isn't too bad.
Also, I'm a big fan of swashbucklers lately, and they can be decent TWF'ers, especially with the shield of blades alternate class feature from PHB II and the 5 lvl Tempest PrC from CA (really high AC build, totally makes up for not having a shield). This does have a bit of a MAD problem though, since Dex is needed for the feats and weapon finesse, and Str and Int are both important for your damage.

Keld Denar
2007-11-01, 08:32 AM
If you are heart set on going TWF, follow the above post, especially the dervish suggestion. Also, look to upgrading your weapon as much as possible.

Wounding (+2) is probably the best upgrade to put on both weapons for a TWF. One point of CON damage per hit, and TWF builds hit a lot (especially dervishes, go read 1000 Cuts). CON damage scales, because the more HD a creature has, the more HP they lose per 2 points of CON. The 15 HD giant you just danced around who takes 12 attacks from wounding weapons just lost 90 HP on top of all the weapon damage you just delt. Your weakness is constructs, undead, and elementals though, since they are all immune to ability damage.

Holy (+2) is another good enhancement. +2d6 damage on anything evil. That should cover most things you fight. You gain damage vs undead, but you still lack power vs constructs and elementals though.

Collision(MIC) (+2) is a great enhancement. It adds a flat +5 damage to all hits. This is slightly less damage than Holy (5 vs average 7) but it hurts everything equally. Collision doesn't care if you are a construct, and elemental, undead, or just plain guys from Montana. It doesn't discriminate against alignments so it cuts them all, the good, the neutral, and the ugly.

Vicious (+2) is similar to Collision. Its energy damage is untyped, so it even gets through DR/-. 2d6 against everything (average 7). Unfortunately, it does 1d6 to you every time you hit. Use it with care. NOTHING prevents the backlash of energy from Vicious. If you make 10 attacks in a round, you get to add 20d6 damage to your foes, but be prepared to take 10d6 yourself. That hurts. Good for the risk takers and gamblers who hope their opponents run out of hp before they do.

Not Dice
2007-11-01, 03:50 PM
I saw the reccommendation for a Sundering fighter before and I will second it. By going with a high STR build and opting for Power Attack, Imp Sunder, Leaping Attack and Combat Brute feats (which with pre-reqs should be doable by 6th level for a Ftr), you can unload a pretty large amount of damage modifiers onto a Sunder attempt, particularly with a two-handed weapon.

Speaking of which, go with an Adamantine weapon of some kind, and see if you can model its creation after the example weapon Shatterspike in the SRD. If it's a melee-heavy game, it will be a valuable balance shift in combat to be able to neuter enemy melee combatants by simply striking their weapons as opposed to trying to defeat their AC and HP. One hit from a build like that can shatter almost anything in one blow.

Dhavaer
2007-11-01, 03:54 PM
Nope. Do they do that? Gosh darn it, I hoped I'd had an original idea. Phooey.

Yep. The ultimate weapon in the game is the Sharp Squid. Add the doppleweapon (changes to look like your primary weapon) and you're duel wielding squid.

BOC2
2007-11-01, 05:17 PM
:eek: So many options... So many options of which I have no idea what any of them mean... :eek:

Hahah, I like a lot of these, though. Sunderer, TWF, and Drunken Master seem to have turned out quite popularly. Of course, there are so many great ideas to choose here... To be honest, I'm pretty new here, and I don't know too terribly much about most maneuvers... Make that any maneuvers other than the whack-the-guy-with-your-massive-weapon maneuver. But I am definitely going to have a lot of thinking to do now.