Maxing Concentration

[RNightstalker]

So I really like the Insightful Strike and Greater Insightful Strike maneuvers from ToB. I need the Playground's help as I haven't found too many ways to boost the Concentration Skill. What I have so far (by 20th level):

-Max ranks +23
-custom third eye concentrate +30 competence
-masterwork tools +2 circumstance
-+6 CN item +3 or Chosen of Mystra (+10 CN) for a +5
-Divine Insight +15 insight
-Skill focus +3
-Greater heroism +4 morale
-Luckstone +1 luck
-Blade meditation +2
-Discipline +2

Anybody know of any other ways for alchemical bonuses, sacred/profane, custom skill items other than competence bonus, other spells, items, or special abilities, etc.? Is it possible to enhance the masterwork tools?

Thanks!

[Gruftzwerg]

Symbionts + Aid Another

Get yourself any kind of symbionts and let them aid you for an untyped stackable +2 bonus. The more symbionts you have, the more bonus you can stack.

[Doctor Despair]

Item Familiar is a strong option to consider

[Biggus]

As custom items are allowed, it'd be more cost-effective to get several different +10 bonuses than one +30. As well as luck, morale and sacred/profane, there are a few items which give enhancement bonuses to skills, and at least one which gives an unnamed bonus (Mantle of Great Stealth, ELH).

[Troacctid]

Steady Concentration lets you take 10.

As custom items are allowed, it'd be more cost-effective to get several different +10 bonuses than one +30. As well as luck, morale and sacred/profane, there are a few items which give enhancement bonuses to skills, and at least one which gives an unnamed bonus (Mantle of Great Stealth, ELH).
Custom item pricing only supports competence bonuses.

[Saintheart]

Moment of Prescience gets the insight bonus to +25, and if you get a Urpriest Runecaster to make it for you, it's "only" 128,000 gp for a permanent rune of it.

Improvisation is a Bard 1 spell and gets you 1/2 CL in luck bonuses.

Another avenue is to look for stuff that doesn't boost Concentration specifically, but boosts all CON-based checks. Haven't looked into these, but in the STR sphere you have Brute Gauntlets for example.

[Biggus]

Custom item pricing only supports competence bonuses.

If you're talking about the table in the DMG, that's true, but there are lots of items which give skill bonuses of other types, so there's plenty of precedent.

[Saintheart]

Further to stuff that boosts CON and/or CON-based skill checks, which therefore increases Concentration:

- Bear's Endurance: +2 to CON-based skill checks in effect

- Bite of the Werebear (+8 to CON, therefore +4 to Concentration skill checks)

- Amulet of Health

- Manual of Bodily Health

- Belt of Dwarvenkind

Also:

- Surge of Fortune: natural 20 on any 1 skill roll

- Also, MoI: bind a magic item to the crown chakra, +2 insight bonus to Concentration

[Biggus]

Further to stuff that boosts CON and/or CON-based skill checks, which therefore increases Concentration:


There's lots more stuff which boosts Constitution listed here: http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=176.0

[MaxiDuRaritry]

This is nearly free and lasts a whole year (at least) on all the spells you could want to apply:


Find or plant an oak tree somewhere, preferably on a plane that is timeless with regards to magic. Cast a Sculpted (un)hallow spell so that it affects some of the tree's canopy. Tie the acorn of far travel (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fw/20040710a) spell to it. Now all the acorns in the AoE are affected by the spell, so you can give acorns out to whomever you like. (You can only have one AoFT spell in effect at once; this doesn't preclude you from affecting multiple acorns with the same spell.) Now use Sculpt Spell to make a bunch of line-shaped (un)hallow spells pointing straight up. Now each of these (un)hallow spells has a different spell attached to it, such as haste, polymorph, magic circle against evil, death ward, etc. Now you count as being under the tree's canopy while you hold the acorn, and all these spells are in effect under the tree. If you want more than one at a time, just make sure you occupy more than one 5' space, and make sure good spell combos are all next to each other below the tree's canopy.Polymorph or metamorphosis for a sky-high Con, for instance.

[Darg]

Marshal's Motivate Constitution minor aura adds the Marshall's CHA modifier to CON based skill checks.

[RNightstalker]

Symbionts + Aid Another

Get yourself any kind of symbionts and let them aid you for an untyped stackable +2 bonus. The more symbionts you have, the more bonus you can stack.

How would that work in a battle setting?


Item Familiar is a strong option to consider

Good pull, I need to look into that further.


Moment of Prescience gets the insight bonus to +25, and if you get a Urpriest Runecaster to make it for you, it's "only" 128,000 gp for a permanent rune of it.

Improvisation is a Bard 1 spell and gets you 1/2 CL in luck bonuses.

Another avenue is to look for stuff that doesn't boost Concentration specifically, but boosts all CON-based checks. Haven't looked into these, but in the STR sphere you have Brute Gauntlets for example.

Good looking on the spells, but how would a permanent item of it work if it's dischargeable?
I was actually hoping the playground would help with the CN-based checks, as the only thing I've been able to find is the stone of good luck.


If you're talking about the table in the DMG, that's true, but there are lots of items which give skill bonuses of other types, so there's plenty of precedent.

There's precedent for other things like AC and attack bonuses having different kinds of bonuses, but most items only give competence bonuses. Aside from the luckstone, which I've broken down to improve in other threads, can you think of anything else?


Further to stuff that boosts CON and/or CON-based skill checks, which therefore increases Concentration:

- Bear's Endurance: +2 to CON-based skill checks in effect

- Bite of the Werebear (+8 to CON, therefore +4 to Concentration skill checks)

- Amulet of Health

- Manual of Bodily Health

- Belt of Dwarvenkind

Also:

- Surge of Fortune: natural 20 on any 1 skill roll

- Also, MoI: bind a magic item to the crown chakra, +2 insight bonus to Concentration

The surge of fortune spell is a great pull, thanks. Is MoI worth it? Most of the times I've tried to look into it, it really didn't make much sense.


There's lots more stuff which boosts Constitution listed here: http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=176.0

Too bad the min/max forum doesn't have the same for skills lol.


Marshal's Motivate Constitution minor aura adds the Marshall's CHA modifier to CON based skill checks.

That's good. I'll make sure to talk another PC into it lol.

[Zaq]

Universal aptitude (Tome of Magic pp. 244-5) gives a +5 typeless bonus to all skill checks for 5 rounds.

[RNightstalker]

Universal aptitude (Tome of Magic pp. 244-5) gives a +5 typeless bonus to all skill checks for 5 rounds.

Typeless/unnamed bonuses are my favorite! What does a character need to be/do in order to gain access to that?

[darkdragoon]

Githcraft armor/shield.

[Gruftzwerg]

How would that work in a battle setting?




Symbionts + Aid Another:


You can also use this standard action to help a friend in other ways, such as when he is affected by a spell, or to assist another character’s skill check.

A symbiont (e.g. Ghostly Visage) who is attached to you already uses your Initiative count. It thus just needs to use it own standard action to aid your skill check. The more symbionts you have, the more untyped +2 you can stack.

Another option I used on my Orochimaru build is the Hoard Gullet spell. The spell creates an extradimensional space in your gullet. Store more symbionts or other creatures who are willing to aid you in there.

This cheese should be only used with care, since it can easily break the game if you go overboard. But I think that is obvious here ;)

edit: If you where looking for an RP explanation, the symbionts aid you in your concentration by sharing info of what they see/hear in your surrounding, while you can more focus on the thing that requires your concentration.
If you have watched Naruto: Black Zetsu used to "Aid another" on Kaguya all the time by sharing senses and aiding in combat decisions.

[Saintheart]

Good looking on the spells, but how would a permanent item of it work if it's dischargeable?

Permanent in the context of runes doesn't mean a permanency effect, it means a rune with unlimited charges, i.e. touch the rune, and you get the spell cast on you again, akin to an auto-reset magic trap without anywhere near the price or time to make (runes taking 10 minutes plus the casting of the spell to create).

[MaxiDuRaritry]

Psicrystal and familiar? Get ones that improve Concentration. They can Aid Another on it, too.