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The Viscount
2021-02-02, 08:30 PM
Welcome to Optimization Stadium, the field of combat for our storied competition. Here the contestants will be transmuting lead into gold as we showcase the overlooked, underused, weird, wild, and wonky prestige classes.

Paying tribute to a storied old round in Stonelord, here's my rendition of a grab-bag class. Turn to Complete Warrior and bite down on this leather strap, this round we're cooking with Tattooed Monk!

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef. Here in Optimization Colosseum, contestants will endeavor to create an optimized and flavorful character using a specified D&D 3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

Contestants: You will need to present a full 20-level build for your entry. Also required is a rundown of how your build works at lower levels, to demonstrate that it is a functional character that could be played from 1-20 in a real game. Traditionally contestants give "snapshots" of tactics and abilities at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20. The purpose of these snapshots is not just to showcase your use of the SI, it is to demonstrate that your character is playable at every level. For this reason, it's still worth giving a snapshot before you have entered the SI.

Menu: The "special ingredient" can be drawn from any legal source. Originally, the plan was to mostly use Core and Completes, but that was a long time ago, and we've started running out of interesting classes to use if we restrict ourselves to those.

32 point-buy is the presumed creation method.
If you do use a different point-buy, please make your case for its necessity in your entry. Keep in mind that for using exceptionally large or small point-buys may warrant deductions in elegance and/or power.

Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. Here's a guide to most of what has and hasn't been updated. (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/dnd/20050110x) Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt or Generic Classes are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden. Please refrain from using Taint unless it's necessary for the Secret Ingredient.
NB: Official Errata and 3.5 updates to 3.0 content are considered valid regardless of whether their sources would otherwise be legal. This includes the 3.5 update of Oriental Adventures given in Dragon Magazine, and the 3.5 updates of Dragonlance Campaign Setting content given in later third party Dragonlance books.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 13:59 GMT on Sunday, February 21st, 2021 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, The Viscount. You may submit build by email if it is too large for a single PM. Please put the name of your build in the subject line of your PM. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 13:59 GMT on Sunday, March 7th, 2021 to judge the builds and submit their scores. If no judges have scored by that point, only the scores of the first judge to submit will be counted.

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient.

Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.
Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is considered in poor taste, and judges are asked to take a dim view of this option, taking it into account while grading. Other things that will cause penalties here are excessive multi-classing, and classes that don't fit the concept.Please note the following: a legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Elegance, excepting the aforementioned issues with Unearthed Arcana. Using conflicting setting material may result in a penalty to Elegance at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not. In that same vein, drawing solely from the Core 3 (and the d20 SRD) should not be punished for lacking Originality.
Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!

Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their entry.NAME OF ENTRY


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


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities



Code immediately below (spoiler).

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


7th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


8th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


9th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


10th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


11th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


12th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


13th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


14th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


15th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


16th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


17th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


18th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


19th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities


20th
New Class Level
+x
+x
+x
+x
Skills
Feats
New Class Abilities



For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


Code immediately below (spoiler)Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


3rd
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


4th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


6th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


7th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


8th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


9th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


10th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


11th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


12th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


13th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


14th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


15th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


16th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


17th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


18th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


19th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-


20th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-



For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.
Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until the "reveal," in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.

Leadership is banned; we're producing a meal, not a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat or ACF through any means.

So! Who wants to sign up as a contestant, and who wants to sign up as a judge? Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing!

We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM. If there are no votes, Honorable Mention will go to the chairman's favorite build.

Past Competitions

Courtesy of some wonderful volunteers, there is a handy-dandy spreadsheet guide to all previous builds here (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oyjVU5JmeCnC8YTMqDArDqE5PszHl0Ysadz630kuTGk/edit?ts=59a4835f#gid=0).

Iron Chef I: Entropomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142470)
Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146583)
Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148584)
Iron Chef IV: Stonelord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150595)
Iron Chef V: War Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152543)
Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156876)
Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158633)
Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160266)
Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162702)
Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164381)
Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166539)
Iron Chef XII: War Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9426386)
Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172233)
Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174434)
Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176049)
Iron Chef XVI: Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178202)
Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182492)
Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186097)
Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190607)
Iron Chef XX: Incandescent Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10976416)
Iron Chef XXI: Ghostwalker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198921)
Iron Chef XXII: Dervish (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206576)
Iron Chef XXIII: Divine Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210071)
Iron Chef XXIV: Tactical Soldier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214198)
Iron Chef XXV: Scion of Tem-Et-Nu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217441)
Iron Chef XXVI: Shadowdancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220956)
Iron Chef XXVII: Mindbender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224008)
Iron Chef XXVIII: Cryokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227304)
Iron Chef XXIX: Consecrated Harrier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229688)
Iron Chef XXX: Initiate of Pistis Sophia (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233346)
Iron Chef XXXI: Shadow Sentinel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236908)
Iron Chef XXXII: Temple Raider of Olidammara (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239786)
Iron Chef XXXIII: Drow Judicator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243052)
Iron Chef XXXIV: Dragon Disciple (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246072)
Iron Chef XXXV: Death Delver (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249542)
Iron Chef XXXVI: Acolyte of the Skin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252923)
Iron Chef XXXVII: Justiciar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13865473)
Iron Chef XXXVIII: Hand of the Winged Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255215)
Iron Chef XXXIX: Renegade Mastermaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260333)
Iron Chef XL: Nightsong Infiltrator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263173)
Iron Chef XLI: Geomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266709)
Iron Chef XLII: Shadowblade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270196)
Iron Chef XLIII: Bladesinger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274122)
Iron Chef XLIV: Urban Soul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279116)
Iron Chef XLV: Talon of Tiamat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15216595)
Iron Chef XLVI: Cipher Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287314)
Iron Chef XLVII: Cold Iron Warrior (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291294)
Iron Chef XLVIII: Shadow Sun Ninja (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297327)
Iron Chef XLIX: Thrall of Orcus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302487)
Iron Chef L: Corrupt Avenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307823)
Iron Chef LI: Black Flame Zealot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312773)
Iron Chef LII: Anointed Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317934)
Iron Chef LIII: Zerth Cenobite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325164)
Iron Chef LIV: Osteomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330890)
Iron Chef LV: Mountebank (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?336373-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LV)
Iron Chef LVI: Dwarven Defender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342807-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVI)
Iron Chef LVII: Darkrunner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?349040-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVII)
Iron Chef LVIII: Spellsword (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?357412-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVIII)
Iron Chef LIX: Fleet Runner of Ehlonna (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?364667-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LIX)
Iron Chef LX: Lasher (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371835-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Iron Chef LX(II): Acolyte of the Ego (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?372145-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Iron Chef LXII: Dungeon Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?376810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXII)
Iron Chef LXIII: Witchborn Binder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?382632-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIII)
Iron Chef LXIV: Slime Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?387166-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIV)
Iron Chef LXV: Thunder Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394981-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXV)
Iron Chef LXVI: Dwarven Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?400810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXVI)
Irogn Chef LXVII: Gnome Giant Slayer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?406613-Irogn-Chef-Optimisatiogn-Challegnge-ign-the-Playgrougnd-LXVII)
Iron Chef LXVIII: Fang of Lolth (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?412530-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXVIII)
Iron Chef LXIX: Shiba Protector (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?420165-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIX)
Iron Chef LXX: Order of the Bow Initiate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?425634-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXX)
Iron Chef LXXI: Silver Key (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?431484-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXI)
Iron Chef LXXII: Spellfire Channeler (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?439020-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXII)
Iron Chef LXXIII: Flux Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?448596-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIII)
Iron Chef LXXIV: Crinti Shadow Marauder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?458711-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIV)
Iron Chef LXXV: Thief of Life (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?472831-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXV)
Iron Chef LXXVI: Legacy Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477153-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVI)
Iron Chef LXXVII: Great Rift Skyguard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?482249-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVII)
Iron Chef LXVIII: Risen Martyr (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?487560-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVIII)
Iron Chef LXXIX: Black Blood Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?492923-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIX)
Iron Chef LXXX: Master of Many Forms (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?498359-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXX)
Iron Chef LXXXI: Serene Guardian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?502666-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXI)
Iron Chef LXXXII: Elocator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?505762-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXII)
Iron Chef LXXXIII: Winterhaunt of Iboorighu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?510581-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIII)
Iron Chef LXXXIV: Waverider (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?514631-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIV)
Iron Chef LXXXV: Astral Dancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?519296-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXV)
Iron Chef LXXXVI: Twisted Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?525401-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVI)
Iron Chef LXXXVII: Shadowsmith (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?528361-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVII)
Iron Chef LXXXVIII: Arboreal Guardian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?533367-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVIII)
Iron Chef LXXXIX: Thrall of Demogorgon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?536247-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIX)
Iron Chef XC: Bloodstorm Blade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?542380-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XC)
Iron Chef XCI: Fatemaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?550203-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCI)
Iron Chef XCII: Eye of the Xanathar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?556092-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCII)
Iron Chef XCIII: Hoardstealer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?560330-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIII)
Iron Chef XCIV: Doomlord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?564804-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIV)
Iron Chef XCV: Gnomish Artificer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?571065-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCV)
Iron Chef XCVI: Oozemaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576075-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVI)
Iron Chef XCVII: Aerial Avenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?579553-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVII)
Iron Chef XCVIII: Visionary Seeker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?583331-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVIII)
Iron Chef XCIX: Life Eater (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?589964-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIX)
Iron Chef C: Swiftblade (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?601292-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-C)

Iron Chef CI: Night Mask Deathbringer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?610308-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CI)
Iron Chef CII: Blade Dancer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?613031-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CII)
Iron Chef CIII: Psion Uncarnate (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?614461-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CIII)
Iron Chef CIV: Atavist (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?615697-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CIV)
Iron Chev CV: Primeval (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?618136-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CV)
Iron Chef CVI: Disciple of Mammon (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?620730-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVI)
Iron Chef CVII: Insidious Corruptor (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?622560-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVII)
Iron Chef CVIII: Crimson Scourge (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?624099-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVIII)
The Viscount
2021-02-02, 08:31 PM
FAQ:
Q: What's this even about?
A: I'm glad you asked, actually... (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=15415117&postcount=1)

Q: Is Dragon Compendium Allowed?
A: Yes (as well as its Errata), but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

Q: What about 3.0 materials?
A: 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition.

Q: Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources?
A: The Dragonlance Campaign Setting is allowed, but the subsequent books for Dragonlance are considered 3rd party, and are therefore not eligible, despite the "WotC approved" status of those books. The same holds for Oriental Adventures (1st party) and the subsequent Rokugan books (3rd party). Materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.

Q: What about online sources in general?
A: If the online source is a) published by WotC, and b) not replaced by an updated version at a later time, it is eligible. Use it, link it.

Q: Where's the line drawn with "acceptable/unacceptable" for Unearthed Arcana? This will likely vary a bit from Chairman to Chairman. Item Familiars and Gestalt have always been verboten, since before IC migrated to GitP; don't expect that to change. Flaws have similarly always been noted as warranting a deduction; while I am Chairman, I'm extending that to Traits, though they warrant 1/2 the penalty in Elegance that a Flaw would because they're roughly 1/2 as useful. Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. In a similar vein, LA buyoff and fractional BAB are also disallowed. Bloodlines and the Retraining options presented in the PHB2 are ripe for abuse, and will be strongly discouraged as long as I am Chairman. Note that judges are allowed to look askance at any use of Unearthed Arcana not specifically mentioned above, at their discretion, and otherwise penalize Elegance according to their preference.

Q: What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean?
A: As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

Q: What's the minimum score in a category?
A: Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is mechanically illegal by the RAW, the judge may give the build a score of 0 in Elegance, and proceed to judge the entry as if the offending material was not included. Failing to meet a special requirement for a prestige class does not merit a 0, but may qualify for a penalty, at the judge's discretion. Because this contest focuses on Player Characters, an entry that is not technically allowed for a PC, but is viable as an NPC, counts as a legal entry, but may receive a minimum score at the judges' discretion.

Q: Creatures and templates with no listed LA are playable, right?
A: No. No listed LA is equivalent to LA: -. It is not suitable for PCs. If you use it, expect judges to look extremely disfavorably on it.

Q: So what's the deal with equipment, anyway?
A: There is no official policy on how much equipment you should list. Historically, judges have frowned upon "item dependent" builds, but unfortunately the definition of that has been applied to mean anything from builds that don't function if you remove one very specific item, to builds that so much as mention a particular weapon. Builds that don't list gear should be assumed to buy useful generics - items to boost their primary stats, cloaks of resistance, appropriate magical weapons and armor, and so forth. If a build would find particular items useful, they should be listed, but experience suggests that the more generic you keep them, the more favorably judges are likely to look upon them, as a build being shut down because the Thundering Bagpipes of Urist McTrumpetbritches were unavailable is considered a weakness. Similarly, requiring items in order to be able to qualify for things tends to be frowned upon.

Q: Do you have any other rules and guidelines on how to judge?
A: We do, actually, designed to try and avoid unpleasantness we've encountered in past contests. The things we've come up with to avoid repeating this are given below.

One Mistake, One Penalty

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:

Penalizing 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 penalize if a fluff prereq is not addressed at all, but not for how well it is addressed.
Please don't base your scores off the scores of another judge.


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.

Q: Do you have any contest house rules or clarifications to ambiguous rules?
A: Some that have come up in previous contests and needed answers to:

All creatures are proficient with any natural weapons they may have or acquire.
Bonus feats that are granted even if you do not meet the prerequisites do not require you to meet the prerequisites in order to use.
Able Learner's benefit applies to the level you take it.
Weapons from soulmelds are considered to be magic weapons.
Unarmed Swordsage grants Improved Unarmed Strike at level 1.
Not finishing Savage Progression is subject to a penalty to Elegance
One dispute per entry. Submit disputes by PM to the Chair.
Ghostwalk ghost is banned
Gold, silver, and bronze are awarded regardless of ties (e.g., 2 silvers does not preclude bronze)
Spelltouched feats are legal and can be taken just like any other feat when you meet the prerequisites and have the feat slot available.

Q: Can I submit more than one entry?
A: You may submit up to two entries into a given competition.
Venger
2021-02-02, 08:34 PM
Wow, what a disappointing class. Down to cook.
AvatarVecna
2021-02-02, 08:42 PM
I have a soft spot for this class, in that it's a noncaster that imprkves exponentially. But it still sucks.
Troacctid
2021-02-02, 08:56 PM
I think it's pretty clear that some of the tattoos are better than others—like way better, the power gaps are huge—but as a class I think it's totally fine. I mean, it's clearly an upgrade over the base monk.
The Viscount
2021-02-02, 09:03 PM
I think it's pretty clear that some of the tattoos are better than others—like way better, the power gaps are huge—but as a class I think it's totally fine. I mean, it's clearly an upgrade over the base monk.

But it doesn't even advance slow fall!
Venger
2021-02-02, 09:09 PM
Well I guess my stub centered around optimizing slow fall is out then.
Thurbane
2021-02-02, 09:10 PM
Interesting ingredient. I have a bit of a soft spot for this one...I'm working on my VC entry right now, but I'll see if I can come up with anything here...
The Viscount
2021-02-02, 09:44 PM
Putting these out there in case anyone was going to ask: For the "Monk abilities" feature if you do not have Monk levels, you gain the unarmed damage, AC bonus, and unarmored speed bonus of a Monk of your class level.

The Pine tattoo grants you Diehard, not Remain Conscious.

This round I am introducing a Culinary Curveball: When selecting tattoos, you may select the Cloud and Crow tattoos from the OA Tattooed Monk list. You may select the OA version of Spider or the CWar version.
Venger
2021-02-02, 09:55 PM
How interesting. I'll have to take that into consideration on my dish. This certainly keeps things fresh.
Empyreal Dragon
2021-02-02, 11:19 PM
I still await the warhulk round, but I might have a dish this time around
WhamBamSam
2021-02-03, 01:18 AM
I should learn to think "Monk PrC" when speculating about how we probably won't be getting a skillful or full BAB one.
Heavenblade
2021-02-03, 01:32 AM
What an interesting prc! Im definetly cooking something for that round.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-03, 03:39 AM
Oh, man.

My brother played this class when in our first "real" campaign, around 15 years ago, and it has always been one of my favourites. It's bad, but I like it.

I have greatly expanded my knowledge since I started actively participating in these forums. It'd be interesting to see what I could do.

100% down to cook.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-03, 05:48 AM
Hmmm, interesting. If I can polish off my VC dish, I'm definitely going to give this a shot.

Quick clarification question:

You may select the OA version of Spider or the CWar version.
Do you mean the printed, un-updated OA version? Because I had a quick look at the OA 3.5 update and the update's version of Spider is identical to the CWar version.
Zaq
2021-02-03, 11:23 AM
That's, um, a list, I suppose.

I'm glad there's at least a LITTLE bit of level-gating so it's not AUTOMATICALLY the case that every choice you make in the class is one that you've passed over at every prior level. Though there's still a lot of that.

Strong acolyte of the ego energy in this one, honestly. I think they used tattooed monk as the basis for AotE. That's... not a good thing. But I definitely get that feeling.

The [REDACTED] tattoo is so weird that it feels like it opens up some good shenanigans, but I honestly can't see how to abuse it without bringing in stuff that would be hardcore abusive even in the absence of that tattoo. Interested to see if someone else finds a trick there.

Gotta love a monk class--which assumes that you're not using armor--requiring Endurance.

Do you get the impression that the devs forgot that activating tattoos takes a move action? Feels like kind of a disproportionate cost. Some of these would be passable as a free/swift action (I know CWar didn't really do swift actions) but are pretty much traps at a greater action cost.

I hope I can come up with something because this class is intriguingly bad, but I haven't immediately found a hook to build around. I'll keep thinking.

That 10th level. Such capstone. Very design. So feature. wow
NotInventedHere
2021-02-03, 12:32 PM
Do you get the impression that the devs forgot that activating tattoos takes a move action? Feels like kind of a disproportionate cost. Some of these would be passable as a free/swift action (I know CWar didn't really do swift actions) but are pretty much traps at a greater action cost.

Jeez, I'd missed the 'they're all move actions' part, these were bad enough when I thought they were swift... wait wait wait.

Scorpion: Once per day per tattoo he possesses, a character with this tattoo can force an opponent attacking him to use his lowest ability score modifier instead of his Strength or Dexterity score modifier when making his attack roll. The character can activate this tattoo on his opponent’s turn, but he must declare it before the success or failure of the attack is determined. The tattooed monk must be aware of the attack and not flat-footed in order to use this ability.

Uh, The Viscount, should we assume that this one's an immediate-action activation, or is it some sort of... move action you can take on your opponent's turn?
H_H_F_F
2021-02-03, 12:42 PM
Oh man, I misremembered the action thing. Oh well.

Also remembered that among the tattoos were one for each ability. Apparently, only 4/6? Gods know why.
AvatarVecna
2021-02-03, 12:52 PM
Will be judging, if I didn't already say so.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-03, 01:19 PM
Will be judging, if I didn't already say so.

Man, the man is non-stop!
AvatarVecna
2021-02-03, 01:29 PM
Man, the man is non-stop!

I'll try not to screw up so much this time. :smalltongue:
Khatoblepas
2021-02-03, 02:09 PM
Okay, I definitely have an idea for this one, and this time it doesn't involve stacking templates or rules weirdness! Just straight up using the class.
The Viscount
2021-02-03, 08:27 PM
Quick clarification question:

Do you mean the printed, un-updated OA version? Because I had a quick look at the OA 3.5 update and the update's version of Spider is identical to the CWar version.

Yes, the un-updated OA version. I thought it might be nice to have a little something different to mitigate the sting of the class.


Jeez, I'd missed the 'they're all move actions' part, these were bad enough when I thought they were swift... wait wait wait.


Uh, The Viscount, should we assume that this one's an immediate-action activation, or is it some sort of... move action you can take on your opponent's turn?

You can activate the scorpion tattoo as an immediate action. I can give you this much so the thing actually works.
Venger
2021-02-03, 08:41 PM
Another rules question, chair:

Can I get tattoo X more than one time to get more daily uses?
The Viscount
2021-02-03, 08:48 PM
Another rules question, chair:

Can I get tattoo X more than one time to get more daily uses?

You may not.
Hiro Quester
2021-02-03, 10:48 PM
Oh man.... that is an interesting pile of features. with little internal organization or progression to it beyond features that depend on the number of tattoos you have. Elegance is going to be an interesting aspect to build for and judge.

This seems the class you dip into for a particular tattoo you want on an almost-full build of other classes. (Searching the spreadsheet of previous entries finds no instances of “tattooed”, suggesting that nobody has used it that way, though.)

It will be interesting to see if anyone finds interesting and useful synergies between the tattoos. I’m supposing there are interesting synergies between some tattoos, and features granted by other classes. But I’m not yet really seeing a coherent theme or set of features among the tattoos that would make an elegant build.

I’m probably sitting this one out. I’m finding this one relatively uninspiring, so far. Meaning I have no ideas. I admire those of you who think to that makes for an interesting design challenge. And I’m curious to see what y’all can do with this to showcase this pile of bits and bobs.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-04, 07:24 AM
Anyone besides AV considering judging?
47Ace
2021-02-04, 06:53 PM
I've been watching these threads for a while and figured that I might give an entrance a try. I was not to interested when I first saw the SI but I think I have an idea.

I've never built a 3.5 character before but how hard could it be.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-04, 07:08 PM
I've been watching these threads for a while and figured that I might give an entrance a try. I was not to interested when I first saw the SI but I think I have an idea.

I've never built a 3.5 character before but how hard could it be.

Welcome, and good luck! Makes sure you've read and understood the rules of the competition, and that you know what an entry is expected to include.
Chineselegolas
2021-02-05, 03:58 AM
Been a while since I've been on the forum and done one of these. Tempted to have a go. Except my first build has a mere 12 BAB at level 20... Which feels so very wrong. Maybe I need to cut back on the ingredient and fit some full BAB class in there
H_H_F_F
2021-02-05, 06:40 PM
I'm having a lot of doubts regarding my build - and unusually for me, my fluff. I usually try to build around two main ideas: do something only the SI could do, or maneuver around the SI's downsides.

I like my entry a lot, but it feels a bit too much like I'm jumping through hoops for no real reason. I've got a few tattoos I feel I've found good use for, but it still feels too much like I'm creating problems for the SI to fix.

And I 100% remembered some of these tattoos as more potent than they are. Not actually potent, mind you, just more than they are.

Fluff wise, I just find that I'm going through the motions. Like, I like the core of the story, but I can't find an engaging way to tell it.

How is everybody else doing?
AvatarVecna
2021-02-05, 06:46 PM
I'm having a lot of doubts regarding my build - and unusually for me, my fluff. I usually try to build around two main ideas: do something only the SI could do, or maneuver around the SI's downsides.

I like my entry a lot, but it feels a bit too much like I'm jumping through hoops for no real reason. I've got a few tattoos I feel I've found good use for, but it still feels too much like I'm creating problems for the SI to fix.

And I 100% remembered some of these tattoos as more potent than they are. Not actually potent, mind you, just more than they are.

Fluff wise, I just find that I'm going through the motions. Like, I like the core of the story, but I can't find an engaging way to tell it.

How is everybody else doing?

I'm experiencing none of the problems you described, because I took actions that'll squeeze a month of frustration into two weeks of anger, which is clearly smarter. :thog:
H_H_F_F
2021-02-05, 06:53 PM
I'm experiencing none of the problems you described, because I took actions that'll squeeze a month of frustration into two weeks of anger, which is clearly smarter. :thog:

That's certainly an interesting way to think about this :smalltongue:

One aspect I'm thankful for is knowing how you judge well enough to know for sure that I'm not getting anywhere near a medal with this one. Not having to worry about that aspect is certainly nice, and I hope everyone will still enjoy the entry.
AvatarVecna
2021-02-05, 06:55 PM
That's certainly an interesting way to think about this :smalltongue:

One aspect I'm thankful for is knowing how you judge well enough to know for sure that I'm not getting anywhere near a medal with this one. Not having to worry about that aspect is certainly nice, and I hope everyone will still enjoy the entry.

Especially if I'm the only judge. :smallfrown:
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-05, 07:07 PM
I'm having a lot of doubts regarding my build - and unusually for me, my fluff. I usually try to build around two main ideas: do something only the SI could do, or maneuver around the SI's downsides.

I like my entry a lot, but it feels a bit too much like I'm jumping through hoops for no real reason. I've got a few tattoos I feel I've found good use for, but it still feels too much like I'm creating problems for the SI to fix.

And I 100% remembered some of these tattoos as more potent than they are. Not actually potent, mind you, just more than they are.

Fluff wise, I just find that I'm going through the motions. Like, I like the core of the story, but I can't find an engaging way to tell it.

How is everybody else doing?

Some people love doing fluff. I’m not one of those people, so often I just skimp on it, with some exemptions here and there where selling the mechanical trick that made me excited enough to build at all absolutely required doing more fluff. To me, writing fluff is like eating your vegetables; a necessary evil to be passably healthy.

Some things that I like doing with fluff is trying to write as how other denizens of the world would bear witness to the character. First person can be fun with the right build elements. Another thing you can do is just use a wierd narrative voice as the frame.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-05, 07:26 PM
Some people love doing fluff. I’m not one of those people, so often I just skimp on it, with some exemptions here and there where selling the mechanical trick that made me excited enough to build at all absolutely required doing more fluff. To me, writing fluff is like eating your vegetables; a necessary evil to be passably healthy.

Some things that I like doing with fluff is trying to write as how other denizens of the world would bear witness to the character. First person can be fun with the right build elements. Another thing you can do is just use a wierd narrative voice as the frame.

Hey, thanks for the advice!

I like writing the fluff. I also like doing different things with it. I dislike Begida's fluff in the Insidious corruptor round, but other than that I liked all the fluff I've written so far, and Begida was my least favourite entry by me so far in other ways as well.

Faderyn (insidious corruptor) and Frough-Gee (primeval) were short and sweet, mainly just someone else's weird musings on the character ending with a reveal that makes them make sense. Kalashtar Jones (Atavist) was a folk song. Easy to write, and flowed decently well (at least IMO). My other entry from that round, Anidina the Mad, was an unreliable narrator's musings on the nature of truth, and I enjoyed getting to pose unsettling questions without having to provide answers. Free's fluff (Primeval) was not as concise as other items here, but it was personal, and cathartic to write. On the villainous competition, I managed to give myself the creeps with "The Ghost Next Door".

This round feels like it should be good on the fluff front. I've got a good central theme and I have a fun and unique way to showcase it. I like the fluff I have for this one a lot in theory, I just can't get it to click for some reason.

Maybe it'll come once I accept the crunch and move on.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-06, 12:22 AM
I'm having a lot of doubts regarding my build - and unusually for me, my fluff. I usually try to build around two main ideas: do something only the SI could do, or maneuver around the SI's downsides.

I like my entry a lot, but it feels a bit too much like I'm jumping through hoops for no real reason. I've got a few tattoos I feel I've found good use for, but it still feels too much like I'm creating problems for the SI to fix.

And I 100% remembered some of these tattoos as more potent than they are. Not actually potent, mind you, just more than they are.

Fluff wise, I just find that I'm going through the motions. Like, I like the core of the story, but I can't find an engaging way to tell it.

How is everybody else doing?
I've got most of my build set, just need to refine a few things and write it up. I've stepped upon a funny idea for a character build. Something really unexpected I think (like my last build the Double Agent^^). But I think it won't be doing that well in the competition for similar reasons (to much optimizing..^^). Anyway, I really like the idea and will go for it.
As for the fluff, I have some lil problems to solve here myself. But I think its manageable.
__________________

BTW: Regarding the SI for this round. Is anyone going to take the last lvl of Tattooed Monk (TM)? Just a mere +1 to BAB and Saves doesn't add anything to the TM theme/fluff at all.
Further, regarding the fluff of the TM: Besides from tattoos and the regular monk combat stuff there is not much setting the fluff for the character. This gives much room for personal choices regarding the fluff.
At least I can't think of any way to make the tattoos look like the main fluff point of a character. I mean, what shall we do? I can't picture anyone introducing himself as the Tattoo Guy: "Hey look, I'm the tattoo guy, I do tattoos."...^^
The Viscount
2021-02-06, 12:37 PM
Speak for yourself, I expect at least 3 separate builds called "The Tattoo Guy."
Zaq
2021-02-06, 01:35 PM
I know of at least one (very good, quite creepy) somewhat famous literary example of a character who can reasonably be thought of as "the tattoo guy." If no one makes an explicit homage to it then I'll share the specifics of what I'm thinking of after the reveal.
Venger
2021-02-06, 03:28 PM
I like to imagine all tattooed monks' tattoos look the same, so when we run into each other, we have something to talk about.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-06, 11:51 PM
Speak for yourself, I expect at least 3 separate builds called "The Tattoo Guy."


I like to imagine all tattooed monks' tattoos look the same, so when we run into each other, we have something to talk about.

1st Guy :Hi, I'm the tattoo guy!
2nd Guy: Great, I'm also a tattoo guy.
3rd Guy: Hell no, I'm the real tattoo guy..!
...
4th party member: Nani (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUIza1btsuY)??..
eversilentone
2021-02-07, 08:04 AM
A couple of questions for the Chair:

1) Given you've ruled the Scorpion tattoo is activated with an Immediate Action, is the Unicorn tattoo also activated in that way?
2a) Those tattoos which don't have a duration, is the duration permanent until deactivated? The PrC references "continuous"...
2b) How would you deactivate such a tattoo?

Thanks in advance,
ESO
The Viscount
2021-02-07, 11:53 AM
1. Given that there's no action attached to similar reroll abilities, I'm going to say it's not an action to activate the unicorn tattoo.

2a. Yes, you may treat tattoos which are not activated, such as Crab, as having a permanent duration.

2b. If you have need to deactivate a tattoo (other than OA spider which has its own rules) you may deactivate it as a move action, and it remains off until you use another move action to reactivate it. You may also use the voluntarily lower SR rule for the phoenix tattoo.
Khatoblepas
2021-02-08, 04:50 PM
Who do I ask for rulings on vague or unclear rules that are very specific to the build I'm doing? I have a build idea but I'm not sure how a DM would rule on some of the elements, and I don't want to submit it unless it's kosher.
Venger
2021-02-08, 04:55 PM
Private message The Viscount. This is one of his duties as chair.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-11, 04:31 AM
I've worked through most of my issues with my build, though I really don't think it's going to do well come judgement time. I also still have that "one feat short" feeling.

How's everyone else doing?

Also, do we have any more volunteers to judge? Judging solo is a lot of pressure, and as a contestant I like having multiple people judging as well. I know it's stressful and a lot of work, but I'd very much like to see a larger diversity of judges in the competition. There have been overall four judges in the 6 past rounds (I'm starting at Psion Uncarnate just because that's when I came along) and 4 of these rounds had a solo judge.

Our sole judge so far for the current round is one of the 4 I've already mentioned. I think it can lead to burnout, especially when it feels like "If I don't do it, no one will."

No one has to judge of course, and if you can't invest the time, or dislike the task, or just don't want to do it, that's totally understandable. I'm mainly just talking to those who haven't really considered the option - whether they be a usual participant, a newbie, or a bystander/lurker. Consider giving it a chance!
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-11, 05:03 AM
I've worked through most of my issues with my build, though I really don't think it's going to do well come judgement time. I also still have that "one feat short" feeling.

How's everyone else doing?


Table almost finished. Need to write text and look up some fitting gear/items as recommendation, but that it. But in my chase even that can be very time consuming.

I don't expect the build to do well since I have trouble to sell the tattoos as main fluff point. But it a funny and flavorful build that doesn't need to hide when it comes to combat. (or maybe he will "Hide", who knows^^)
H_H_F_F
2021-02-11, 08:58 AM
Table almost finished. Need to write text and look up some fitting gear/items as recommendation, but that it. But in my chase even that can be very time consuming.

I don't expect the build to do well since I have trouble to sell the tattoos as main fluff point. But it a funny and flavorful build that doesn't need to hide when it comes to combat. (or maybe he will "Hide", who knows^^)

Sounds like you're having a lot of fun!

Point of order: you don't have to have item recommendations if you don't want to. If you like having them, I'm glad, have a blast - just saying that if it's not only time consuming in your case, but also frustrating or un-fun, you can submit a full entry without them.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-11, 10:51 AM
Sounds like you're having a lot of fun!

Point of order: you don't have to have item recommendations if you don't want to. If you like having them, I'm glad, have a blast - just saying that if it's not only time consuming in your case, but also frustrating or un-fun, you can submit a full entry without them.

Normally it wouldn't take much time or i wouldn't even do it. But due to the build, I want to point out a few specific items the build has "special access" to (for meeting the items requirements). As such these aren't the standard items that I know form memory and thus need to dig em out and see which I am gonna recommend or just mention.

But yeah, I'm having fun. On the other side, my Uchiha, Itachi build project is also almost finished and waits since over a month for me to spare some time for the write up..
I hope that I'll have more time for that when I finished the competition build in the next days.
Zaq
2021-02-11, 12:27 PM
I have an idea that's partially formed, but it's less reliant upon the SI than I would really like, and the hook isn't quite as interesting as I would have hoped.

If this idea doesn't pan out (I'm kinda feat-starved and, as I mentioned, it's really not about the SI to the extent that I want it to be), I'm kind of coming up blank. This class quite doggedly refuses to synergize with anything I want to use, and I admit to being flat baffled by the K: Religion requirement.

(Okay, I have one other idea, but it's stinky cheese and not actually very interesting stinky cheese, so I'll only go in that direction if I can think of a twist to actually make it funny. As it stands, it's audacious enough to elicit a cringe but not audacious enough to elicit a laugh, so that's exactly the wrong place to be.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-11, 03:17 PM
As it stands, it's audacious enough to elicit a cringe but not audacious enough to elicit a laugh, so that's exactly the wrong place to be.

I know exactly what you're talking about. That is a very eloquent and observant way to put it, and it really clarifies the nature of the phenomenon to me. I'll try to remember that.
WhamBamSam
2021-02-11, 04:01 PM
I have too many ideas, but I've settled on the two that I'm probably going to go with (will probably post the rest after either the reveal or final reveal). Since I've been churning submissions out lately, I'm going to try to judge again sometime in the not-too-distant future.
Thurbane
2021-02-11, 05:37 PM
I've also settled on an idea, but as to whether I get time or not is another question altogether...
The Viscount
2021-02-11, 08:06 PM
If this idea doesn't pan out (I'm kinda feat-starved and, as I mentioned, it's really not about the SI to the extent that I want it to be), I'm kind of coming up blank. This class quite doggedly refuses to synergize with anything I want to use, and I admit to being flat baffled by the K: Religion requirement.

Like its other prereqs, the writers were thinking "man I really want to just say that you must be a monk, but I can't do that, so I'll just make it easiest to enter with monk and let the players take the path of least resistance."

Any attempt at answering it better really just kicks the can down the road to why monk has Knowledge (Religion). Obviously the class is drawn from real world monks, but D&D monk has always been kind of "spiritual but not religious."
Zaq
2021-02-12, 11:26 AM
I admit to becoming increasingly frustrated with this class. It's... really quite remarkable how resistant it is to playing nice with anything else. So many freaking dead levels...
H_H_F_F
2021-02-12, 12:59 PM
Yeah, this ingredient is a tough one for sure. Dead levels hurt, and a dead level as a capstone hurts a lot. It's also very hard to build around 5 tattoos simultaneously. I feel a lot like I've started building around a couple of aspects and the rest just tags along. I think I did a decent enough job at paying attention to everything though.

I'm finally happy with my entry's crunch, and as expected, the fluff flows significantly better now. It isn't shaping up to be my favorite I've written, but it's working.

There are a few things I expect to see a lot of this round (can't mention that because it's speculation), and my entry doesn't tick any of these boxes, which is nice. Who knows though, maybe everyone will Vizzini away from those. I still expect my entry to get slaughtered in a couple of categories, including aspects that I'd actually praise, not penalize, were I a judge. That's life sometimes.

I'm really hoping to see some creative builds this round. A couple of faces I've gotten used to seeing in the past few rounds aren't here - I hope everyone's doing okay. There's still time to participate, or volunteer to judge!
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-12, 01:35 PM
I have a build and a half that are pretty far out there, I keep thinking that I'm close to making something out of them but the final picture hasn't gained real resolution yet
Paragon
2021-02-13, 09:39 AM
Hey everyone,

First time cooking and pretty excited (I found something nice I think)

Question though, is picking something from DrM a disqualifying offense or can it count as Elegance penality (or better can simply float as is) if you can argument it reaaaaally well ?

Or should I stay with vanilla rulings and suggest it in the discussion part instead ?
AvatarVecna
2021-02-13, 09:43 AM
DrM content isn't allowed.
The Viscount
2021-02-13, 10:13 AM
AvatarVecna is correct.

Making alternate suggestions in the discussion part, like presenting optional gear, is fine.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-13, 10:57 AM
Welcome aboard, Paragon!

As has been said, you can't go against the official rulings. Doing so is disqualifying. Hopefully you can get your idea to work without whatever content you were considering.
eversilentone
2021-02-13, 01:34 PM
Just chiming in that I believe the Dragon Compendium is allowed, and there's some fun stuff in there.
Paragon
2021-02-13, 02:38 PM
Sure, just got some minor fixes to work out and I should be good to go.

But that particular DrM option add so much flavor.

Ok, trying to be vague so as to avoid spoiling :
Imagine a 3.0 class feature for class 1 and class 2
Then 3.5 updated said class feature for class 1 but that specific class feature isn't mentioned in the update/errata of class 2

Is it :
A) because WotC didn't bother thinking it was obviously implying that the new wording was for every class that has that class feature
B) they let it like this because they want to keep it a different thing ?
Zaq
2021-02-13, 03:17 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, Viscount, but there's a specific exception for the 3.0 to 3.5 update for Oriental Adventures in Dragon 318. (If you're using that, best to reference it specifically.) And, as has been mentioned, Dragon Compendium is kosher. Anything else that's magazine-specific is a no-go.
Paragon
2021-02-13, 03:32 PM
Well the DrM 318 update OA, doesn't update every class features of every class. And some of them are copy/paste from other classes' class features who did get updated.
(I can add details but that would spoil I think)
The Viscount
2021-02-13, 03:58 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, Viscount, but there's a specific exception for the 3.0 to 3.5 update for Oriental Adventures in Dragon 318. (If you're using that, best to reference it specifically.) And, as has been mentioned, Dragon Compendium is kosher. Anything else that's magazine-specific is a no-go.

Yes, this is the more correct version of my statement.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-13, 04:41 PM
Well the DrM 318 update OA, doesn't update every class features of every class. And some of them are copy/paste from other classes' class features who did get updated.
(I can add details but that would spoil I think)

You can always PM the chair (The Viscount) and ask for a ruling or a clarification on a specific subject if you need to.

Edit: by the way, if you haven't yet, I'd recommend looking over a couple of past competitions, including the judgement part. It would help you get an idea of how things usually go here, so you wouldn't be blindsided by something like the flaw elegance penalty.
Troacctid
2021-02-14, 01:06 AM
Correct me if I'm wrong, Viscount, but there's a specific exception for the 3.0 to 3.5 update for Oriental Adventures in Dragon 318. (If you're using that, best to reference it specifically.) And, as has been mentioned, Dragon Compendium is kosher. Anything else that's magazine-specific is a no-go.
There's several other issues that are wholly or partially legal as well, but since none of them have anything interesting in them, they don't tend to come up.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-15, 08:24 AM
Whoof, finally submitted my entries. Hoping y'all will enjoy them come the reveal.

How are all the other prospective chefs/judges doing?
Paragon
2021-02-15, 03:54 PM
I submitted it yesterday ☺️

My second idea is just too weak 😅 so I'll just be contesting on the one
H_H_F_F
2021-02-15, 03:56 PM
Good luck on your first round, Paragon!
47Ace
2021-02-15, 04:33 PM
Well I have an idea (thought it's not quite working out as well as I hoped) and some note jotted down and have even read the character creation rules. But I have been busy and have not made much progress beyond that. Odds are I won't get anything submitted. Maybe the next ingredient will turn out better and I'll have more time.
Zaq
2021-02-15, 06:49 PM
I had a little unexpected free time today since the system went down at work, so I was able to put together a build skeleton, some fluff notes, and some of my proper write-up. I have to finish the write-up, make the skills, and polish the rough edges as possible, but all else being equal, I will probably get a build in.

It's not the most awe-inspiring build I've ever created, but am I playing to win or playing to play? Obviously playing to play! Winning is a side effect. Optimizing feels good, no matter the final score tally.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-15, 10:35 PM
Whoof, finally submitted my entries. Hoping y'all will enjoy them come the reveal.

How are all the other prospective chefs/judges doing?

I have nightmares of "destroying the table by missclicks" and the effort it takes to repair the damage done..^^
But I think the table is now finished and clear of errors (at least I hope so).
I've also finished the background story and the lvl snapshots.

Leaves the combat explanation & the magic item section that I want to do specific for this build. Maybe tomorrow or at the the end of the week. Dunno when I'll have the time and how much the sections will escalate..
Korahir
2021-02-16, 07:52 AM
After sitting out the last round although I had two almost complete entries for a very good reason (becoming a father), I submitted for this round. This SI is horrible in so many ways and yet so perfect for this contest. Great choice, the Visccount! Looking forward to the reveal.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-17, 05:10 AM
After sitting out the last round although I had two almost complete entries for a very good reason (becoming a father), I submitted for this round. This SI is horrible in so many ways and yet so perfect for this contest. Great choice, the Visccount! Looking forward to the reveal.

Congratulations, Korahir!

Seems like we should have plenty of entries this round too. Hopefully we'll get a second judge as well.
Paragon
2021-02-17, 07:57 AM
Congratulations, Korahir!

Seems like we should have plenty of entries this round too. Hopefully we'll get a second judge as well.

What do you have to do to be a judge ?
And what does that entail ?
H_H_F_F
2021-02-17, 10:07 AM
What do you have to do to be a judge ?
And what does that entail ?

Well, first of all, contestants can't be judges, so you and I are out of the judge pool for this one. Judges are volunteers; All you need to do to be a judge is not submit an entry, declare your intention to judge, and be willing to spend time and energy on your judgement.

As a judge, you look into each of the entries presented, and give them a score of 1-5 in 4 categories: originality, power, elegance, and use of the Special Ingredient. You can read more about thosw in this thread's OP.

If you read through a couple of past competitions, you'll get an idea of the way it's generally done - though each judge will stress different factors to different degrees.

Once a judge has passed judgement, there is a period of time for disputes - one can send the chair a PM explaining what they think the judge got wrong about their entry. The judge addresses the dispute, and either adjusts the scores or doesn't.

Once all judgements have been tabled and all disputes addressed, the entries with the top scores get medals, people openly discuss their builds and congratulate winners, and we move on to the next ingredient.
Zaq
2021-02-17, 11:35 AM
Build's in! Honestly I'm just glad to have created something. This was a pretty frustrating class to build around! Good luck, one and all!
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-17, 05:33 PM
This was a pretty frustrating class to build around! Good luck, one and all!

Dunno, I thought so at first too, but somehow I'm having a great time cooking here.^^
Am I the only one who is enjoying this round/SI?
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-17, 05:53 PM
Dunno, I thought so at first too, but somehow I'm having a great time cooking here.^^
Am I the only one who is enjoying this round/SI?

This thing is a hilarious mess.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-17, 06:35 PM
Dunno, I thought so at first too, but somehow I'm having a great time cooking here.^^
Am I the only one who is enjoying this round/SI?

As I've said, I have a soft spot for this class. It's been a challenge, but I'm happy with my entry. It was frustrating at times, but I certainly had fun - and I think this is a good pick for SI by the chair.

I'm happy with my secondary entry as well, but for very different reasons, which I'll go into after the reveal.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-17, 08:29 PM
As I've said, I have a soft spot for this class. It's been a challenge, but I'm happy with my entry. It was frustrating at times, but I certainly had fun - and I think this is a good pick for SI by the chair.

I'm happy with my secondary entry as well, but for very different reasons, which I'll go into after the reveal.

"a great challenge" would be more fitting in my chase..^^

and ToDo list seems to somehow not get smaller.. (since I keep adding things -.-)
NotInventedHere
2021-02-18, 06:14 AM
You know, I looked at the OA version a little more closely and realised Endurance isn't a prerequisite for the class in OA. When they were putting together Complete Warrior, someone looked at this class and thought 'Gee, that's a little too powerful. Better add an extra feat prerequisite.'
H_H_F_F
2021-02-18, 06:22 PM
Not too long until the reveal!

Who's still working? How are you all feeling?
Thurbane
2021-02-18, 06:25 PM
My entry didn't get any further than the concept stage. I'll post a stub after the reveal.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-18, 06:25 PM
I'm still working on mine. I have an idea, and a nice fluff concept, and something approximating a plan, but I'm still trying to get the brain juice to actually weave it all together. Especially the feat-juggling, that's always such a pain.
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-18, 06:27 PM
I have the table done. Just need to argue oodles of rules semantics for my avant-guard choices
H_H_F_F
2021-02-18, 07:27 PM
My entry didn't get any further than the concept stage. I'll post a stub after the reveal.

Well, you've been busy. That's just how it goes sometimes. Hopefully you'll get to participate on one form or another next time.


Especially the feat-juggling, that's always such a pain.

I feel that in my bones.


I have the table done. Just need to argue oodles of rules semantics for my avant-guard choices

Shenanigans? In a Dare entry? Impossible!

Good luck everyone!
The Viscount
2021-02-18, 08:26 PM
I've got my concept and skeleton done, I just gotta move it from my brain to the page. We'll see if I get that done.
Venger
2021-02-18, 08:34 PM
I've got my table worked out and am doing my playtips.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-18, 08:52 PM
I'm almost finished. Just polishing it up and trying to add some gimmicks to it. I'm curious if anyone else had a similar silly idea as I had? 8)
Paragon
2021-02-19, 06:20 AM
Well I went ahead and submitted a second entry as well haha.
More flavor than power but it's been a tremendous pleasure to build around
NotInventedHere
2021-02-19, 08:45 AM
Hey uh quick question for The Viscount and/or anyone else who's been doing this a while: what's the forum policy on 'no explicit sexuality' and images? I've found a couple of potential images to illustrate my entry, but the best one I've found, well, it's not NSFW or anything but it is a touch... risque? Is this a 'don't even risk it' sort of situation?
Paragon
2021-02-19, 12:07 PM
I've check the former contests and some are really fun. But I can't seem the finds the one that are not inscribed on the google sheet, the latest one. How should one find those ?
Thanks in advance, pretty excited about the reveal
H_H_F_F
2021-02-19, 02:22 PM
I've check the former contests and some are really fun. But I can't seem the finds the one that are not inscribed on the google sheet, the latest one. How should one find those ?
Thanks in advance, pretty excited about the reveal

This thread's first post has the threads of all past competitions at the bottom. The first hundred are in a spoiler tag. This is the part you're looking for:



Iron Chef I: Entropomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142470)
Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146583)
Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=148584)
Iron Chef IV: Stonelord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=150595)
Iron Chef V: War Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152543)
Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=156876)
Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158633)
Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160266)
Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162702)
Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=164381)
Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166539)
Iron Chef XII: War Mind (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9426386)
Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=172233)
Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174434)
Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=176049)
Iron Chef XVI: Assassin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=178202)
Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=182492)
Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=186097)
Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=190607)
Iron Chef XX: Incandescent Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=10976416)
Iron Chef XXI: Ghostwalker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198921)
Iron Chef XXII: Dervish (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=206576)
Iron Chef XXIII: Divine Crusader (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=210071)
Iron Chef XXIV: Tactical Soldier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=214198)
Iron Chef XXV: Scion of Tem-Et-Nu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=217441)
Iron Chef XXVI: Shadowdancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220956)
Iron Chef XXVII: Mindbender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=224008)
Iron Chef XXVIII: Cryokineticist (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=227304)
Iron Chef XXIX: Consecrated Harrier (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=229688)
Iron Chef XXX: Initiate of Pistis Sophia (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=233346)
Iron Chef XXXI: Shadow Sentinel (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236908)
Iron Chef XXXII: Temple Raider of Olidammara (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=239786)
Iron Chef XXXIII: Drow Judicator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=243052)
Iron Chef XXXIV: Dragon Disciple (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=246072)
Iron Chef XXXV: Death Delver (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249542)
Iron Chef XXXVI: Acolyte of the Skin (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=252923)
Iron Chef XXXVII: Justiciar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13865473)
Iron Chef XXXVIII: Hand of the Winged Master (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255215)
Iron Chef XXXIX: Renegade Mastermaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=260333)
Iron Chef XL: Nightsong Infiltrator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=263173)
Iron Chef XLI: Geomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=266709)
Iron Chef XLII: Shadowblade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=270196)
Iron Chef XLIII: Bladesinger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274122)
Iron Chef XLIV: Urban Soul (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=279116)
Iron Chef XLV: Talon of Tiamat (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?p=15216595)
Iron Chef XLVI: Cipher Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287314)
Iron Chef XLVII: Cold Iron Warrior (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=291294)
Iron Chef XLVIII: Shadow Sun Ninja (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=297327)
Iron Chef XLIX: Thrall of Orcus (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302487)
Iron Chef L: Corrupt Avenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=307823)
Iron Chef LI: Black Flame Zealot (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312773)
Iron Chef LII: Anointed Knight (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317934)
Iron Chef LIII: Zerth Cenobite (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325164)
Iron Chef LIV: Osteomancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=330890)
Iron Chef LV: Mountebank (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?336373-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LV)
Iron Chef LVI: Dwarven Defender (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?342807-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVI)
Iron Chef LVII: Darkrunner (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?349040-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVII)
Iron Chef LVIII: Spellsword (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?357412-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LVIII)
Iron Chef LIX: Fleet Runner of Ehlonna (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?364667-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LIX)
Iron Chef LX: Lasher (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?371835-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Iron Chef LX(II): Acolyte of the Ego (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?372145-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LX)
Iron Chef LXII: Dungeon Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?376810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXII)
Iron Chef LXIII: Witchborn Binder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?382632-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIII)
Iron Chef LXIV: Slime Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?387166-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIV)
Iron Chef LXV: Thunder Guide (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?394981-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXV)
Iron Chef LXVI: Dwarven Chanter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?400810-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXVI)
Irogn Chef LXVII: Gnome Giant Slayer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?406613-Irogn-Chef-Optimisatiogn-Challegnge-ign-the-Playgrougnd-LXVII)
Iron Chef LXVIII: Fang of Lolth (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?412530-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXVIII)
Iron Chef LXIX: Shiba Protector (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?420165-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXIX)
Iron Chef LXX: Order of the Bow Initiate (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?425634-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXX)
Iron Chef LXXI: Silver Key (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?431484-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXI)
Iron Chef LXXII: Spellfire Channeler (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?439020-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXII)
Iron Chef LXXIII: Flux Adept (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?448596-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIII)
Iron Chef LXXIV: Crinti Shadow Marauder (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?458711-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIV)
Iron Chef LXXV: Thief of Life (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?472831-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXV)
Iron Chef LXXVI: Legacy Champion (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?477153-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVI)
Iron Chef LXXVII: Great Rift Skyguard (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?482249-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVII)
Iron Chef LXVIII: Risen Martyr (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?487560-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXVIII)
Iron Chef LXXIX: Black Blood Hunter (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?492923-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXIX)
Iron Chef LXXX: Master of Many Forms (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?498359-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXX)
Iron Chef LXXXI: Serene Guardian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?502666-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXI)
Iron Chef LXXXII: Elocator (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?505762-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXII)
Iron Chef LXXXIII: Winterhaunt of Iboorighu (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?510581-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIII)
Iron Chef LXXXIV: Waverider (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?514631-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIV)
Iron Chef LXXXV: Astral Dancer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?519296-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXV)
Iron Chef LXXXVI: Twisted Lord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?525401-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVI)
Iron Chef LXXXVII: Shadowsmith (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?528361-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVII)
Iron Chef LXXXVIII: Arboreal Guardian (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?533367-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXVIII)
Iron Chef LXXXIX: Thrall of Demogorgon (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?536247-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-LXXXIX)
Iron Chef XC: Bloodstorm Blade (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?542380-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XC)
Iron Chef XCI: Fatemaker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?550203-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCI)
Iron Chef XCII: Eye of the Xanathar (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?556092-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCII)
Iron Chef XCIII: Hoardstealer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?560330-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIII)
Iron Chef XCIV: Doomlord (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?564804-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIV)
Iron Chef XCV: Gnomish Artificer (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?571065-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCV)
Iron Chef XCVI: Oozemaster (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?576075-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVI)
Iron Chef XCVII: Aerial Avenger (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?579553-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVII)
Iron Chef XCVIII: Visionary Seeker (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?583331-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCVIII)
Iron Chef XCIX: Life Eater (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?589964-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-XCIX)
Iron Chef C: Swiftblade (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?601292-Iron-Chef-Optimisation-Challenge-in-the-Playground-C)

Iron Chef CI: Night Mask Deathbringer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?610308-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CI)
Iron Chef CII: Blade Dancer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?613031-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CII)
Iron Chef CIII: Psion Uncarnate (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?614461-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CIII)
Iron Chef CIV: Atavist (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?615697-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CIV)
Iron Chev CV: Primeval (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?618136-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CV)
Iron Chef CVI: Disciple of Mammon (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?620730-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVI)
Iron Chef CVII: Insidious Corruptor (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?622560-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVII)
Iron Chef CVIII: Crimson Scourge (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?624099-Iron-Chef-Optimization-Challenge-in-the-Playground-CVIII)
The Viscount
2021-02-19, 04:58 PM
Hey uh quick question for The Viscount and/or anyone else who's been doing this a while: what's the forum policy on 'no explicit sexuality' and images? I've found a couple of potential images to illustrate my entry, but the best one I've found, well, it's not NSFW or anything but it is a touch... risque? Is this a 'don't even risk it' sort of situation?

You can send me the image via PM, and I'll let you know what I think (not that I'm a mod, but it's technically on me if there's something since I'm making the post).
Zaq
2021-02-19, 05:38 PM
Just open up your favorite image program and slap on some giant censor bars! It'll be hilarious.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-19, 08:04 PM
Just open up your favorite image program and slap on some giant censor bars! It'll be hilarious.

Now that I've asked, though, that would make it way too obvious which entry was mine. :P

It'll be fine. I have a couple of back-up image options, they're just not as pretty (artistically speaking).
eversilentone
2021-02-20, 11:11 AM
Sadly I'm not going to have time to enter this round, I'll post my stub after the reveal. I had a build that worked, but I'm not convinced it actually showcased the SI rather than the rest of the build. Good luck to all the chefs this round!
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-21, 12:27 AM
Finally after spending the entire last night on it my build is finished. I had to clear up a few mistakes that did cost me time and stressed me totally out (I did forgot about monk multiclass restriction and needed to adjust the table). But at least I hope the errors should all be eliminated now.

Be prepared to be not prepared for this build xD
I feel silly for making this build, but I couldn't stop either^^

I'm looking forward to the reveal to see what the other have cooked. I'm curious. =)
NotInventedHere
2021-02-21, 01:00 AM
It is nearly 6am here, and I am going to be feeling this all day tomorrow, but the build is finished and submitted. Hopefully I haven't made any blatantly stupid maths errors or typos while transferring this from my document to the PM. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made of this.
Chineselegolas
2021-02-21, 04:41 AM
I just couldn't get the last few pieces of my build to come together, its been too long since I did anything 3.5 related. Look forward to seeing what everyone else has made and how they it tied together.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-21, 05:35 AM
Any more willing judges now maybe? Kindly asking?
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 12:55 PM
Hush falls. The reveal begins. (Please hold off on posting until the all clear)
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 12:58 PM
I am the darkness!


Diamond "The Inkblot" Westwall

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/467192850862571522/808451691170496533/original.png

LE Nonbinary Vhaerath Deepwyrm Half-Drow Monk 7/Tattooed Monk 9/Henshin Mystic 4

15 Str, 14 Dex, 12 Con, 14 Int, 14 Wis, 10 Cha



Level
Class
BAB
FAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Unarmed Damage
Skills
Feats
Class Features


1
Monk
0
-2/-2
+2
+2
+2
1d6
Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Hide 4, Knowledge (religion) 4, Move Silently 4, Sense Motive 4
Criminal Background, Improved Unarmed Strike (B), Improved Grapple (B)
Flurry of blows, unarmed strike


2
Monk
1
-1/-1
+3
+3
+3
1d6
Bluff 5 (+1), Diplomacy 5 (+1), Hide 5 (+1), Knowledge (religion) 5 (+1), Move Silently 5 (+1), Sense Motive 5 (+1)
Combat Reflexes (B)
Evasion


3
Monk
2
+0/+0
+3
+3
+3
1d6
Bluff 6 (+1), Diplomacy 6 (+1), Hide 6 (+1), Knowledge (religion) 6 (+1), Move Silently 6 (+1), Sense Motive 6 (+1)
Scorpion's Grasp
Still mind, fast movement +10


4
Monk
3
+1/+1
+4
+4
+4
1d8
Bluff 7 (+1), Diplomacy 7 (+1), Hide 7 (+1), Knowledge (religion) 7 (+1), Move Silently 7 (+1), Sense Motive 7 (+1)
-
Ki strike (magic), wall walker (20 feet), Strength +1


5
Monk
3
+2/+2
+4
+4
+4
1d8
Bluff 8 (+1), Diplomacy 8 (+1), Hide 8 (+1), Knowledge (religion) 8 (+1), Move Silently 8 (+1), Sense Motive 8 (+1)
-
Purity of body, AC bonus +1


6
Monk
4
+3/+3
+5
+5
+5
1d8
Bluff 9 (+1), Diplomacy 9 (+1), Hide 9 (+1), Knowledge (religion) 8, Move Silently 9 (+1), Sense Motive 8, Skill Tricks (+Social Recovery)
Endurance, Improved Trip (B)
Wall Walker (30 feet), fast movement +20


7
Monk, Dark Moon Disciple
5
+4/+4
+5
+5
+5
1d8
Bluff 10 (+1), Diplomacy 10 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (religion) 8, Move Silently 10 (+1), Sense Motive 9 (+1), Skill Tricks (Social Recovery, +Collector of Stories)
-
Shadow blend


8
Tattooed Monk
5
+5/+5
+7
+7
+7
1d10
Bluff 11 (+1), Diplomacy 10, Hide 9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5 (+5), Knowledge (religion) 8, Move Silently 10, Sense Motive 9, Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Tattoo (white mask), Strength +1


9
Tattooed Monk
6
+5/+5/+0
+8
+8
+8
1d10
Bluff 12 (+1), Diplomacy 12 (+2), Hide 9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Move Silently 12 (+2), Sense Motive 10 (+1), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
Wanderer's Diplomacy
Fast movement +30


10
Tattooed Monk
7
+6/+6/+1
+8
+8
+8
1d10
Bluff 12, Diplomacy 12, Hide 9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 6 (+6), Move Silently 12, Sense Motive 10, Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Tattoo (chameleon), AC bonus +2


11
Tattooed Monk
8
+7/+7/+2
+9
+9
+9
1d10
Bluff 14 (+2), Diplomacy 14 (+2), Hide 9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 7 (+1), Move Silently 13 (+1), Sense Motive 10, Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
-


12
Tattooed Monk
8
+7/+7/+2
+9
+9
+9
2d6
Bluff 15 (+1), Diplomacy 15 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 8 (+1), Move Silently 15 (+2), Sense Motive 11 (+1), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
Darkstalker
Tattoo (centipede), fast movement +40, Strength +1


13
Tattooed Monk
9
+8/+8/+3
+10
+10
+10
2d6
Bluff 16 (+1), Diplomacy 16 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 1 (+1), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 16 (+1), Sense Motive 13 (+2), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
-


14
Tattooed Monk
10
+9/+9/+4
+10
+10
+10
2d6
Bluff 16, Diplomacy 16, Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6 (+5), Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 17 (+1), Sense Motive 13, Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Tattoo (spider)


15
Tattooed Monk
11
+10/+10/+5
+11
+11
+11
2d6
Bluff 18 (+2), Diplomacy 18 (+2), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 8, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 18 (+1), Sense Motive 14 (+1), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
Knock-Down
AC bonus +3, fast movement +50


16
Tattooed Monk
11
+10/+10/+5
+11
+11
+11
2d8
Bluff 18, Diplomacy 18, Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 13 (+5), Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 19 (+1), Sense Motive 14, Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Tattoo (moon, crescent), Strength +1


17
Henshin Mystic
11
+10/+10/+5
+13
+13
+13
2d8
Bluff 20 (+2), Diplomacy 20 (+2), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 13, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 20 (+1), Sense Motive 15 (+1), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Riddle of awareness


18
Henshin Mystic
12
+12/+12/+7/+2
+14
+14
+14
3d8
Bluff 21 (+1), Diplomacy 21 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 13, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 21 (+1), Sense Motive 18 (+3), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
Improved Natural Attack (unarmed strike), Blind-Fight (B)
Diamond body, fast movement +60


19
Henshin Mystic
13
+13/+13/+8/+3
+14
+14
+14
3d8
Bluff 22 (+1), Diplomacy 22 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 13, Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 22 (+1), Sense Motive 21 (+3), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Happo zanshin


20
Henshin Mystic
14
+14/+14/+14/+9/+4
+15
+15
+15
4d8
Bluff 23 (+1), Diplomacy 23 (+1), Hide 9, Knowledge (arcana) 6, Knowledge (nobility and royalty) 5, Knowledge (religion) 14 (+1), Knowledge (the planes) 8, Move Silently 23 (+1), Sense Motive 23 (+2), Skill Tricks (Collector of Stories, Social Recovery)
-
Root the mountain, riddle of interaction, ki strike (lawful), AC bonus +4, Strength +1




Little need be said in regards to the tawdry affair between Xu'sa'sil, a deepwyrm drow beloved of Vhaeraun, and Buttercup, a Waterdhavian brothel-maid. It meant little to them, and it means little to us, except that Buttercup gave birth some months thereafter to a child that would become the hero of our story and the villain of many others. Here is where Xu'sa'sil and Buttercup exit our tale, for neither had any interest in parenting, and the nameless half-drow babe, hair and complexion as dark as a raven's quills, was left on the doorstep of the House of the Moon. It was Selûne's problem now.

Selûne may be kind, but her human servants can be as cruel as anyone else. Although the temple's clergy was duty-bound to care for the child—named Diamond Westwall, after the street intersection where they found them—they couldn't help being suspicious of a creature that appeared to be nothing less than shadow made flesh. "A spy for Shar," they would whisper to one another. "A dark changeling sent to destroy us."

Perhaps it was the absence of friendship and love that sculpted Diamond into the villain they became. Or perhaps a rotten tree simply bears rotten fruit, and Vhaeraun's bloodline had tainted the child. Perhaps it was a little of both. Either way, Diamond grew bitter, jaded, and resentful of the Selûnites. Weary of the temple's ostracism, Diamond ran away.

The streets of Waterdeep are not gentle to young urchins. While Selûne offered food and shelter in one hand and mockery and condescension in the other, the streets asked for nothing and gave nothing. We will not dwell on Diamond's time there. They survived. That is enough.

It is said that rumors of the mysterious dark presence in the Sea Ward caught the attention of Shar herself. A creature of night who hides in shadows and curses the moon? Intriguing. The Mistress of Night arranged for Diamond to cross paths with one of her monks. After a series of brutal initiation tests, Diamond was admitted into the order, and their life began in earnest. Now trained as an assassin of the Night herself, Diamond began murdering Selûnites in cold blood. Priests and acolytes who once rejected Diamond were found strangled in dark alleys or drowned in the harbor. Wanted posters soon sprouted throughout the Sea and Castle Wards warning of the mysterious serial killer, but now under a new nickname, inspired by vague eyewitness descriptions of the suspect: The Inkblot.

Let us skip ahead. It is the present day. The Inkblot has joined up with an adventuring party that knows nothing of the monk's true origins or motives. This new affiliation is but a useful contrivance. The Inkblot has no friends, they tell themself. The Inkblot works alone. It's just a way to get out of the city for a while. Wait for the heat to cool off after the last killing. But these adventurers have not judged or mocked the Inkblot's unusual appearance and demeanor. They have treated the Inkblot as one of their own. And although the Inkblot would never admit it, it's actually nice being part of a team. It's almost like, well...like having a family. Almost enough to leave the serial killer's life behind. It might be a chance to start over...just so long as that new family never, ever discovers the Inkblot's murderous secrets, and no missives arrive designating new targets for assassination, and the party's adventures never bring them back to Waterdeep, and no vacationing member of the City Watch recognizes the description of a suspect from an old cold case, and...ah, but never mind, for all those things are highly unlikely. The Inkblot is sure everything will be fine.

So, the thing about tattooed monk is, it's actually a pretty damn good upgrade to the base monk! While not all the tattoos are viable, some of them are seriously legit. Sure, it's no cleric, but it also comes with full progression of most monk abilities, and I've added a couple of tricks to spice it up even more.

My goals with this entry are to showcase the power and utility tattooed monk brings to the monk specifically; to offer a practical build that you can take home and play at your own table alongside more traditionally powerful classes without feeling left out; and to accomplish these things without losing sight of the essence of monk, AKA "punch punch, run fast, inflict status effect, annoy enemy, punch punch."

White Mask. While the Bluff skill is no stranger to massive bonuses, the other ones (namely glibness, conceal thoughts, and Spawn of the Dark Prince) tend to be limited to a single function of the skill: telling lies. Which, don't get me wrong, lying is a powerful and valuable skill, but the white mask tattoo grants a +10 untyped bonus to all Bluff checks. This makes it a perfect combo with an underrated gem of a feat: Wanderer's Diplomacy. Wanderer's Diplomacy lets you decipher foreign languages and locate magic items that would normally be unavailable, and both of those things can be very useful; however, the real treasure is using Bluff to improve NPC attitudes instead of Diplomacy. There are limitations, but it more than makes up for them by being a standard action with no penalty—and, of course, by benefiting from that juicy +10.

Chameleon. Alter self doesn't need a lot of help to be broken, but we're here, so we may as well break it at least a little bit, right? Vhaerath is a +0 LA inherited template that grants the outsider type to a drow (or, in this case, a half-drow, which counts as a drow due to their drow blood) for basically free. Outsider type means outsider forms—a major power boost compared to humanoid forms. I'm not an alter self expert, but I'm sure there are outsiders out there with large size and tons of natural armor. Dwarf ancestor? Is that the best one? I bet there's a list floating around somewhere. The main point is that unlike all the humanoid plebeians, we can grow in size to boost grapples, trips, and unarmed damage, and we can also get some sick defense, movement modes, and/or skill bonuses while we're at it.

Centipede. Not much to say here, just a fantastic utility spell that can provide fast travel or quick escapes as needed.

Spider. The contest rules allow the original OA version of this tattoo, which triggers on every touch instead of requiring a use of Stunning Fist. With flurry of blows, we can dish out a pretty good number of attacks, and we can even proc it with trips and grapples if need be. Will they pass the save? I mean, probably, but they can't pass all the saves, right?

Crescent Moon. Like shadow walk, ethereal jaunt is a utility spell that lets us do something rarely afforded to martial characters. CW nerfed it, but it's still good.

We're making the best of the secret ingredient's prerequisites with the combination of Improved Grapple and Scorpion's Grasp. One of the traditional weaknesses of monk-based grapplers is that they have a lower grapple mod than the fighters or barbarians pursuing the same strategy. Scorpion's Grasp mitigates this by making it so that you don't really need to succeed on the grapple check—it's just a free bonus after you've already punched them in the face. If you win, great! If not, you still did damage, NBD. Unlike most monks, we also have martial weapon proficiency via the outsider type, so at these low levels, we have the option of thwacking enemies with a giant sword or polearm for a single, more powerful hit when flurry of blows isn't available, and we can use said polearm to make opportunity attacks with Combat Reflexes and reach. Meanwhile, outside of combat, we have the Diplomacy, Bluff, and Sense Motive package to act as a party face. Criminal Background or Apprentice (Criminal) helps fill in Bluff as a class skill, which will be important later. (I went with Criminal Background because I think Apprentice is fiddly and weird, but either one is fine. Really, Aereni Focus would be strictly better than either of them, but it's specific to the wrong setting, and also, I don't know if Aerenal actually has any drow, canonically speaking? So, ask your DM.)

The Dark Moon Disciple substitution levels grant shadow blend at level 7. This is an amazing ability because it basically means you're greater-invisible all the time. Sneak around, punch people, I don't know. It's good. And it's really hard to accidentally turn off, too, because it functions even in bright light! Only full daylight disables it. Who packs daylight effects? Not many enemies. And see invisibility doesn't work either. Very strong.

Improved Trip is also here. It's just a really nice feat for disrupting and annoying people, and it provides more tactical options. We'll take Knock-Down later on to boost it further.

While we could jump into the secret ingredient early if we wanted, I prefer to hit these natural break points for the base class first. Can you imagine taking exactly 5 levels of monk? One shudders at the thought.

At this level we've gained our first two tattoos, White Mask and Chameleon. The extra +10 Bluff makes Inkblot an extremely effective liar, and it synergizes nicely with the racial +2 and disguise self SLA. Wanderer's Diplomacy allows Bluff to function much like a rushed Diplomacy check, but instead of a -10 penalty, it's with a +10 bonus, making it super easy to bring just about anyone up to helpful (within the feat's restrictions). We can also do a fun trick where we use magic to disguise ourselves before using it, and once they realize that we lied, they'll be mad at whoever we were disguised as. We've invested in Real Diplomacy too, and attained a very respectable modifier with the help of synergy bonuses—did you know tattooed monk has Knowledge (nobility and royalty) as a class skill?—so our face abilities should be very strong overall. Oh, and don't forget the Social Recovery skill trick, which allows a failed Diplomacy check to be retried as a Bluff check! That's another great use of the White Mask.

As for alter self, it's well established that you can do cool stuff with outsider forms (mainly growing or shrinking in size, boosting natural armor, and/or improving movement). The long duration with multiple uses per day makes it easy to keep up all the time as a potent and versatile self-buff. As we get more daily uses, it will become easier to switch between forms as the situation demands.

Darkstalker is a big deal with shadow blend, as it makes it nearly impossible to see Inkblot even with special senses, removing what would otherwise have been an easy counter. Knock-Down is just a very powerful and synergistic feat overall, even with the errata that prevents you taking an extra attack when you trip them with it. It follows on the Scorpion's Grasp + Spider Tattoo theme of "I hit you and do some cool additional thing on top of my damage." The more of these effects you add, the more likely it is that the enemy will flub at least one of them.

The tattoos here are Centipede and Spider. I covered these in the tattoo section. They're great. Love 'em.

Hey, have I mentioned magic items yet? Normally in these competitions I don't like to assume we have access to whatever items we want, but with Wanderer's Diplomacy, we can actually find stuff very reliably even if the DM doesn't drop it. Stuff like a souped-up necklace of natural weapons (SS) with your favorite weapon abilities; a dark lantern to enable shadow blend even on a sunny day; a fanged ring (DM) to get Improved Natural Attack (unarmed strike) as a bonus feat; a tooth of Leraje (ToM) for the attack and damage boost; combat maneuver helpers like ring of earth's grasp (DC), gloves of the titan's grip (MIC), or torc of the titans (MIC); flurry of blows helpers like quicksilver boots (MIC), sparring dummy of the master (AE), or bracers of quick striking (MIC); some boots of speed, because who needs the Wasp tattoo; a belt of magnificence (MH) to help hold up our MAD pants; a blindfold of true darkness for blindsight; some ring of freedom of movement/wings of flying type things to make sure you can actually close into melee reliably; skill-boosting items like cloak/boots of elvenkind, courtier's obi (OA), third eye expose (MIC), and mask of lies (MIC); or, you know, just generically good stuff like a thorn pouch (MIC), horn of plenty (MIC), admiral's bicorne (Sto), or ring of telekinesis. Take your pick—it's dealer's choice.

The last level of tattooed monk is a dead level, so we're going into henshin mystic instead, which plays on similar mechanical themes of "I'm a monk, but with cool utility effects." It grants scrying and charm monster as SLAs, advances monk abilities (including flurry of blows, which finally loses the penalty and gets that second extra attack), improves our ability to fight in the dark, gives bonuses to social skills, and is a cool and efficient monk upgrade all around.

I have Improved Natural Attack as the 18th level feat here, but of course if you bought a fanged ring you'll pick something else instead. (I don't know, Knowledge Devotion maybe? Draconic Aura? I didn't think very hard about it. Maybe one of the other entries has something really great and we can copy off of them.) Since alter self will typically be boosting us to Large size, our unarmed damage is actually going to be even higher, so that's cool.

By the time we reach level 20, we have successfully achieved the ever-popular four-attack benchmark, whatever that's worth, and we're looking at a DPR of something like...let's see, 6d8 base, at least 26 Strength by now if not more, +5 weapon enhancement from greater magic weapon, multiply by five attacks...200-ish damage with a full flurry of blows? And each hit initiates a grapple and a trip attempt? That's not bad, right? I don't play at level 20 often, but it seems reasonable. Don't want to punch people? Bluff, Diplomacy, and Sense Motive are all maxed out, so feel free to use your words and solve your problems without violence. In a situation where they won't talk but also punching is hard for some reason? Lean on your sleek and streamlined set of cool optimized magic items that you were able to hand-pick with Wanderer's Diplomacy.

I would recommend switching from half-drow to the drow savage progression (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/sp/20040213a) if it's available without the racial levels. It's a nice stat upgrade that will make your point buy more efficient. It's not very elegant in a competition like this when you know you're going to have exactly 20 levels, no more, no less, hence the use of half-drow for the main build—but out in the real world, who knows how long your campaign will last? Push off those racial levels until ECL 40! There's no time limit. Alternatively, if you do like half-drow, the non-deepwyrm version is entirely valid for those who prefer +2 Diplomacy over +2 Bluff.

If your game allows magazine material, consider Celestial Scion (#315), which lets you roll twice on Bluff and take the higher result, and Spawn of the Dark Prince (#359), which gives +10 on Bluff checks to convince others of the truth of your words. The latter is an abyssal heritor feat, so if you have the requisite 15 Cha, you could even get it through embrace the dark chaos (FCI). Academy Graduate (Savage Tide Player's Guide) is a better version of Criminal Background that gives Bluff and UMD, which would be well worth diverting points away from Sense Motive. There's also some consideration for the Sidewinder monk variant (#331), which gets sneak attack—very easy to enable when combined with shadow blend. Toss in Craven (CR) and you'll be looking at some big damage. Maybe even get Sickening Strike (DrU) and/or Terrifying Strike (DrU), to nerf their opposed Strength checks when you trip them. Of course, you'd have to take Improved Grapple out of a normal feat slot, since the level 1 bonus feat switches to Persuasive or Stealthy (and the level 2 feat switches to Improved Feint or Mobility), and you'd have to swap out henshin mystic, since you don't get the required purity of body ability—maybe look at Shen (#319) instead. Finally, check out the Rhetorical Flourish skill trick (#357) for more buffs to Diplomacy.

If your game doesn't allow FR-specific web enhancements, then you have no business taking level 7 of monk without access to Dark Moon Disciple. Change the build to Monk 6/Tattooed Monk 10/Henshin Mystic 4. Vhaerath would also be out of the picture, so in order to maintain the outsider type, you'd have to be a neraph (PlH).

If your DM prefers the Complete Warrior update for the Spider tattoo, then it's obviously unusable, so replace it with Scorpion, Falcon, Unicorn, or Tiger. Conversely, if your DM allows you to use the OA version of tattooed monk, then you don't need Endurance! Take Knock-Down at level 6, move Improved Natural Attack up a slot, and then pick something nice to put at 18. The OA version also advances flurry, so you'll get better full attacks earlier.

If your game allows flaws, then you'll definitely want to snag those bonus feats. Silver Tongue (OA) is 1st-level only, so we can't get it on the main build while still having Bluff as a class skill, but with flaws, it's back on the menu, and the 3.5 update for it is amazing, giving you at-will good hope and more. Hidden Talent (XPH) is another 1st-level only feat that would be great here, as it can grant access to conceal thoughts for another +10 Bluff. The Bind Vestige + Practiced Binder combo (ToM) is another strong choice, granting you Naberius's diplomancy abilities. Alternatively, just move all the feats up a little and make your strategies come online sooner. If you put Wanderer's Diplomacy and Scorpion's Grasp at level 1, for example, you can get Endurance at level 3 and pick up Knock-Down immediately at level 6.

If you want to play a little more with transformation nonsense, you could certainly take Assume Supernatural Ability (SS) or Metamorphic Transfer (XPH), but I'm personally not a fan of that strategy.

Higher point buy? Jump for joy and put more points in everything. Lower point buy? Cry in the corner and take points out of Int.

Champions of Valor Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20060327a): Dark Moon Disciple
City of Stormreach: Criminal Background
Complete Scoundrel (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20070105a&page=5): Skill Tricks
Dragon Magic: Deepwyrm Half-Drow
Drow of the Underdark: Half-Drow
Dungeonscape: Wall Walker
Lords of Madness: Darkstalker
Magic Books of Faerun (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/mb/20040818a): Vhaerath
Oriental Adventures/Dragon #318: Henshin Mystic
Player's Handbook II: Wanderer's Diplomacy
Sandstorm: Scorpion's Grasp
Sword & Fist: Knock-Down
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:00 PM
This entry is a woman... but it is also... a Dragon!


Worag sighed as he heard the screams coming from the humanoid village. “We come in peace!” he shouted in common as he slowly lumbered forward.

Brehmor laughed behind him, a laugh that sounded like an avalanche of rocks. “I told you, brother."

An armed troop of humanoids left the village on the bog’s edge, carefully advancing towards the two stone giants. Brehmor growled, and hoisted a boulder to his shoulder.

“We come in peace!” Worag yelled again.

The troop slowly halted to a stop, and from within it emerged an old woman, her face hard and wrinkled. An elaborate tattoo of a tortoise covered half her face. “What do you want?” she asked, speaking giant.

Thank the gods, thought Worag. No slaughter here today. “We come seeking knowledge. We come seeking power. We come seeking the one known as the Dragon Monk” he said. “The one who helped halt the advance of the Yuan-Ti armies. We’ve also heard her referred to as the Iron Maiden.”

The old woman smiled. “You come seeking the Mistress.” She pointed towards the bog. “She’ll find you there. In the Spirit Swamp.”

“I thank you.” Said Worag, but the woman has already turned away, her men with her. “Come.” He said to Brehmor, and the brothers walked into the swamp. Brehmor led the way, being known for his navigational skills and keen senses.

They walked for a few hours before encountering their first Spirit. “Look!” Said Brehmor.

Worag saw his brother pointing at a centipede crawling on the top of the swamp water about 60 feet away from them. The thing was 5 or 6 inches long. “Look at what, fool?” He asked, then blinked. The little creature had a vaguely humanoid face.

“A spirit” said Brehmor, “probably watching for a greater one.” He raised his voice. “Hail, spirit! We mean you and this sacred place no harm. We come seeking the riddled mistress, the Dragon Monk.”

“Spirit or not, Brehmor, you’re a fool shouting at a centipede.”

Just as the words left his mouth, Worag saw the miniscule thing charge forward, with incredible speed. In a second, it was upon him, quickly climbing up his leg. “Get it off of me!” He yelled.

Brehmor tried to hit the thing away, but the creature moved, and his hand struck at his Worag’s face instead. Worag shouted as he finally felt a huge pressure, causing him to drop to one knee. Brehmor tried to push the centipede off, and his shock was evident when the thing wouldn’t budge. Horrified, Worag tried to fight, but to no avail, as the centipede slowly but surely wrestled him to the ground. The stone giant found himself inexplicably pinned by the 6 inch creature laying on his chest.

The air shimmered, and the centipede suddenly increased in size, morphing into what appeared to be a tiny gold dragon, her scales shimmering in different hues, creating images that appeared as complex drawings of dragons, mountains and tigers. The proportions of the creature were a little off, and she was sort of ugly, but more off was the size – the thing was still no larger than a small cat.

“This is weird.” Said Worag.

“Oh, you think this is weird?” Squeaked the dragon. “Watch this!”

And she exploded into a 10 foot cloud of tiny black insects.




Chi-Pokkena, the One-Foot Wyrmling

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/923/yp8u2K.jpgShe didn’t recognize the sensation for a minute. A deep shudder, this strange tingle in the center of her being. A vague recollection of draconic runes.

COME.

The call! It’s the call!

It has been so long. So long in this vast darkness, devoid of any outside stimulus. It has been so long since someone less called her. Her excitement billowed.

Relax. Compose yourself. You are the gentle wind between the leaves, the moon reflecting in a droplet of water. You are not some silly excitable mortal.

Besides, it’s probably just some old geezer trying to get something off a high shelf.

It has been centuries since anyone called her to do anything more than that – decades since anyone called her at all.

Still, she hoped. If only someone gave her a chance, she’d show all of them. She knew she would.

She rushed through the void for a few moments, before silently erupting from the earth, taking the form of a black iron coffin. The coffin opened, spilling forth an avalanche of bones and black ooze.

A rush of excitement went through her. She was not at some old man’s doorstep. At a dead village. The swampy land around her was under a clear sky, and was clearly meticulously prepared for the ritual. This was someone serious. This was real.

Finally

She smiled. But where was her summoner?

“Oh, great and powerful Ronove!”

The squeak emerged from somewhere at her coffins feet. She turned her attention, and the smile on her coffin turned to a frown.

The creature standing there was could not be more than one foot tall, one and a half at most. She was a strange little thing, a scaly and bulky lizard creature, with sharp teeth and claws. She wasn’t wearing any clothes, and there were no tools to be soon anywhere near her. She was just a feral little bog creature. Extremely unimpressive.

This is humiliating.

Still, beggars can’t be choosers.

She forced her frown to subside, and awaited. She didn’t talk. It was kind of her thing.

The creature spoke again.

“Oh, great Ronove! My first wish is to be turned into a Dragon!”

Wait, what?

She frowned, as hard as she could. What in the nine hells was this little beast talking about?

The creature spread her arms wide open, closed her eyes and tilted back her head.

“Now, Ronove! I shall wait no longer!”

Not talking was her thing.

But sometimes, there’s no choice.

”FOOL! I CAN’T TURN YOU INTO A DRAGON. YOU STAND BEFORE RONOVE! I AM THE GREAT MISTRESS, THE MAIDEN OF IRON, THE BETRAYED WATCHER OF THE ETERNAL SELF! I COULD CRUSH YOU, AND TURN ALL YOU HAVE EVER KNOWN TO DUST! DO YOU TRULY THINK YOU HAVE THE FORCE OF PERSONALITY TO CALL ME TO YOUR BIDDING?”

The creature satisfactorily fell to her backside, her eyes torn wide open.

“I mean, clearly not, right?” She answered. All her pompousness was gone now, and she talked quickly, her voice breaking. “I mean, I thought I maybe did but I very clearly don’t, right? I’m so sorry to have disturbed you, but this is clearly beyond the scope of what I can do. I thought I could maybe do a lot of good if you helped me. Free others from the Yuan-Ti like our people freed themselves long ago. I guess not. I’m so sorry. I know I talk too much when I’m anxious. I’m so sorry, I’ll let you go now-“

Ronove sighed. This was terrible, truly terrible, but she was not about to give up on her first summoning in decades.

”WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT, PUNY THING?”

“Ummm… You said you can’t turn me into a dragon, right? Well, what can you do?”

It’s now or never.

"I COULD TURN YOU INTO A MONK."

She watched as her summoner’s expression shifted. “I’m sorry, but don’t monks kind of… suck?”

”NO, OF COURSE THEY DON’T! ALSO, I GIVE YOU OTHER POWERS AS WELL!”

“Oh! So, like a monk, but better? Functional?”

”WELL… NO.”

“No? No better than a real monk?”

She would blush, if she still could. She wanted to cry.

”WELL, WORSE, ACTUALLY.”

“… Oh.”

There were a few moments of silence.

“Well, I mean, thank you for coming-“

"YEAH, YEAH I GET IT. I’LL BE ON MY WAY."

“Oh come on, don’t cry…”

"WHY NOT?! YOU WERE RIGHT, MONKS SUCK. I SUCK! I ALWAYS TRY TO PROVE MYSELF, BUT LET’S BE HONEST, THERE’S A REASON N-NO ONE EVER SUMMONS ME. I’LL JUST GO BACK TO THE VOID."

“Oh, come on, there’s no reason to be like that… I’m sorry, okay? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been mean. Monks sound… fun.”

Ronove sniffed. "REALLY? DIDN’T YOU WANT TO BE A DRAGON?"

“Sure, really. Come on, let’s do this thing.”

"OKAY THEN."

“Okay. I’ll be a monk. Dragon monk.”

"ALSO, YOU CAN’T EAT OR DRINK ANYTHING."

“I’m sorry, w-“


-Two Years Later-

”NO.”

“Ronove-“

”NO! YOU PROMISED! WE WERE GONNA DO THIS TOGETHER!”

Chi-Pokkena sighed. She loved Ronove with all her heart, but the poor thing could be so insecure sometimes. “Ronove, we are. We are doing this together. But they need help too, can’t you see? These guys suck even more than regular monks, and they’re too busy being mysterious and mystical to actually recruit anyone. We need to help them!”

”NO. I WILL NOT HAVE YOU SIDETRACKED. YOU ARE TO BECOME MY CHAMPION, TO PROVE THAT WE’RE GREAT. YOU WILL NOT WASTE YOUR TIME ON THESE SILLY TATTOO PEOPLE.”

“Ronove, this could actually help me spend more time with you sooner rather than later. Come on! You’re being a bee when you should be the wind, or whatever.”

”WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? NO. THE ANSWER IS NO.

Chi-Pokkena frowned. “Fine. Whatever YOU want.”

”OH, LOOK WHO’S BEING-“

“I said it’s fine! They didn’t want me there anyway.”

”… WHAT?”

“Well, it appears that they’re grapplers, for some incomprehensible reason. They don’t do anything even remotely related to grappling, but it’s still very important to them, and they think I’m too small to ever be a good grappler.”

”OH, LIKE HELL YOU ARE! YOU’RE GONNA BE A BETTER GRAPPLER THEN ALL OF THESE MORONS! WE’RE GOING TO SHOW THESE IDIOTS. YOU’RE GOING TO MAKE THEM ALL LOOK LIKE CHUMPS!

“Wait, do you mean-“

”OH, WE’RE DOING THIS, CHI-POKKENA. WE’RE ****ING DOING THIS!


Chi-Pokkena leaped in the air with excitement. “I’ll go let them know!”

She didn’t lie, she reminded herself while running. She really did want to help the poor souls. She also wanted the opportunity to act a little mysterious and be a little silly from time to time, distracting her from her duties in the war against the Yuan-Ti.

No she didn’t lie. At worst, she just omitted something. One of the tattoos she saw in action, the one that represented everything she strived for. As she ran, she let loose the slightest of whispers under her breath.

“Dragon monk.”

Chi-Pokkena, LG female feral dragonborn muckdweller Binder 5/KoSS 5/ Tattooed Monk 9.


Abilities

32 PB

racial+Feral

Levels 4,8,12

DoB (level 14)

Level 16



Str

17
15
18 (+3)
18
19 (+1)


Dex

9
13
13
11
11


Con

14
14
14
16
16


Int

14
10
10
10
10


Wis

14
14
14
14
14


Cha

8
8
8
8
8





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


1st
Feral LA
-
-
-
-
-
-
Land speed +10, NA +6, Claws, Improved Grab, Darkvision, Fast healing.


2nd
Binder 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Intimidate 4, K. religion 4
Endurance, B: Weapon finesse
Soul binding


3rd
Binder 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Intimidate 4, K. religion 5, K. the planes 1
-
Pact augmentation (1), suppress sign


4th
Binder 3
+2
+3
+1
+3
Intimidate 4, K. religion 6, K. the planes 2
Improved grapple (Qualifies with IUS from Ronove)
-


5th
Binder 4
+3
+4
+1
+4
Intimidate 4, K. religion 7, K. the planes 3
B: Improved binding
Bonus feat, Pounce (feral)


6th
Binder 5
+3
+4
+1
+4
Intimidate 4, K. religion 8, K. the planes 4
-
Pact augmentation (2)


7th
Tattooed monk 1
+3
+6
+3
+6
Intimidate 4, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8
Planar touchstone: the catalogues of enlightenment (war domain)
Ocean tattoo


8th
Tattooed monk 2
+4
+7
+4
+7
Intimidate 4, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 2, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
-


9th
Tattooed monk 3
+5
+7
+4
+7
Intimidate 4, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Mountain tattoo, Rake (feral)


10th
Knight of the sacred seal 1
+6
+9
+4
+7
Climb 2, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
Giantbane
Aligned strike, patron vestige (Ronove)


11th
KoSS 2
+7
+10
+4
+7
Climb 4, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Vestige's protection


12th
KoSS 3
+8
+10
+5
+8
Climb 6, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Vestige's protection aura, soul binding (2 vestiges)


13th
KoSS 4
+9
+11
+5
+8
Climb 8, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
Deflect arrows
Vestige's power, Rend (Feral)


14th
KoSS 5
+10
+11
+5
+8
Climb 10, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 6, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Apotheosis, vestige's surge (Binds Zagan from this level onwards)


15th
Tattooed monk 4, Dragonborn of Bahamut (wings)
+11
+12
+6
+9
Climb 10, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 10, speak language (Common) (cc)
Weapon finesse, Improved grapple, Deflect arrows Underfoot combat, Confound the big Folk.
-


16th
Tattooed monk 5
+11
+12
+6
+9
Climb 14, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 10, speak language (Common) (cc)
Entangling exhalation
Dragon tattoo


17th
Tattooed monk 6
+12
+13
+7
+10
Climb 18, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 10, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
-


18th
Tattooed monk 7
+13
+13
+7
+10
Climb 20, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 12, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Tiger tattoo


19th
Tattooed monk 8
+14
+14
+8
+11
Climb 21, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 15, speak language (Common) (cc)
Exhaled barrier
-


20th
Tattooed monk 9
+14
+14
+8
+11
Climb 22, Intimidate 3, K. religion 8, K. the planes 8, Tumble 18, speak language (Common) (cc)
-
Chameleon Tattoo




ECL 2-5:

These are all binder levels. Chi-Pokkena is a martial character, having decent Str (16 at ECL 5), pact augmentation, a tiny size, and 3 natural attacks. Around level 3, Chi-Pokkena starts regularly binding Ronove. She doesn’t get anything from improved grapple whenever she’s not bound to Ronove (As she only qualifies for it through Ronove) and that feat amends one of her biggest weaknesses, as a low-dex tiny creature. Still, she can have some flexibility at these levels when she wants to, summoning vestiges up to 3rd level. Usually, though, she’ll summon Ronove, as she feels really bad for her. Also, unarmed strikes work well with claws.

ECL 6-10:

Lots going on. 1 more level of binder provides improved pact augmentation, which goes to insight bonus on attacks or to hp most of the early levels, and probably shifts to saves as time goes on. Entering the SI means Chi-Pokkena needs to bind Ronove 24/7, otherwise she’ll no longer qualift for tattooed monk. That would mean a serious risk of death for Chi-Pokkena, as her very low Cha makes bad pacts very common, and not eating or drinking for multiple days is extremely dangerous. The ocean tattoo is crucial for her to make it out alive from the first 3 levels of the SI, and remains a very thematic choice later on for a KoSS of Ronove.

Level 6 brings planar touchstone as a substitute for weapon focus, but with 14 Wis it also possibly opens up a use of divine power every once in a while, depending on the campaign and accessibility to other planes.

The mountain Tattoo is invaluable to a tiny creature. Chi-Pokkena is extremely vulnerable to tripping and bullrushing, and mountain takes care of that. It needs to be used carefully the level she gets it, because of the movement restriction, but can be used much more liberally one level later, when giantbane makes it very easy to just latch onto anyone medium size or larger.

ECL 11-15:

Finishing out KoSS and getting back into the SI. A lot changes through these levels.

Being able to bind a second vestige at ECL 12 opens up a few very nice options – the 5th level vestige list is very good. Enjoy the flexibility while it lasts – it’s going away soon. The vestige protection/aura abilities are no more than cute, but vestige’s power is very potent, as are apotheosis and vestige’s surge. Level 5 of KoSS makes Chi-Pokkena able to bind 6th level vestiges, and she immediately starts binding Zagan, who’ll she be bound to for the rest of her career. Aversion is a strong option, scent is nice for awareness, and snake bane is good for a good-aligned muckdweller, as she’s expected to fight Yuan-Ti.

The big ones, however, are to do with grappling.

Zagan gives you a constrict attack, gives you bonus improved grapple (redundant at this level), and makes you count as large for grappling. Not one size larger, just large. This distinction would hurt most martial entries, but Chi-Pokkena is tiny.

This is an effective +12 to Chi-Pokkena’s grapple check, making her the world’s first ever capable tiny-sized grappler. At ECL 15, she has improved grab, constrict, rake, and a +23 grapple check without Str enhancements. Not mind blowing, of course, but situationally extremely useful – and she does that while tiny, no size increase necessary. Divine power (off of planar touchstone) can increase that number, if available.

Level 14 sees a return to the SI, and with it, rebirth as a dragonborn of Bahamut. Chi-pokkena loses her useless weapon finesse and her muckdweller natural armor – which luckily gets superseded by Feral’s natural armor, which isn’t lost. Her dexterity score drops to 11 due to the transformation, which means she loses (and immediately gets to replace) improved grapple and deflect arrows. She has a mini-heart attack, as losing improved grapple means losing the benefits of her tattoos, before reminding herself that she gets improved grapple from Zagan, so the loss is actually a net-gain. She gets underfoot combat and confound the big folk, which synergize amazingly with climb aboard from giantbane, her high grapple check, the Aversion ability, and her mountain tattoo. Chi-Pokkena is extremely hard to hurt or get rid of once she latches on to someone, and she can often climb aboard medium sized opponents and easily grapple them to the ground, while their allies can’t afford to try to attack her in fear of hurting her target – that is, if they even manage to get close.

ECL 16-20:

Chi-Pokkena gets everything the SI has to offer (beside the mind blowing capstone - a dead level). The dragon tattoo is perfect for her, as she now becomes a true one-foot-dragon – a winged lizard clawing and breathing fire at opponents. While unto itself the tattoo is useless, having the dragonblood subtype allows Chi-Pokkena to use it as a move-action entanglement against anyone without fire immunity/evasion, and her level 18 feat allows her to breathe a 10 by 10 entangling barrier – as a move action. Pretty useful, for something that would ordinarily be 14 damage to a single opponent, halved by a DC 13 reflex save.

Her next tattoo is the tiger tattoo, which is very useful to someone with multiple natural weapons, rend, rake, constrict and pounce. Pretty self-explanatory.

At level 20, she has a great full attack routine, can latch onto enemies with giantbane while using confound the big folk (and become immune to trip and bullrush), and has a grapple check of +26 without strength enhancements – and that can be pumped by divine power and vestige’s power to +32. Maxing Str through items would make that 38.

Her capstone is the chameleon tattoo. While it would ordinarily be a powerful pick, it isn’t that powerful for Chi-Pokkena. Her normal form has flight, excellent NA and natural weapons, and she has no need for a size increase. While mephit forms and other common outsiders are pretty good, I’ll be honest – I took it mainly to get weird. Unlike humanoids, there are a few diminutive outsiders – most of them are extremely weird. Turning into a least sprit-centipede (OA) is pretty normal, and even situationally useful – reduced size has its advantages, and it could be used to utilize her feats against small sized creatures. It also just makes Chi-Pokkena’s grappling prowess seem even more absurd.
On the other hand, I don’t know what the hell turning into a fiendish familiar would look like when using alter self. Similarly, a demonhive demonet swarm (MM4) is technically a tiny sized outsider, and I have 0 clue how that would work with alter self. Despite being a more expected pick than her other tattoos, it serves a very different function than it usually would, and is just another drop of insanity in the weird little experiment that is Chi-Pokkena.
Complete Warrior: Tattooed Monk, Giantbane.

Races of the Dragon: Dragonborn of Bahamut, Entangling exhalation, Exhaled barrier.

Races of the Wild: Underfoot combat, Confound the big folk.

Planar Handbook: Planar touchstone, the Catalogues of Enlightenment.

Savage Species: Feral template.

Serpent Kingdoms: Muckdweller.

Tome of Magic: Binder, Knight of the Sacred Seal, Improved binding, vestiges.
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:02 PM
How do I put the emphasis on "on"? Show me how to put the emphasis on "on."



Captain O
https://imagizer.imageshack.com/v2/640x480q90/923/vzZ5we.jpg
Captain O, LN male azurin warblade 10/ tattooed monk 10.
Abilities: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 8, Wis 14, Cha 8. All increases to Str.

“Look, up in the sky!

“It’s a bird!

“It’s a plane!

“It’s Captain O!”

Yes, it’s Captain O! Everyone’s favourite hero! Saving kittens, buildings, and the day, and always with a refreshing box of cereal!

He’s got the blondest hair, the bluest eyes, and the brightest smile! And look at his tattoos! See, Ma? See, Pops? Tattoos aren’t just for punks and bad kids! Why, Captain O is a real Goody two-shoes, and humble, too! Ask him what his real name is, and he’ll blush and ask you:

“Well, isn’t it obvious?”

We at Meyers-Morse Entertainment Company sure do love kids, and we sure do love captain O! Our new unique magic tattooes will give special powers to any kid! Only 10,000 gold per tattoo, or just come by with one of the special platinum cards hidden in 5 of our cereal boxes!

Come on, Ma, let Johnny-boy get a tattoo! He ain’t a bad kid, he just wants to have superpowers like Good ol’ captain O! And he’ll get a free pack of marshmall-O’s, too! Just look at that smile! What say you, Captain?

“Come on, Ma, Johnny’s a good-


“Cut!”

Sylvia was an experienced director, and she didn’t miss everyone’s shared sigh of exhaustion. This was the 27th take, and they all wanted to move on. Everyone was getting frustrated – everyone, that is, except Captain O. He just sat down on his bench and went back to staring at the wall, smiling his vacant smile.

“What is it this time, Sylvia?” asked her assistant-director, his voice strained.

“The same damn thing it was for the last 26 times, Gregory. This guy’s giving me the ****ing creeps.”

“Oh come on, Sylvia-“

“You come on, Gregory! I’ve seen more life in a damn fossil. I’ll be embarrassed to show myself in polite society my entire life if I release something looking like that, and so should you.”

Gregory sighed. “Do you want me to talk to him again?”

“Thanks, Greg, but it’s my turn. I’ll go. I appreciate the offer though, really.” She got off her chair with a groan. She was certainly getting too old for this.

“It’s just - maybe we can just move on? I mean, if he’s not gonna get it than he’s not gonna get it.”

She hesitated. “Let’s try just a couple more times, ok?”

He sighed again, and averted his gaze.

“Please, don’t fight me on this.”

He looked up, shamed. “Okay, Sylvia. I’m sorry. Just a couple more times.”

“Thanks Greg.” She smiled. “Take a break, everyone! Action in 5!”

The captain looked at her is she approached, sending her a radiant, empty smile. “How may I help you, Ms. Sylvia?”

She sat beside him. “Listen, Cap, you’re doing great. Honestly. But I need more... passion, you know? I need you to inject some passion into this thing. ‘Come on, Ma, Come on, Ma!’ You know?”

The captain nodded, still smiling. “Got it. Half an octave higher, Ms. Sylvia, and more emphasis on the ‘on’. I thought that was what I did in take 18, but I –“

“No, Cap. You don’t get it. I don’t care about the octave, I don’t care about the emphasis. I just need to see some emotion. Excitement. Show me excitement. And passion. It’s not about what you say, or how you say it. I need you to feel it.”

The captain tilted his head. “I assure you, Ms. Sylvia, I am extremely excited and passionate about my corporate sponsors. They have given me the fame and renown I’ve always wanted. I assure you, there’s nothing in the multiverse I am more excited about than Meyers-Morse products.”

“Well, why don’t I see it then?” She was getting really frustrated now. “Why do I not believe a word you’re saying right now? You have no authenticity, Cap. That’s what I need to see. Authenticity.”

The captain frowned. For the first time since coming on the set, he seemed confused. “Authenticity?”

Was she finally getting somewhere? “Yes, authenticity. I need you to bring it, hard. Pour your very soul into this performance.”

The Captain’s face suddenly brightened, and he sent her a big, white, vacant smile. She saw it then, saw the thing that gave her the creeps all along. The smile covered his entire face, laugh lines and all; but his perfectly pure blue eyes remained cold. Not a spark of joy in them.

“Oh, I see where the misunderstanding is coming from, Ms. Sylvia. You see, I’m powered by everyone’s collective of souls.” His smile widened. “Why would I need one of my own?”





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


1st
Warblade 1
+1
+2
+0
+0
Diplomacy 4, K. local 4, concentration 4
Improved unarmed strike, Improved grapple (b)
battle clarity, weapon aptitude.


2nd
Warblade 2
+2
+3
+0
+0
Diplomacy 5, K. local 5, concentration 5
-
Uncanny dodge


3rd
Warblade 3
+3
+3
+1
+1
Diplomacy 6, K. local 5, K. religion 2, concentration 5
Knowledge devotion (K. religion as class skill)
Battle ardor


4th
Warblade 4
+4
+4
+1
+1
Diplomacy 6, K. local 5, K. religion 5, concentration 5
-
-


5th
Warblade 5
+5
+4
+1
+1
Diplomacy 6, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 5
Endurance (b)
Bonus feat


6th
Tattooed monk 1
+5
+6
+3
+3
Diplomacy 9, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 5
Scorpion’s grasp
Tattoo (chameleon)


7th
Tattooed monk 2
+6
+7
+4
+4
Diplomacy 10, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 7
-
-


8th
Tattooed monk 3
+7
+7
+4
+4
Diplomacy 11, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 9
-
tattoo (Wasp)


9th
Tattooed monk 4
+8
+8
+5
+5
Diplomacy 12, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 11
Martial stance (Crushing weight of the mountain)
-


10th
Tattooed monk 5
+8
+8
+5
+5
Diplomacy 13, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 13
-
Tattoo (scorpion)


11th
Tattooed monk 6
+9
+9
+6
+6
Diplomacy 14, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 14
-
-


12th
Tattooed monk 7
+10
+9
+6
+6
Diplomacy 15, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. religion 8, concentration 15
Shape soulmeld (Girallon arms)
Tattoo (phoenix)


13th
Tattooed monk 8
+11
+10
+7
+7
Diplomacy 16, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. religion 8, K. the planes 1, concentration 16
-
-


14th
Tattooed monk 9
+11
+10
+7
+7
Diplomacy 17, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 8, K. the planes 1, concentration 17
-
Tattoo (lion)


15th
Tattooed monk 10
+12
+11
+8
+8
Diplomacy 18, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 8, K. the planes 1, concentration 17, collector of stories
Bonus essentia
-


16th
Warblade 6
+13
+12
+9
+9
Diplomacy 19, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 8, K. the planes 1, concentration 19, collector of stories
-
Improved uncanny dodge


17th
Warblade 7
+14
+12
+9
+9
Diplomacy 20, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 9, K. the planes 1, concentration 20, collector of stories
-
Battle cunning


18th
Warblade 8
+15
+13
+9
+9
Diplomacy 21, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 10, K. the planes 1, concentration 21, collector of stories
Martial study (Shadow blink)
-


19th
Warblade 9
+16
+13
+10
+10
Diplomacy 22, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 11, K. the planes 1, concentration 22, collector of stories
Combat reflexes (b)
Bonus feat


20th
Warblade 10
+17
+14
+10
+10
Diplomacy 23, K. arcana 1, K. dungeoneering 1, K. local 5, K. nature 1, K. religion 12, K. the planes 1, concentration 23, collector of stories
-
-



Maneuvers and stances:



Level
IL
Maneuvers
Stances


1
1
Steely strike, Steel wind, Moment of perfect mind
Punishing stance


2
2
Steely strike, Steel wind, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames
Punishing stance


3
3
Steely strike, Steel wind, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames, Mountain hammer
Punishing stance


4
4
Steely strike, Steel wind, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity


5
5
Steely strike, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity


9
7
Steely strike, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain


16
11
Steely strike, Moment of perfect mind, Douse the flames, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics, Manticore parry
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain


17
12
Steely strike, Moment of perfect mind, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics, Manticore parry, Greater insightful strike
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain


18
13
Steely strike, Moment of perfect mind, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics, Manticore parry, Greater insightful strike, Quicksilver motion, Shadow blink
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain


19
14
Moment of perfect mind, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics, Manticore parry, Greater insightful strike, Quicksilver motion, Shadow blink, Finishing move
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain


20
15
Moment of perfect mind, Mountain hammer, Wall of blades, White raven tactics, Manticore parry, Greater insightful strike, Quicksilver motion, Shadow blink, Finishing move, Adamantine tornado
Punishing stance, Stance of clarity, Crushing weight of the mountain, Stance of alacrity




Level 5:

Up to this point, Captain O is a fairly standard Warblade, only made unique by his focus on unarmed combat and grappling. His stances and manoeuvres make him very good one on one combat, and he has some wider team utility through douse the flames and white raven tactics. His knowledge devotion will never be optimized through the roof, but it’s still a pretty good feat – and it opens up K. religion as a class skill, to allow a level 6 entry into the SI.

Level 10:

5 levels into the SI. His feat choices, Scorpion’s grasp and Martial stance (CW of the mountain) make him a much more able grappler, and since he was full BaB before entering the SI, he’s not very far behind on that front. Unarmed damage allows better grappling as well. He has 3 uses of 5-hour alter self – common forms include skulk when the party needs to sneak (synergises well with unarmoured AC), Tren or similar for fighting, or Avarial for flight. Haste as a move action is very good, especially with standard action strikes to use on the same turn, and the scorpion tattoo is an excellent alternative to wall of blades, making him reliably harder to hit for more than one round here and there. Better movement helps keeping tactical mobility an option while grappling.

Level 15:

Finishing out the SI, The captain has more and longer us of his previous tattoos, and new tattoos to provide utilities. He phoenix tattoo gives a lot of protection and helps him conserve his moment of perfect mind for when it’s absolutely needed. The lion tattoo may be an unusual choice, as move-action activation on a smite is a hard pill to swallow. It works very well, however, with martial strikes, which could always use the +4 to hit – and turns with martial strikes often have a dead move action. His feats keep up his grappling, making it truly excellent at this point – each of them gives him a +4 to grapple (+2 from the soulmeld, +2 from Azurin essentia, +4 from bonus essentia), which stack with improved grapple and any possible size increase from items or friendly casters. He should have a +28 to grapple at this level before any possible buffing from items or buffs, making grappling an excellent primary or secondary option for him for most encounters.

Level 20:

Finishing out the build with 5 more levels of warblade. The captain gets a few excellent maneuvers, and the always incredible stance of alacrity, allowing him to use a martial counter and the scorpion tattoo on the same turn. Of special note is quicksilver motion, allowing him to use a tattoo as a swift action at least once or twice every encounter.

Complete Champion: Knowledge devotion feat.

Complete scoundrel: collector of stories skill trick.

Complete warrior: Tattooed monk class.

Magic of Incarnum: Azurin race, shape soulmeld and bonus essentia feats, Girallon arms soulmeld.

Tome of battle: Warblade class, martial study and martial stance feats, stances and maneuvers.

Sandstorm: Scorpion’s grasp feat.

Everything else can be found in the SRD or the PHB.
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:12 PM
Ever changing, shifting like water. Be water, and take the form of your vessel.


Tedmiliun Tissopebillis


Human Monk 1 / Cloistered Cleric of Oghma 1/ Ranger 3/ Tattooed Monk 7 / Chameleon 8

Faith:
Worships Oghma and is a member of the Zealots of the written word who follow Deneir who serves Oghma.

Alignment
Lawful Neutral

Languages
Common, Draconic, Elvish, Gnomish

Attributes




Base
Class Level
Advancement
Final


Strength
14
+5
19


Dexterity
14
-
14


Constitution
14
-
14


Intelligence
16
-
16


Wisdom
12
-
12


Charisma
8

8





Tedmiliun opened his eyes after a long meditation. “Finally my mission is clear,” he thought to himself. “Find Cullen Kordamant and end the schism”. Tedmiliun sat atop a hill surveying flowing meadows. A peaceful scene only interrupted by a camped group of Orogs, who seemed to carry home spoils of war. He grabbed his satchel and retrieved his thesis notes. He scribbled atop them. “To look everywhere, I have to become everyone”. He then reached for the ink jar and the tattoo needle and started an intricate pattern on his left thigh. All lines were small passages of script of prayers to Oghma taught to him repeatedly. Like every priest of Oghma he knew them by heart. At some points, the script varied from tradition. A result of his extensive study under Deneir monks. When he finished tattooing his left thigh depicted a script that resembled a curled up chameleon. Satisfied he continued on his right thigh. Another passage of script tattooed into his skin showed a tortoise that seemed to nod to the chameleon on his other thigh. He continued on the left side of his bare chest. The script became a masked head. The mask being completely blank of script. On the right side of his chest, a stylized scorpion raised its stinger. Tedmiliun sighed. “I am complete”. He stripped naked and the chameleon tattoo swirled. Tedmiliun changed into an orog. “Now let’s meet my new friends”. He donned his clothing and picked up his satchel. “I will learn everything from them I can. Cullen Kordamant has to be somewhere. Oghma will show me the way.”




Table



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


1st
Monk
+0
+2
+2
+2
Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Listen 4, Spot 4, Knowledge (religion) 4, Bluff 2, Disguise 2, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 2, Knowledge (arcana) 2
Able Learner, Carmendine Monk, Improved Unarmed Strike (B), Improved Grapple (B)
Flurry of blows


2nd
Cloistered Cleric of Oghma
+0
+4
+2
+4
Hide 4, Move Silently 4, Listen 4, Spot 4, Knowledge (religion) 5, Bluff 5, Disguise 5, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 5, Knowledge (arcana) 2
Knowledge Devotion, Travel Devotion
Turn Undead; Trickery Domain


3rd
Ranger
+1
+6
+4
+4
Hide 6, Move Silently 6, Listen 5, Spot 5, Knowledge (religion) 6, Bluff 6, Disguise 6, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 6, Knowledge (arcana) 2
Point Blank Shot
Favored enemy (arcanists), spiritual connection, track


4th
Ranger
+2
+7
+5
+4
Hide 7, Move Silently 7, Listen 7, Spot 7, Knowledge (religion) 7, Bluff 7, Disguise 7, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 7, Knowledge (arcana) 2
Rapid Shot (B)
Combat style (archery)


5th
Ranger
+3
+7
+5
+5
Hide 8, Move Silently 8, Listen 8, Spot 8, Knowledge (religion) 8, Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 8, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Endurance (B)
-


6th
Tattooed Monk
+3
+9
+7
+7
Hide 9, Move Silently 9, Listen 9, Spot 9, Knowledge (religion) 9, Bluff 9, Disguise 9, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 9, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Dark Stalker
Monk abilities, tattoo (Chameleon)


7th
Tattooed Monk
+4
+10
+8
+8
Hide 10, Move Silently 10, Listen 10, Spot 10, Knowledge (religion) 10, Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 10, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
-


8th
Tattooed Monk
+5
+10
+8
+8
Hide 11, Move Silently 11, Listen 11, Spot 11, Knowledge (religion) 11, Bluff 11, Disguise 11, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 11, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Tattoo (Tortoise)


9th
Chameleon
+5
+10
+8
+8
Hide 12, Move Silently 12, Listen 12, Spot 12, Knowledge (religion) 12, Bluff 12, Disguise 12, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 12, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Practiced spellcaster (cleric)
Aptitude focus 1/day (+2)


10th
Chameleon
+6
+10
+8
+8
Hide 13, Move Silently 13, Listen 13, Spot 13, Knowledge (religion) 13, Bluff 13, Disguise 13, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 13, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Bonus feat


11th
Tattooed Monk
+7
+11
+9
+9
Hide 14, Move Silently 14, Listen 14, Spot 14, Knowledge (religion) 14, Bluff 14, Disguise 14, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 14, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
-


12th
Tattooed Monk
+7
+11
+9
+9
Hide 15, Move Silently 15, Listen 15, Spot 15, Knowledge (religion) 15, Bluff 15, Disguise 15, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 15, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Martial Study (Shadow Jaunt)
Tattoo (White mask)


13th
Tattooed Monk
+8
+12
+10
+10
Hide 16, Move Silently 16, Listen 16, Spot 16, Knowledge (religion) 16, Bluff 16, Disguise 16, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 16, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
-


14th
Tattooed Monk
+9
+12
+10
+10
Hide 17, Move Silently 17, Listen 17, Spot 17, Knowledge (religion) 17, Bluff 17, Disguise 17, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 17, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Tattoo (Scorpion)


15th
Chameleon
+10
+13
+11
+11
Hide 18, Move Silently 18, Listen 18, Spot 18, Knowledge (religion) 18, Bluff 18, Disguise 18, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 18, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Martial Stance (Assassin's Stance)
Mimic class feature 1/day


16th
Chameleon
+11
+13
+11
+11
Hide 19, Move Silently 19, Listen 19, Spot 19, Knowledge (religion) 19, Bluff 19, Disguise 19, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 19, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Ability boon +2


17th
Chameleon
+11
+13
+11
+11
Hide 20, Move Silently 20, Listen 20, Spot 20, Knowledge (religion) 20, Bluff 20, Disguise 20, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 20, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Aptitude focus 2/day (+4)


18th
Chameleon
+12
+14
+12
+12
Hide 21, Move Silently 21, Listen 21, Spot 21, Knowledge (religion) 21, Bluff 21, Disguise 21, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 21, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
Craven
Mimic class feature 2/day


19th
Chameleon
+13
+14
+12
+12
Hide 22, Move Silently 22, Listen 22, Spot 22, Knowledge (religion) 22, Bluff 22, Disguise 22, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 22, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Ability boon +4, double aptitude


20th
Chameleon
+14
+14
+12
+12
Hide 23, Move Silently 23, Listen 23, Spot 23, Knowledge (religion) 23, Bluff 23, Disguise 23, Sense Motive 4, Spellcraft 23, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Collector of stories
-
Rapid refocus





Cleric casting
no table because it is always the same after level 2:
0th level : 3 spells
1st level: 1 + 1 domain spell

Usually prepared before entering Chameleon:
0th level: detect magic, light, read magic
1st level: obscuring mist, disguise self (trickery)

After entering Chameleon the chosen spells highly depend on what aptitude focus is chosen and what the task of the day is (adventuring or crafting).



Chameleon casting without bonus spells for high INT/WIS


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


9th
4
2
0
-
-
-


10th
4
3
1
-
-
-


11th
4
3
1
-
-
-


12th
4
3
1
-
-
-


13th
4
3
1
-
-
-


14th
4
3
1
-
-
-


15th
4
3
2
0
-
-


16th
4
4
3
1
-
-


17th
4
4
3
2
0
-


18th
4
4
4
3
1
-


19th
4
4
4
4
2
0


20th
4
4
4
4
3
1



Some spells to consider:

Arcane spells:
0th: detect magic, dancing lights, message, ghost sound
1st: enlarge person, mage armor, protection from x, grease,
2nd: invisibility, knock, darkvision,
3rd: haste, fly,
4th: dimension door, greater invisibility, polymorph
5th: fabricate, overland flight, teleport

Don't forget: a spellbook is needed for the arcane casting of chameleon.


Divine spells:
1st: cure light wounds, divine favor
2nd: guidance of the avatar, divine insight, lesser restoration, silence, augury
3rd: magic vestment, deeper darkness, speak with dead, remove cruse, remove disease
4th: divine power, dimensional anchor, restoration, sending
5th: true seeing, righteous might




As you probably can guess, I had a wrestling match with Vizzini and won. Human Monk dip + Ranger 3 for Endurance + Cloistered Cleric dip is prime Iron Chef Nonoriginality to enter Tattooed Monk. Now let me switch your perspective:
To achieve what I wanted the build to do I needed the following: some form of monk progression, all my skills (Bluff, Disguise, Hide, Move silently, Knowledge (Religion), Spellcraft, to a lesser extent Sense Motive) as class skills at some point, BAB 3 by ECL 5 and at a lot of skill points. Feats were also a major concern. For the build to work the following are needed: Able Learner, Knowledge Devotion, Darkstalker, Practiced Spellcaster and the 3 entry feats for Tattooed Monk. I fiddled with so many alternative entries i.e. Fighter/Monk, Monk/Serenity Paladin (with excessively many background conflicting ACFs), Barbarian, Hexblade, all forms of Ascetic Feats, Rogue, Scout, all Tome of Battle Classes and even Battle Dancer into Paladin of Freedom (until realizing Tattooed Monk had Lawful as a prerequisite). Despite the many hours of frustration, I had a lot of fun putting Tedmiliun together. Hope you enjoy him too:

Level 1: Carmendine monk switches all Wis to Int for monks and on top of that, you can study for 1 hour to treat your monk level as two higher for unarmed damage ac or speed bonus. Tedmiliun starts at +6 bonus to grapple which is all right. Dedicated grappler might end up with +10 or higher at level 1. Tedmiliun is a dedicated scout at this level with minor combat utility. I chose to keep flurry of blows over decisive strike but I think it is a tossup and either is fine.

Level 2: Tedmiliun needs to have Disguise, Bluff, Spellcraft and Knowledge (Religion) at max ranks before entering Ranger because otherwise I cannot max them with Able Learner. Knowledge Devotion is a welcome damage boost but fully shines later with the tortoise tattoo. Travel Devotion is a great way to use your daily uses of Turn Undead and is one of the reasons I chose to keep flurry of blows. Trickery Domain adds not only Bluff and Disguise but also the Disguise Self spell that really helps to make disguise viable for Tedmiliun until level 6.

Level 3 - 5: Ranger has the necessary BAB, enough skill points and Hide, Move Silently, Spot and Listen as class skills. All these things together are exclusive to the Ranger. It is almost a bonus that a Ranger gets Endurance as a bonus feat. Arcane Hunter ACF is my preferred method of making Favored Enemy more usable and more dangerous to the most dangerous foes. Rapid Shot and Point Blank Shot are the basis for combining the stealth aspect of Tedmiliun and his stat array into a decent archer. Also at this level Collector of stories skill trick adds immediately to Knowledge Devotion checks with religion and arcane and mainly with later uses of Knowledge Devotion with the tortoise tattoo.

Level 6 - 8: All tattoos are supernatural abilities. Therefor all of them default to a caster level of the creatures hit dice, which means that the Chameleon tattoo is an instant CL 5 (maxed) Alter Self. This is by far the best tattoo you can get and I am very curious if there is a single entry that does not use this tattoo. Tedmiliun is limited to Humanoid forms but since he is a spy, this is perfect anyways. Since Alter Self is very well known terrain, I’ll keep this part short. Tren is the preferred combat form, skulk the scout form. Use movement forms and forms to infiltrate as needed. Alter Self adds a +10 to disguise which works well with the assumed role. Darkstalker is another staple of every stealthy character ever. Level 7 is the first “dead level”. These levels are the reason I absolutely wanted monk for the progression since the wording of monk abilities is so narrow: it only stacks with monk levels not monk abilities gained by other classes (i.e. unarmed swordsage). Level 8 adds the second tattoo and it is to me the most interesting one: tortoise. Instant skill ranks in craft (basket weaving), profession (barkeeper), autohypnosis, iaijutsu focus and everything else. Count me in. More seriously, the only drawback is you need to have no ranks in the chosen skill. At level 8 3 ranks in Knowledge (nature or planes) may be used for bonus damage via Knowledge Devotion.

Level 9 - 10: After assembling to pieces of the main trick, there is only one thing missing: the floating feat and casting abilities of Chameleon. Practiced Spellcaster is necessary to qualify for most of the magic item creation feats. Usually I’d recommend a single aptitude or two to choose fromfor any given day but with Tedmiliun it highly depends what role you have to fulfill on any given day. Mundane crafting days or days with unknown skill challenges point towards divine focus. Adventuring days or magical crafting days point towards arcane focus. Only wild focus will probably never be an option.

Level 11 – 14: Another four levels of Tattooed Monk. I decided to skim three levels of the SI. Initially I planned to take nine levels but the last tattoo seemed so lackluster compared to three more levels of Chameleon. The white mask tattoo is perfect for a spy character and the I chose the Scorpion tattoo over the Phoenix tattoo because for Phoenix to shine you almost have to take all ten or at least 9 levels and I think Tedmiliun’s saves are very high and his AC needs help. This is why I chose Scorpion over Phoenix. [Maybe there is also bias in this decision, because I absolutely adore the Scorpion Clan in the Legend of the five rings setting.] Martial Study (Shadow Jaunt) is a great mobility tool.

Level 15 – 20: Martial Stance (Assassin’s Stance) and Craven add more combat power to Tedmiliun which he definitely will need to stay relevant at high levels. Given his stealthy nature and knowing that he never wants to engage in melee alone, Sneak Attack and Craven seemed to me the best route to take. With double aptitude, rapid refocus and aptitude focus multiple combinations throughout the day are possible. Most likely the advice given above (level 9 -10) is still viable and Tedmiliun simply adds stealth focus or combat focus to the arcane or divine focus. Mimic class features also is so highly dependent what you do that day: additional sneak attack is great, so is evasion. Turn Undead might be fuel needed for Travel Devotion or simply Turn Undead as a level 9 Cleric. Rage + Righteous Might + Divine Power + Improved Grapple + Scorpion’s grasp is also a very decent melee setup. At level 20 Tedmiliun really has (almost) unlimited possibilities.





Here is a list of combinations I found to use. I am sure there are way more:


knowledge nature/planes (tortoise tattoo= trainedcheck with tattooed monk level ranks) + collector of stories + Int + knowledge devotion = bonus damage and information vs monsters
tattooed monk level ranks in craft (literally anything you want) (tortoise tattoo) + skill focus (floating feat) + Int + racial bonus (chameleon tattoo i.e. dwarf) + guidance of the avatar + divine insight = any mundane item you wish
hide + move silently + skulk (chameleon tattoo) + Dex + darkstalker = ranks + 15 + Dex hide, ranks + 8 + Dex move silently
search (tortoise tattoo) + trapfinding (chameleon) + Int + racial bonus (chameleon tattoo i.e. dwarf, orog, kobold, gnome) + guidance of the avatar + divine insight = make sure there absolutely is no trap.
disable device (tortoise tattoo) + trapfinding (chameleon) + Dex + racial bonus (chameleon tattoo i.e. dwarf) + guidance of the avatar + divine insight = make sure there absolutely is no trap
knowledge (religion) + ceremony feats (floating feat)= slayer of dragons and words of draconic power from Dragon Magic, fell conspiracy from Exemplar of Evils, ritual transference and ritual blood bonds (qualify via alter self) from PHB 2
endurance + strong stomach (chameleon feat) = nauseated becomes sickened, immune to sickened
endurance + enduring life (chameleon feat) = +4 fort vs negative levels + ignore negative levels for Con modifier minutes
endurance + hibernate = enhanced regeneration when „resting“
improved unarmed strike + improved grapple + scorpion’s grasp (chameleon feat)= free grapple after unarmed strike
improved unarmed strike + improved grapple + earth’s embrace (chameleon feat) = 1d12 bonus damage while pinning
improved unarmed strike + hammer fist (chameleon feat) = single unarmed strike with 1 ½ strength bonus
CL 5 cleric + scribe scroll or craft wondrous item or craft magic arms and armor or brew potion or craft wand + chameleon casting + spellcraft ranks= craft a lot of magic items if you want to (xp is a river)




Able learner, Chameleon, Skulk: races of destiny
Carmendine monk: Champions of Valor
Cloistered Cleric: Unearthed Arcana
Devotion Feats: Complete Champion
Arcane Hunter: Complete Mage
Dark Stalker: Lords of Madness
Practiced Spellcaster: Cmplete Divine
Martial Study, Martial Stance, Shadow Jaunt, Assassin's Stance: Tome of Battle
Craven: Champions of Ruin
Tren: Serpent Kingdoms
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:18 PM
+5 points for "bestained." That's class.



https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bf/6a/34/bf6a347ab71db98f4cb6fb2fe196ceed.jpg

Corentin, his Soul Bestained

Stats
STR 14 (6 pts)
DEX 14 (6 pts)
CON 16 + 2 = 18 (10 pts)
INT 12 - 2 = 10 (4 pts)
WIS 14 (6 pts)
CHA 8 (0 pts)

Boost WIS at level 12; boost CON at other stat increases

LG hellbred (body aspect) monk 1 / totemist 10 / tattooed monk 9


LevelClassBase Attack BonusFortitudeReflexWillSkillsFeatsClass Features
1Monk 10+2+2+2K: Religion 4, Tumble 4, Balance 4, Spot 4Devil's Favor (hellbred bonus), Improved Unarmed Strike (monk bonus), Improved Grapple (monk bonus), EnduranceMonk unarmed strike 1d6, monk AC bonus, flurry of blows

2Totemist 10+4+4+2K: Religion +1 cc (5), Tumble +1 (5), Spot +1 (5)Illiteracy, wild empathy, skilled city dweller (swap Ride for Tumble) meldshaping (2 melds / 1 ess / 0 binds)

3Totemist 21+5+5+2K: Religion +1 cc (6), Tumble +1 (6), Spot +1 (6)Unorthodox Flurry (claw)Meldshaping (3 melds / 2 ess / 1 bind), totem bind (+1 capacity)

4Totemist 32+5+5+3K: Religion +1 cc (7), Tumble +1 (7), Spot +1 (7)Devil's Flesh (hellbred bonus)Meldshaping (3 melds / 2 ess / 1 bind), totem's protection

5Totemist 43+6+6+3K: Religion +1 cc (8), Tumble +1 (8), Spot +1 (8)Meldshaping (4 melds / 3 ess / 1 bind)

6Totemist 53+6+6+3Tumble +1 (9), Spot +1 (9), Listen +2 (2)MultiattackMeldshaping (4 melds / 3 ess / 1 bind), crown/feet/hands binds

7Totemist 64+7+7+4Tumble +1 (10), Spot +1 (10), Listen +2 (4)Meldshaping (4 melds / 4 ess / 2 binds), totem chakra +1 ML

8Tattooed Monk 14+9+9+6Balance +1 (5), Tumble +1 (11), Listen +2 (6)Crab tattoo

9Tattooed Monk 25+10+10+7Tumble +1 (12), Listen +3 (9)Touch of Golden IceUnarmored speed +10 ft

10Tattooed Monk 36+10+10+7Tumble +1 (13), Listen +3 (12)OA spider tattoo, unarmed strike 1d8

11Totemist 77+10+10+7Tumble +1 (14), Spot +3 (13)Meldshaping (5 melds / 5 ess / 2 binds)

12Totemist 88+11+11+7Tumble +1 (15), Spot +1 (14), Twisted Charge skill trickSnap KickMeldshaping (5 melds / 5 ess / 2 binds), rebind totem soulmeld 1/day

13Totemist 98+11+11+8Tumble +1 (16), Spot +1 (15), Back on Your Feet skill trickMeldshaping (5 melds / 6 ess / 2 binds), arms/brow/shoulder binds

14Totemist 109+12+12+8Tumble +1 (17), Spot +2 (17), Listen +1 (13)Devil's Sight (hellbred bonus)Meldshaping (6 melds / 7 ess / 3 binds)

15Tattooed Monk 410+13+13+9Tumble +1 (18), Listen +1 (14), Clarity of Vision skill trickDouble Chakra (hands)Monk AC bonus +1

16Tattooed Monk 510+13+13+9Tumble +1 (19), Listen +1 (15), Acrobatic Backstab skill trickWasp tattoo, unarmored speed +20 ft

17Tattooed Monk 611+14+14+10Tumble +1 (20), Listen + 3 (18)lol dead level

18Tattooed Monk 712+14+14+10Tumble +1 (21), Listen +3 (21)Shape Soulmeld: gloves of the poisoned soulTortoise tattoo, unarmed strike 1d10

19Tattooed Monk 813+15+15+11Tumble +1 (22), Listen +1 (22), Spot +1 cc (18)Unarmored speed +30 ft

20Tattooed Monk 913+15+15+11Tumble +1 (23), Listen +1 (23), Spot +1 cc (19)Scorpion tattoo, monk AC bonus +2




The soul, it is said, inexorably seeks its proper place when freed from the body. The devout find their patron's home, the virtuous head to the Upper Plane most suited for them, and the wicked dive straight down into the hands of the fiends. Occasionally, though, a damned soul about to be delivered to the Nine Hells of Baator ends up back on the Material, having truly repented enough to escape the baatezu--at least for now--but not soon enough to gain entry into the celestial realms. The soul, however, is marked in the process--deeply marked, permanent as any tattoo on mortal flesh. Our topic of study today is one such marked soul, a scoundrel-turned-avenger known as Corentin.

Escaping the jaws of the mouth of the hells, Corentin sought training in a monastery to try to figure out what had happened to him and how to prevent it from being a waste. The monks gave him a religious understanding of his chance at redemption and instilled in him the rigorous discipline he hoped would keep him from ever slipping back towards the fate he had nearly avoided. (Not, of course, that he needed much prompting.) He knew he couldn't stay a the monastery forever, though. First, Corentin knew that he could only show himself worthy of his second chance by bringing evildoers to justice, not by staying holed up inside all day. Second, his harrowing near-miss had taught him that souls are more malleable--and more valuable--than he had once thought, and he wanted to use that knowledge in his pursuit of justice.

Tactics:
A monk dip helps out a totemist by quite a lot. Totemists are natural grapplers (the girallon arms alone do a ton of work, and much later the arms bind of the kraken mantle stacks with them), so Improved Grapple is a boon right away. Flurry of blows offers the ability to make multiple attacks even before getting claws, which is nice, and Unorthodox Flurry offers the ability to keep using flurry even after getting claws. Corentin's two primary binds are the girallon arms in the totem chakra and the sphinx claws in the hands chakra. Your remaining melds are flexible and can be easily changed to meet the day's expected challenges, but good everyday choices include the wormtail belt for some extra AC and then perhaps a skill-boosting meld (or the venerable blink shirt for out-of-combat utility). Between flurry and the girallon arms, Corentin's attack routine hits 5 swings shockingly early on, and the sphinx claws offer mobility in the form of pounce. Multiattack helps with accuracy.


The Scourging, for so the process of the half-redeemed soul being wrenched from the grip of the devils and flung back to the Material is called, leaves deep, indelible marks on body and soul alike. Corentin's moment of repentance--born of a sudden flash of empathy for others upon suffering his own betrayal at the hands of a compatriot--filled him with such hatred of injustice that his righteous fury seeps out of his skin, blistering the flesh of evildoers he comes into contact with. Such fury can only be fueled by regret, for what else could leave a soul so pure and so stained at the same time?

Tactics:
Into the SI! Complete Warrior doesn't say where the tattoos actually come from, so I like to interpret this character such that they're aspects of Corentin's scourged soul simply manifesting on his body. Crab tattoo is quite synergistic with a natural attacker like Corentin. In addition to providing a little bit of defense against certain sources, it's a crucial source of offense: once you have DR/magic, your natural attacks can penetrate DR/magic, so we don't have to get into arguments about whether or not an essentia-fueled "enhancement bonus" makes claws count as magical or whether it's reasonable to get a necklace of natural attacks or anything like that.

The real meat of the build, though, comes with the OA spider tattoo. Every touch--whether that's a primary attack, a flurry attack, an iterative attack, a secondary claw/claw/claw attack routine, or a Snap Kick--forces a save against CON damage. That adds up fast, especially since early failed saves lead to later failed saves (lower CON = lower Fort, after all). This pairs well, both thematically and mechanically, with Touch of Golden Ice. They function similarly, the spider tattoo makes the golden ice more likely to succeed, and it just plain seems logical to me to have a hellbred be so overcome by regret and righteous fury that their very touch is dangerous.

After getting the best tattoos online, we need meldshaper level 9 to qualify for Double Chakra, so Corentin fuses his study of soulstuff with his meditations on his own soul and gains some more access to melds and binds. That third bind will eventually get allocated once Shape Soulmeld is taken, but until then just have fun with arms/brow/shoulder binds (several good mobility options on the shoulders chakra, for example).

Snap Kick, as mentioned earlier, keeps the fun going. More attacks = more saves. Pounce still works as dutifully as ever, giving mobility and letting Corentin put his monklike enhanced movement speed to good use without sacrificing offense.


Why did I get a second chance? What kept me from the baatezu's clutches? I doubt I'll ever know, but I know a few things. First, there are marks that go all the way to the soul. Second, there's more to the soul than what you give yourself credit for. And third, if my appearance isn't enough to get you back on the straight and narrow, then I owe it to whatever gave me this chance to make sure that you don't cause any more harm. After all, I wasn't even this nice back before. Maybe you'll end up just like me! That'd be best for the world, I think. But you can't have a second chance until your first one's over, so hold still…

Tactics:
The gloves of the poisoned soul are online in this level bracket, and Double Chakra makes them compatible with the sphinx claws. I view this as stemming from the same source as Corentin's OA spider tattoo and his Touch of Golden Ice. Incarnum channels past souls (among others), after all--maybe this is the state of Corentin's soul prior to his redemption! Mechanically, a single touch can now cost a target CON, DEX, STR, and WIS, which is honestly quite delightful. The CON and DEX apply on every attack; the STR and WIS only apply once (with secondary damage later), but that's fine. The gloves don't have a listed activation time. MoI pg. 53 says "in such cases where a soulmeld's power can be activated, the text indicates what kind of action is required to activate it." In the absence of such text, I infer that this simply piggybacks on an existing attempt to strike a foe.


Let me explain. This works on a mechanical level and on a fluff level. On the fluff level, hellbred are explicitly allowed to use evil-aligned magic and tools in the pursuit of good. (Soulmelds aren't called out, but honestly it just plain makes sense, fluffwise.) Furthermore, I envision this character as having basically crystallized revenge all throughout their body; that's why their very touch harms the bodies of evildoers, and this is a manifestation of that. (If anyone's soul was once poisoned, after all, it's that of a hellbred! I like to imagine that this is a fragment of the prior state of their own soul.) Mechanically, we don't even strictly need the evil exemption, since nowhere in MoI does it state that using an [Evil] soulmeld is an Evil act (unlike, say, using a [Necrocarnum] meld), and the restriction on only using soulmelds that match your alignment is baked into the incarnate class and the soulborn class (neither of which we have). Neither totemists nor the Shape Soulmeld feat say anything about alignment restrictions at all. So mechanically, we don't actually need an exception because it's not actually Evil to use the gloves of the poisoned soul, and thematically, we would have an exception if one were needed, since hellbred explicitly can and do use the tools of evil to fight evil. So no matter whether you're a RAW-is-law GM or a flavor-first GM, I think this is fully justified!

The wasp tattoo makes Corentin's rapid-fire attacks even more rapid-fire. Haste is an excellent buff however you slice it, and since more attacks = more saves, this is very good to have.

The tortoise tattoo is remarkably intriguing but kind of hard to use on most characters. After all, if you have no ranks in a skill, how good can your bonus be, even with the tattoo providing some phantom ranks? Well, if you've got a whole bunch of soulmelds, the answer is "surprisingly good." Soulmelds are great at giving really big bonuses to skills even in the absence of any ranks, so the tortoise tattoo offers some surprising utility when used judiciously. On a thematic level, I envision this as flashes of insight from Corentin's former life prior to his first death.

The scorpion tattoo is purely defensive, but it's a really good way to turn a hit into a miss a few times per day, simple as that. If the enemy's stats have already been damaged by Corentin's ability-harming ways (CON, DEX, STR, and WIS are all at risk!) then that's even better!


Two of the three prereq feats are put to good use (unarmed strikes are the character's stock in trade, and totemists are good grapplers) from start to finish.

Crab tattoo is uniquely useful on a character who relies on natural weapons.

OA spider tattoo is the build's entire focus.

Soulmelds make the tortoise tattoo way more useful than it would otherwise be.

Wasp tattoo is synergistic with the character's charge/pounce/blend fighting style.

The character's focus on harming enemy stats makes the scorpion tattoo even more effective than it would normally be.


Oriental Adventures: Original version of spider tattoo, allowed per Word Of Chair
Fiendish Codex II: Hellbred, Devil's Favor, Devil's Flesh, Devil's Sight
Complete Warrior: Tattooed monk
Tome of Battle: Snap Kick
Magic of Incarnum: Totemist, soulmelds, Shape Soulmeld, Double Chakra
Monster Manual: Multiattack
Dragon Compendium: Unorthodox Flurry
Book of Exalted Deeds: Touch of Golden Ice
Cityscape Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a): Skilled City Dweller
Complete Scoundrel: Skill tricks
PHB/SRD: All others

Picture credit:
Mykel Łukasiewicz
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:25 PM
They're not just tattoos, they're holy tattoos.



Cole Sear, Master of the Spiritual Tattoo Magic
"spoiler alert"


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/5d/df/125ddfb7ece5922140737c524ec6089c.jpg

Human Monk1/Shaman4/Tattooed monk2/Sacred Fist3/Tattooed monk8/Sacred Fist2



Disclaimer : This build assumes that text-trumps-table is effective for the Sacred Fist PrC


Race Human (Bonus Feat : Endurance)
Level 1 : Improved Grapple + Improved Unarmed Strike (free) + Stunning Fist (monk bonus)
Level 2 : Improved Unarmed Strike (free)
Level 3 : Combat Casting
Level 4 Shaman Bonus : Combat Reflexes
Level 6 : Persist Spell
Level 9 : Divine Metamagic
Level 12 : Improved Natural Attack
Level 15 : Snap Kick
Level 18 : Freezing the Lifeblood



Point Buy (Level 4, 8 & 12, to Strength, 16 & 20 to Wisdom)
STR 15
DEX 14
CON 14
INT 8
WIS 16
CHA 10


Watchuget
- Full Monk Unarmed Damage progression (with Monk’s Tattoo)

- Persisted Divine Power : Full BaB, +6 enhancement to STR (24), +CLxHp

- Caster level 10, access to 5th level spells & 2 Domains (Planning & Pride)

- Massive Unarmed Damage :
Progress of « Monk abilities » gives an improvement to Unarmed damage as per the monk class, nothing new here.
Oriental Adventures p34 gives us something entirely new (at least to my knowledge and having found no errata on it in 3.5, i’m going to take it for granted) ; a table of itterative attacks for the Monk (and affiliated prestiges classes such as Tattooed Monk) only. And while it stops at level 15 (because monk classes have 3/4 BaB) we have DIVINE POWER that gives us +20 at level 20. Taking this into account, the table looks like this :





Base Attack Bonus
Additionnal Unarmed Attacks


+0
-


+1
-


+2
-


+3
-


+4
+1


+5
+2


+6
+3


+7
+4/+1


+8
+5/+2


+9
+6/+3


+10
+7/+4/+1


+11
+8/+5/+2


+12
+9/+6/+3


+13
+10/+7/+4+1


+14
+11/+8/+5/+2


+15
+12/+9/+6/+3


+16
+13/+10/+7/+4/+1


+17
+14/+11/+8/+5/+2


+18
+15/+12/+9/+6/+3


+19
+16/+13/+10/+7/+4/+1


+20
+17/+14/+11/+8/+5/+2



More about how this is great in the crunch of level 20...

- 25 AC without doning any armor (+9 dodge AC, +2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor from Hornhead, -1 from Large)

- 90ft movespeed

Sweet Spot
Level 10
Divine Power makes a big difference since the Monk additionnal Unarmed Attacks table of OA gives us 4 attacks at BaB+10 (up from 2 attacks at BaB+6 a level before)
Strength goes to 23 (+6) from 17 which basically doubles the damage output from it.

AC is 20 without armor ( +4 dodge AC, +2 Dex, +5 Natural Armor from Hornhead, -1 from Large)

Movespeed is 40ft, giving us a slight edge

Shaman 0-4th level spells giving us, among other things : Dispel Magic, SNA line of spells, Dream-Sight, Air Walk, Protection from Evil/Chaos , and the good old Polymorph ( Which I probably don’t need to go into depth about what can be accomplished with)







Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features
Unarmed Damage
Unarmored Speed
AC Bonus


1st
Monk 1
+0
+2
+2
+2
Concentration 4, Tumble 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Profession (Tattoo Artist) 4
Human : Endurance, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike, Stunning Fist
Wis to AC, Unarmored Movement, Flurry of Blow
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


2nd
Shaman 1
+0
+2
+2
+4
Concentration 5 (+1), Tumble 5 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 5 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 4 Knowledge (Spirits) 1 (+1)
Improved Unarmed Strike (bis)
Animal Companion, Domains : Pride & Planning
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


3rd
Shaman 2
+1
+2
+2
+5
Concentration 6 (+1), Tumble 6 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 6 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 4 Knowledge (Spirits) 2 (+1)
Combat Casting
Spirit Sight
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


4th
Shaman 3
+2
+3
+3
+5
Concentration 7 (+1), Tumble 7 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 7 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 4 Knowledge (Spirits) 3 (+1)
-
Turn/Rebuke Undead
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


5th
Shaman 4
+3
+3
+3
+6
Concentration 8 (+1), Tumble 8 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 8 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 4 Knowledge (Spirits) 4 (+1)
Combat Reflexes
Bonus Feat
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


6th
Tattooed Monk 1
+3
+5
+5
+8
Concentration 9 (+1), Tumble 9 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 9 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 5 (+1) Knowledge (Spirits) 4
Persistant Spell
Tattoo : Chameleon, Monk Abilities
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+3)


7th
Tattooed Monk 2
+4
+6
+6
+9
Concentration 10 (+1), Tumble 10 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 10 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 6 (+1) Knowledge (Spirits) 4
-
-
1d6
10 ft
WIS (+3)


8th
Sacred Fist 1
+5
+8
+8
+9
Concentration 11 (+1), Tumble 11 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 11 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 6, Knowledge (Spirits) 5 (+1)
-
Unarmed Damage, AC Bonus +1
1d8
10 ft
WIS (+3) +1


9th
Sacred Fist 2
+6
+9
+9
+9
Concentration 12 (+1), Tumble 12 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 12 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 6, Knowledge (Spirits) 6 (+1)
Divine Metamagic (Persist Spell)
-
1d8
10 ft
WIS (+3) +1


10th
Sacred Fist 3
+7
+9
+9
+10
Concentration 13 (+1), Tumble 13 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 13 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 6, Knowledge (Spirits) 7 (+1)
-
-
1d8
20 ft
WIS (+3) +1


11th
Tattooed Monk 3
+8
+9
+9
+10
Concentration 14 (+1), Tumble 14 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 14 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 7 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
-
Tattoo : Spider (OA version)
1d8
20 ft
WIS (+3) +1


12th
Tattooed Monk 4
+9
+10
+10
+11
Concentration 15 (+1), Tumble 15 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 15 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 8 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
Improved Natural Attack
-
2d8
20 ft
WIS (+3) +2


13th
Tattooed Monk 5
+9
+10
+10
+11
Concentration 16 (+1), Tumble 16 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 16 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 9 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
-
Tattoo : Wasp
2d8
30 ft
WIS (+3) +2


14th
Tattooed Monk 6
+10
+11
+11
+12
Concentration 17 (+1), Tumble 17 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 17 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 10 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
-
-
2d8
30 ft
WIS (+3) +2


15th
Tattooed Monk 7
+11
+11
+11
+12
Concentration 18 (+1), Tumble 18 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 18 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 11 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
Snap Kick
Tattoo : Tiger
2d8
30 ft
WIS (+3) +2


16th
Tattooed Monk 8
+12
+12
+12
+13
Concentration 19 (+1), Tumble 19 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 19 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 12 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
-
-
3d6
40 ft
WIS (+3) +2


17th
Tattooed Monk 9
+12
+12
+12
+13
Concentration 20 (+1), Tumble 20 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 20 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 13 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
-
Tattoo : Moon, Crescent
3d6
40 ft
WIS (+3) +2


18th
Tattooed Monk 10
+13
+13
+13
+14
Concentration 21 (+1), Tumble 21 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 21 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 14 (+1), Knowledge (Spirits) 7
Freezing the LifeBlood
-
3d6
40 ft
WIS (+3) +3


19th
Sacred Fist 4
+14
+14
+14
+14
Concentration 22 (+1), Tumble 22 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 22 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 14, Knowledge (Spirits) 8 (+1)
-
Sacred Flames 1/d
3d6
40 ft
WIS (+3) +3


20th
Sacred Fist 5
+15
+14
+14
+14
Concentration 23 (+1), Tumble 23 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 23 (+1), Profession (Tattoo Artist) 14, Knowledge (Spirits) 9 (+1)
-
AC Bonus (+2)
3d8
40 ft
WIS (+4) +4





Spells per Day/Spells Known


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th


1st
-
-
-
-
-
-


2nd
3
2+1
-
-
-
-


3rd
4
3+1
-
-
-
-


4th
4
3+1
2+1
-
-
-


5th
5
4+1
3+1
-
-
-


6th
5
4+1
3+1
-
-
-


7th
5
4+1
3+1
-
-
-


8th
5
4+1
3+1
2+1
-
-


9th
5
4+1
4+1
3+1
-
-


10th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


11th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


12th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


13th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


14th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


15th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


16th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


17th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


18th
6
5+1
4+1
3+1
2+1
-


19th
6
5+1
4+1
4+1
3+1
-


20th
6
5+1
5+1
4+1
3+1
1+1






Abbreviations :
1/cl : once per class level
1/nt : once per number of tattoos

Chameleon : (Alter Self) Hornhead Large humanoïde adding a natural attack (Tail) for 10ft reach, +5 Nat Armor (From Saurials Web Enhancement)
Spider (OA version) : Every Unarmed Strike deals poison 1 Con initial/secondary damage (save DC = 12 + TM lvl)
Wasp : 1/d/cl Haste (Rounds/nt) meaning an additionnal hit at full BaB
Tiger : +1 unarmed attacks + 1d6 to damage on successful hit
Moon Crescent : Abrupt Jaunt as SLA

The ones that didn’t make the cut:
Cloud Tattoo : useless since you can do it with our own spells
Crab (errataed version) : DR2/- per number or tattoo could help if the DR2/magic means your natural attack count as magic for overcoming DR
Scorpion : Is nice but I pictured it as a form of taunt and that’s not very fitting of the idea of Cole
Phoenix SR 15+Class level, because who doesn’t like SR 25. Shame it fits less thematically




Cole Sear is 9 y.o when he starts honing his body while fighting/grappling with his friends, he is deemed lethal with his unarmed strikes. When he is not outside rolling in the mud, he likes to draw all kinds of things and wants to be a tattoo artist when he grows up. He is a careful planner and prides himself as such. While searching for his artistic signature he discovers, through stories of the old ones, that there is a Spirit World which leads him to start researching the matter, making him delve into the world of Shamans. His affinity with natures increases as well and his is able to tame animals to have then as companions ; small ones at first but he then tames a Dire Bat, very useful mount to travel the world with.
As time goes by, he starts seeing things more clearly with what he calls his « Spirit Sight » and even develops the abilty to influence the undead.
Having stepped on the path of magic, he proceeds to intertwine his passions in a new form of art that will leave its mark through History.

Bit of an early gish, Unarmed Strike, Summon Nature’s Ally (especially) and Animal Companion are great ways to win action economy in a low level fight.





Cole is now a young adult. His tattooing skills is recognized by all as the best in the country and he starts to try and mix the magic of spirits inside his drawings. After many experiments on himself, his first success he calls, the Chameleon. This specific tattoo enables him to change his shape and copy his favorite Saurial spirit The Hornhead.
This success revives his curiosity for spirit magic and he finds an elegant way to progress his martial training even further while attuning himself to this divine power which he finds a way to make last longer ! Brimming with power all-day-long and even able to polymorph into almost anything a few minutes a day if things turn sour, he continues researching new ways of expanding his unique art.

Ok now Cole is Large, got a +5 Natural Armor and a tail attack for 2h/day and at level 10 hits the sweet spot of Persistant Divine Power. He is a physical force to be reckonned with : +15/+12/+9/+6/+15 (Full BaB, -1 from Size, +6 from Str) and has his trump card Polymorph that can settle any problem he faces.




Cole masters the process of engraving this magic into his tattoos even more, making progress by the day. Over time, he inscribed himself with a Spider, then a Wasp, and, when he felt confidant enough, a Tiger.
Those tattoos combined with his own martial skills, titanlike strikes and his snap-kicktechnique, make him a menace to anyone daring to disturbed the peaceful order of his town. He progresses by leaps and bounds, his unarmed strikes are famous in the whole country, second only to his tattoos, people who challenged Cole to a fight later described the contest as « being beaten by something four times your size ».

Empowering his attack routine through the uses of Spider(OA), Wasp and Tiger tattoos, Cole has a a poisonous -1 Con with each sucessful strike, +1 attack from Haste, +1 to attack & 1d6 on damage rolls from Tiger making him deadlier. The Divine Power keeps scaling his itterative attacks.




Cole is now middle-aged making him wiser, faster and stronger than ever. He has found a way to commune with spirits and is now a master of his own discipline ; a complex blend of spirit magic, martial arts and tattoo design. His fists are a force to be reckonned with and his mastery over his markings make him a beast in the ring. Somewhere along his way he met with monks that bestowed him with a Monk Tattoo that he was unable to design, enabling him to unlock the remaining secrets of monkhood allowing his strikes to freeze the lifeblood of his targets. Inspired by their work he inscribes what is, to this day, his masterpiece : a Crescent Moon. This last tattoo allows him to travel the Ethereal Plane, getting him closer to the spirits he draws both his inspiration and power from, hoping that, one day, he will make it across to the Spirit World.

Finishing strong
We have 7 attacks as a fullround attack thanks to that OA table. Then you add Haste (+1 at max BAB) and Snap-Kick (albeit giving a -2 to everyone of them) give you 9 attacks. Chameleon tattoo : Hornhead gives us an additionnal tail attack as secondary natural weapon so 10 attacks per round at
+18/+15/+12/+9/+5/+3/0/+18/+18/+13 respectively (Tiger balances the -1 from Size)

At level 20, with Chameleon tattoo : Hornhead (large), Monk’s Tattoo (+4 monk levels), Improved Natural Attack, Necklace of Natural Attack Sizing, Unarmed attack is 8d8 and
Strenght is 18 (by level 12) +6 (Divine Power) = 24 (+7).

A full lvl 20 attack (100 % hits) deals 73d8 + (8x7+2x3) + 10x1(Necklace +1) +10d6 (Tiger) + 10 Con damage (Spider Tattoo (3.0))
For an average of 435.5 + 10 Con damage per routine. Yeah.

On the spell side we get access to Control winds, True Seeing (Persistable) and [B]Slay Living. Well DC is a little low but Fortitude 19 is still nothing to sneeze at for a wizard. If Cole is really pissed he can always Freeze the lifeblood (DC 24) and coup de grâce his targets.





For metamagic shenanigans :
- Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC p120) : gives 2 more attempts. For fluff I imagine that Holy Symbol to be tattooed on Cole.
- NightSticks (Libris Mortis p78) +4 turn attempts, 7500gp

For martial prowess :
- Necklace of Natural Attacks +1 Sizing on Unarmed Strike (Savage Species p58)
- Sparing Dummy of the Master (A&E p137) : 1 monk level, 8h/d training for 4 weeks : 10 foot step
- Monk’s Tattoo (MoF p163) : +4 monk level AC AND unarmed damage AND speed AND you can’t justify not taking it with all the flavor. It’s a french sot-l’y-laisse

Misc :
- Domain Draughts MIC p156 : Hero, War amongst others give you Righteous Might. Spell domains gives you the Anyspell line… to infinity & beyond
- Ki straps : Augment DC of stunning fist (and Freezing the Lifeblood) which can mean insta kill (who needs Quivering Palm anyway)



- Eagle Splendor (Pride domain) + Divine Metamagic (Persist Spell) : 3 turn undead from class, + 2 from a Reliquary Holy Symbol, +2 from Charisma boost → Persist Divine Power everyday by level 10.

- Domain Draught + NightSticks : Persisted Righteous Might (Hero) for instance.

- Necklace of Natural Attack +1 Sizing : Hit bigger

- Unarmed Damage : Monk 16 levels : 2d8 + Monk’s Tattoo (4 lvls) = Monk 20 : 2d10
Chameleon Tattoo : Saurial Large Monk 4d8, Improved Natural Attack = 6d8, Necklace of Sizing +1 → 8d8



- Letting the unarmed damage from Shaman count for something (progressing the 1d6 of the monk) would let Cole deal more damage earlier.

- If not lactose intolerant, find a Mage to Dark Shuffle of Chaos that second Improved Unarmed Strike into something meaningful (Extra Turning?)

- Allowing the Tortle race from DrM#315 gives the Endurance Bonus feat, buff to Wis and Con, and, I have to point it out, makes a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle like no other.

Sources :
Player’s Handbook – Monk
Oriental Adventures – Shaman
Savage Species – Necklace of Natural Attack
Complete Divine – Sacred Fist PrC, Divine Metamagic Feat
Spell Compendium – Domains
Saurian a Web Enhancement from Serpent Kingdom – Hornhead
Complete Warrior – Tattooed Monk
Libris Mortis – Nightsticks
Magic Item Compendium – Sizing enhancement, ki straps, domain draughts
Magic of Faerun – Monk’s Tattoo
Arms & Equipement Guide – Sparing dummy of the master
Complete Arcane – Persist Spell
Dragon Magazine #318 – OA errata
Tome of Battle : Book of the Nine Swords – Snap-Kick
Monster Manual – Improved Natural Attack
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:26 PM
They're not just tattoos, they're psychic tattoos.



Shiba Bajiquan, Prime protector of the Isawa Family

"There is no greater honor than to contribute to the making of great individuals"

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5f/95/85/5f9585495423d5972d382a9363868e30.png

Human(Phoenix) Monk1/PsychicWarrior7/ShibaProtector1/PsychicWarrior1/TattooedMonk10





Race Human (Phoenix) (Bonus Feat : Endurance)
Level 1 : Monastic Training (Psychic Warrior) + Improved Unarmed Strike (free) + Improved Grapple (Monk bonus)
Level 2 : Combat Expertise (PsyWar1 Bonus)
Level 3 : Tashalatora + Linked Power
Level 6 : Iron Will + Psicrystal Affinity (PsyWar5 Bonus) (gives Alertness)
Level 9 : Scribe Tattoo
Level 10 : Practised Manifester (PsyWar5 Bonus)
Level 12 : Improved Natural Attack
Level 15 : Scorpion’s Grasp
Level 18 : Expanded Knowledge (Synchronicity)



Point Buy (Level 4 to Strength, 8, 12 & 16 to Wisdom, & 20 to Constitution)
STR 15
DEX 10
CON 15
INT 14
WIS 15
CHA 8


Watchuget
- Full Monk Unarmed Damage progression (-1 Shiba Protector is caught up with a Monk’s Tattoo or a Monk’s Belt easily)

- 9 known psionic powers up to 3rd level, 12th manifester level, 35 pp/day (see combo)

- A psicrystal (someone said cheese?) and Tattoos up the wazoo

- Wisdom + Strength on both attack and damage rolls

- Massive Unarmed Damage :
Progress of « Monk abilities » gives an improvement to Unarmed damage as per the monk class, nothing new here.
Oriental Adventures p34 gives us something entirely new (at least to my knowledge and having found no errata on it in 3.5, i’m going to take it for granted) ; a table of itterative attacks for the Monk (and affiliated prestiges classes such as Tattooed Monk) only :




Base Attack Bonus
Additionnal Unarmed Attacks


+0
-


+1
-


+2
-


+3
-


+4
+1


+5
+2


+6
+3


+7
+4/+1


+8
+5/+2


+9
+6/+3


+10
+7/+4/+1


+11
+8/+5/+2


+12
+9/+6/+3


+13
+10/+7/+4+1





Sweet Spot
Level 9
You get that sweet Wis to attack & damage, adding to Str, you have you’re close to your full psionics progression (in this build anyway) and the Scribe Tattoo feat gives you the versatility you lacked to better preserve your protégé or yourself for that matter.
You’re a tank that get awesomerer with downtime (any creature can wear up to 20 tattoos at the time…). If you max charge the tattoos, you can go all day Expansion, Lion’s Charge, Inertia Armor etc.
And Linked Power can help your burst when you would too much time to bring the armor up before charging.





[tr]
Level
Class
Base Attack Bonus
Fort Save
Ref Save
Will Save
Skills
Feats
Class Features
Unarmed Damage
Unarmored Speed
AC Bonus


1st
Monk 1
+0
+2
+2
+2
Autohynosis 2, Concentration 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Sense Motive 4, Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 2
Human : Endurance, Monastic Training, Improved Grapple (monk bonus), Improved Unarmed Strike (free),
Wis to AC, Unarmored Movement, Flurry of Blow
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+2)


2nd
Psychic Warrior 1
+0
+4
+2
+2
Autohynosis 2, Concentration 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Sense Motive 4, Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 2, Knowledge (psionics) 5 (+5)
Combat Expertise
Bonus Feat, Manifester Level
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+2)


3rd
Psychic Warrior 2
+1
+5
+2
+2
Autohypnosis 5 (+3), Concentration 4, Knowledge (Religion) 6 (+2), Sense Motive 4, Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 2, Knowledge (psionics) 5
Tashalatora, Linked Power
Bonus Feat
1d6
0 ft
WIS (+2)


4th
Psychic Warrior 3
+2
+5
+3
+3
Autohypnosis 6 (+1), Concentration 5 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 6, Sense Motive 5 (+1), Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 3(+1), Knowledge (psionics) 5
-
-
1d8
0 ft
WIS (+2)


5th
Psychic Warrior 4
+3
+6
+3
+3
Autohypnosis 7 (+1), Concentration 6 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 6, Sense Motive 6 (+1), Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 4 (+1), Knowledge (psionics) 5
-
-
1d8
0 ft
WIS (+2)+1


6th
Psychic Warrior 5
+3
+6
+3
+5
Autohypnosis 8 (+1), Concentration 7 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 8 (+2), Sense Motive 7 (+1), Spot 4, Listen 4, Psicraft 4, Knowledge (psionics) 5
Iron Will, Psicystral Affinity (grants Alertness which is not taken into account in skill description)
Bonus Feat
1d8
0 ft
WIS (+2)+1


7th
Psychic Warrior 6
+4
+7
+4
+6
Autohypnosis 9 (+1), Concentration 9 (+2), Sense Motive 9 (+2), Spot 4, Listen 4, Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
-
1d8
0 ft
WIS (+2)+1


8th
Psychic Warrior 7
+5
+7
+4
+6
Autohypnosis 10 (+1), Concentration 11 (+2),, Sense Motive 11 (+2), Spot 4, Listen 4, Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
-
1d10
0 ft
WIS (+3) +1


9th
Shiba Protector 1
+5
+9
+4
+8
Autohypnosis 12 (+2), Concentration 12 (+1), Sense Motive 12 (+1), Spot 5 (+1), Listen 4, Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
Scribe Tattoo
No Thought
1d10
0 ft
WIS (+3) +1


10th
Psychic Warrior 8
+6
+10
+4
+8
Autohypnosis 13 (+1), Concentration 13 (+1),, Sense Motive 13 (+1), Spot 6 (+1), Listen 5 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
Practised Manifester
Bonus Feat
1d10
0 ft
WIS (+3) +1


11th
Tattooed Monk 1
+6
+12
+6
+10
Autohypnosis 14 (+1), Concentration 14 (+1),, Sense Motive 14 (+1), Spot 8 (+2), Listen 7 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
Monk Abilities, Tattoo : Crab
1d10
0 ft
WIS (+3) +2


12th
Tattooed Monk 2
+7
+13
+7
+11
Autohypnosis 15 (+1), Concentration 15 (+1),, Sense Motive 15 (+1), Spot 10 (+2), Listen 9 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
Improved Natural Attack
-
2d8
10 ft
WIS (+3) +2


13th
Tattooed Monk 3
+8
+13
+7
+11
Autohypnosis 16 (+1), Concentration 16 (+1),, Sense Motive 16 (+1), Spot 12 (+2), Listen 11 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
Tattoo : Wasp
3d6
10 ft
WIS (+3) +2


14th
Tattooed Monk 4
+9
+14
+8
+12
Autohypnosis 17 (+1), Concentration 17 (+1),, Sense Motive 17 (+1), Spot 14 (+2), Listen 13 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
-
3d6
10 ft
WIS (+3) +2


15th
Tattooed Monk 5
+9
+14
+8
+12
Autohypnosis 18 (+1), Concentration 18 (+1),, Sense Motive 18 (+1), Spot 16 (+2), Listen 15 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
Scorpion’s Grasp
Tattoo : Mountain
3d6
20 ft
WIS (+3) +2


16th
Tattooed Monk 6
+10
+15
+9
+13
Autohypnosis 19 (+1), Concentration 19 (+1),, Sense Motive 19 (+1), Spot 18 (+2), Listen 17 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
-
3d6
20 ft
WIS (+4) +3


17th
Tattooed Monk 7
+11
+15
+9
+13
Autohypnosis 20 (+1), Concentration 20 (+1),, Sense Motive 20 (+1), Spot 20 (+2), Listen 19 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 5, Psicraft 4
-
Tattoo : Scorpion
3d8
20 ft
WIS (+4) +3


18th
Tattooed Monk 8
+12
+16
+10
+14
Autohypnosis 21 (+1), Concentration 21 (+1),, Sense Motive 21 (+1), Spot 21 (+1), Listen 21 (+2), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 6 (+1), Psicraft 4
Expanded Knowledge (Synchronicity)
-
3d8
30 ft
WIS (+4) +3


19th
Tattooed Monk 9
+12
+16
+10
+14
Autohypnosis 22 (+1), Concentration 22 (+1),, Sense Motive 22 (+1), Spot 22 (+1), Listen 22 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 6, Psicraft 5 (+1)
-
Tattoo : Phoenix
3d8
30 ft
WIS (+4) +3


20th
Tattooed Monk 10
+13
+17
+11
+15
Autohypnosis 23 (+1), Concentration 23 (+1),, Sense Motive 23 (+1), Spot 23 (+1), Listen 23 (+1), Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (Psionics) 8 (+2), Psicraft 5
-
-
3d8
30 ft
WIS (+4) +3





Power Known


Level
1st
2nd
3rd
Powers Points


1st
-
-
-
-


2nd
1
-
-
2


3rd
2
-
-
5


4th
3
-
-
9


5th
3
1
-
13


6th
3
2
-
17


7th
3
3
-
24


8th
3
3
1
29


9th
3
3
1
29


10th
3
3
2
35


11th
3
3
2
35


12th
3
3
2
35


13th
3
3
2
35


14th
3
3
2
35


15th
3
3
2
35
-


16th
3
3
2
35


17th
3
3
2
35


18th
3
3
2
35


19th
3
3
2
35


20th
3
3
2
35




Powers Known (learned in order) :
1st : Expansion, Call Item, Inertia Armor, Synchronicity (via Expanded Knowledge)
2nd : Psionic Lion’s Charge, Detect Hostile Intent, Hustle
3rd : Empathic Transfer (Hostile), Vampire Blade




Abbreviations :
1/cl : once per class level
1/nt : once per number of tattoos

Crab : DR 2/Magic which should mean his unarmed attack count as magical as well. Ends the build with DR 10/Magic
Wasp : 1/d/cl Haste (Rounds/nt) meaning an additionnal hit at full BaB
Mountain : +4 Con, +4 Wis means +2hp per level and +2 to hit & damage on each strikes. Not forgetting that you are unmovable. Good luck rappling with a mountain.
Scorpion : Facing a Tarrasque is much easier when he attacks you with his Int.
Phoenix : 15+cl SR letting avoid a good amount of spells while you defend your target.




Bajiquan was born in the Shiba familly on the day of the Phoenix which was a great omen in the clan. From an early age, his focus and discipline were noticed by the elders who decided to make him yojimbo* to his Majesty’s son : Isawa Tizirhuo. For ages, the Shiba family has been the protectors of the Isawa’s mages ; the Shugenjas. Bajiquan started training, knowing fully well that he was to be the last protection of his master Tizirhuo and, through him, of the established order of the Phoenix clan altogether. As such he doubled his meditations and martial training, so much in fact that he reached a state of mental prowess, psionic mastery. At first he tried and learn the most he could from this realm from the elders he even dabbled a little in the crafts and created a psionic crystal.
On the martial side of things he was soon able to get bigger, a LOT bigger for a few seconds at the time. Soon he was also able to create any mondane item on command and even form an armor made of ectoplasm for a few hours at the time. Each of these feats were enough to create an uproar in the clan. But that wasn’t enough for Bajiquan, with the help of some elders, he managed to find writings of an old discipline called Tashalatora that consisted in blending his martial training with his newly acquired mental strength.
* : bodyguard

Bit of an early gish, Unarmed Strike, Expansion, Inertia Armor, your powers make you deadly at low levels.
Grappling is no joke either having a solid +14 (+4 Expansion, +4 Improved Grapple, +3 Str , +3 BaB) at level 5. Pinning to unconsciousness means coup de grâce.





Bajiquan graduated with honors and was placed as head of the new promotion of the Home guard. Their mission : protect the Phoenix lands from any threats. The multiple missions were also a resounding success and was named « best in a 100 years ». Bujiquan wasn’t the kind of person that would lose his focus because of a few congratulations so he toughened his discipline every chance he had to do so. Years went by until his services were rendered to the Home guard and he took the place he was meant to from a young age : as Isawa Tizirhuo’s yojimbo.
The first time accompanying the treasured son of the clan, things went sour. An embush caught him by surprise, even though his powers should have allowed him to detect hostile intent ahead of time. They made it out alive but Bujiquan was grievely wounded. After a few months of recuperation, and deep research because his honor code couldn’t let him rest after such a close call, he found a new forgotten art to further help him protect his target : psionic tattoos. These enabled him, at the cost of some lifeforce, to charge a power of his discipline into a tattoo and then will it to go from his body to Tizirhuo’s. This rejoiced him a lot because that meant his protégé could avoid lethal attempts for a bit, allowing him to focus on disposing of the potential threats. His newfound art combined with his PTSD changed his way of doing battle to a great extent.

Making the most of the Unarmed Psychic Warrior here with powers like Expansion, Psionic Lion’s Charge and Shared Empathy, Hostile. You can do some damage.
You’re also really good at studying a room. Detect Hostile Intent allows you to be the best yojimbo one could hope : you can detect any hostile intentions towards you or your target, making up for your only flaw, preparation.
Now preparation with Linked Power lets you Expand in one round and have you Inertia Armor up while Lion’s Charging the next one ; action economy is power.
Practised Manifester let your buffs last longer.




Bajiquan’s intense study of the tattoo art is soon a new source of power. His first success is a crab that toughens him up, taking more blows meant for Isawa Tizirhuo. His next achievement is a wasp tattoo which speed him during battle, making him a much more threatening foe.
As time goes by, the duo become renowned and an immortal aura surround their names. This, of course, brings his enemies to hire the worst assassins possible to end Tizirhuo’s life. But those mercenaries don’t come cheap and winning in quality means losing in quantity. Bujiquan started facing thougher opponents but with less other threats to handle. Being able to focus on the one threat, his developed a grappling strategy and his core move was the Scorpion’s Grasp. His further developped it with his creation of the mountain tattoo, making him a towering and immovable mass. His grappling technique became synonym with death throughout the lands.

Losing a bit of speed while entering the SI which is a bit of a late game bloomer but it’s fine. Scribe Tattoo lets you make up for it by preparing and stacking panick buttons all over you and Isawa Tizirhuo (who is a shugenja btw).
Improved Natural Attack comes online, buffing damage.
By level 15 you have DR 6/magic, 3 « I-am-a-moutain » per day and 9 rounds of Haste to smack around.
Don’t forget that Scorpion’s Grasp that lets you grapple as a free action on a touch which is every attack you make ; if you want to grab it and it’s not Colossal, you probably can.




Bujiquan prowess is now known far and beyond. Time took its toll, not sparing Bujiquan but where his physical abilities diminished, his mental state neared the Nirvana. His wisdom got him the edge in the fights where strength seemed paramount and his latest creation are a Scorpion (his fame made it unavoidable) and a Phoenix. The former allowed him to gain the upper hand in a exchange, destabilizing his opponent and the latter gave him protection from magical effects. Bujiquan also spends time bettering his tattoos. His first one is giving him a really tough skin now and he can be a mountain more times a day.

The biggest protection to Tizirhuo became the fame of his yojimbo : Bujiquan. His named marked History having created a way to protect his target that will later be taught in the Home guard to the most promising elements of the Shiba family.

The tattoos synergies finally build up giving you by level 20 : DR 10/magic, 5 « I-am-a-moutain » per day, 25 rounds of Haste to smack around, 5 immediate « No you don’t bébé » actions and SR 25. Tanking has never been easier.
Expanded Knowledge (Synchronicity) allows for tattoo out of it first of all but mostly, a comno of 1st round : Linked Power (Expansion & Synchronicity)
2nd round : Hustle (Swift) + the extra standard action gives you basically 2 turns in one showing off the Old Wolf’s experience of the battlefield. Coupled with the Scopion tattoo, Bujiquan is the archetype of brains & wisdom over brawl.





For martial prowess :
- Necklace of Natural Attacks +1 Sizing on Unarmed Strike (Savage Species p58)

- Sparing Dummy of the Master (A&E p137) : 1 monk level, 8h/d training for 4 weeks : 10 foot step

- Monk’s Tattoo (MoF p163) : is nice for the flavor but 80k is a bit expensive for only 1 level of Monk (missing from the ONE level of Shiba Protector). If you’re all about style take this, otherwise, take a Monk’s Belt (13k).



- Psicrystal combo with share power, share pain and vigor is a nice synergy for tanking a ton of damage. Also, if cheese tolerant, there is a « do they or not » discussion over Psicrystals and feats. If they do get them, go nuts (Draconic Aura, Bind Vestige, Shape Soulmeld, Hidden Talent because, why not?)

- Scribe Psionic Tattoo + Empathic Transfer, Hostile (powered up with 6 pp) : Heals your target for up to 90xnb of enemies hp, dealing damage to every enemy assailing him.
Scribe Psionic Tattoo + Inertia Armor : Gives the best kind of armor.

- Scorpion’s Grasp make it so any attack you make can turn into grapple as a free action. Then a Swift Expansion and Mountain tattoo activation is likely to pin. (Bab +13 +4(Improved Grapple) +8 (Huge), +6 (18+4 Strength) = +31.

A grapple check is like a melee attack roll meaning « No thought » class feature of the Shiba Protector should count for the grapple, if it does, grapple becomes +35.

- Unarmed Damage : Monk 19 levels : 2d8 + Monk’s Tattoo/Monk’s Belt (for you cheaps) = Monk 20 : 2d10. Expansion (Huge) → 6d8, Improved Natural Attack = 8d8, Necklace of +1 Sizing → 12d8



- By level 8, the Character WBL is 27k gold. An Otyugh Hole costs 3k. 1/9th of the character’s wealth into a feat doesn’t seem preposterous (it’s only a prerequisite) and would free up a slot for things like Expanded Knowledge(Grip of Iron) for instance.

- Hustle is a swift action. « Tapping » a Psionic Tattoo is a standard. Rules Compendium has some rules about making items the same time to activate as the spell contained within, if that float, stack Hustle tattoos.

- I avoided talking too much about it but nothing is said about activating a tattoo from the tattooed monk class features. Some have instructions, others don’t so I’m considering its standard by default.

- Allowing the Tortle race from DrM#315 gives the Endurance Bonus feat, buff to Wis and Con, and, I have to point it out, makes a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle like no other.

Sources :
Player’s Handbook – Monk
Oriental Adventures – Shiba Protector, Human (Phoenix)
Savage Species – Necklace of Natural Attack
Complete Warrior – Tattooed Monk
Expanded Psionic Handbook – Psychic Warrior, Powers
Eberron Campaign Setting – Monastic Training
Secrets of Sarlona - Tashalatora
Magic of Faerun – Monk’s Tattoo
Arms & Equipement Guide – Sparing Dummy of the Master
Dragon Magazine #318 – OA errata
Monster Manual – Improved Natural Attack
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:32 PM
Are warforged tattoos like neat decals?



G.R.8 & his Shadow
( Great Rumbler 8 )

also known as
"Dol Arrah (http://eberronunlimited.wikidot.com/dol-arrah)'s Spiritual Guardian of the Mystical Oasis"

further known as
"Shadow Rider and the Star Monk(s)"
(his Shadow has its own reputation and wants his part of the spotlight)

or just
"Great"


At the beginning there was WAR...
...and WAR gave birth to the Warforged.

G.R.8 is the last survivor of the limited (10) Warforged "Great Rumbler" series.
They where made on the order of a group of warrior monk who follow the path of Dol Arrah. As such, they where given basic ethical religious information. This was required to understand religious flavored commands. While the customers liked the generic "barbaric" type a lot, they felt that some lil adjustments needed to be done to fit their specific demands (ACFs, ranks in hide, move silently, tumble & knowledge: religion). All of the warforged are marked with the symbol of Dol Arrah as sigil (his very first pseudo-tattoo^^).

After their unit received the message of the end of the Last War, G.R.8 feels the emptiness in his mind without a Prime Objective to follow. He just stands there without motion, unable to produce even a single thought in this situation. He just waits in the hope that his senses will provide any useful input to compute the actual situation.
In the meanwhile the remaining warrior monks (of Dol Arrah) of his unit have gathered their stuff and are ready to start their journey to go back to their homes. Some of em have noticed his dilemma. They have grown a liking on him. He has saved their lives countless times in the war and thus was a good "brother in combat".
In return they want to offer him a home and a place to live for as long as he wishes. They want to return and rebuild a lil outpost in a desert oasis, which they call their home. They explain him that it's on a trading route and as such, live is a constant "war" against the harsh environment, local bandit groups or other evildoers in that region. And as followers of the teachings of Dol Arrah, they feel that its their duty to fight back evil and bring peace into that region. Only then can the people there return to "a normal peaceful life".
"A home.".. "constant WAR"... "teachings of Dol Arrah".."duty".."fight back evil".. "normal peaceful life".. just a moment ago G.R.8's mind felt empty, but know he is overwhelmed by thoughts and emotions where he doesn't know what to do with em: "...Ye-s SIR!" is the sole answer he has in that moment. His new friends start to laugh and finally he joins em on their way to his "new home".

Race: Warforged

Religion: Dol Arrah

Alignment: N --> L-G
G.R.8 starts with the common "neutral" alignment for warforged. Due to his "former owners" and now "new friends", he switches to "lawful good" within his first 3 levels.

Starting Stats:

STR: 16 --- (+5 from lvlUp +5 from Wish +6 item = 32max)
DEX: 14
CON: 16 (14+2)
INT: 12
WIS: 12 (14-2)
CHA: 6 (8-2)

AC @lvl 1: 15 (10 base + 2 composite plating + 2 Dex modifier + 1 Wis modifier)





Level
Class
BAB
Fort
Ref
Will
Skills
bold = max. invested ranks

Feats
* = Monk Bonus Feat

Class Features
(R)= readied maneuvers



1st
Barbarian
ACF: Ferocity
ACF: Spiritual Totem (Lion)
ACF: Skilled City Dweller
+1
+2
+0
+0
Craft (Blacksmith): 4 (+4)
Hide: 2 (+4)
Knowledge (Religion): 2 (+4)
Move Silently: 2 (+4)
Tumble: 4 (+4)
Endurance
Pounce
Illiteracy
Ferocity


2nd
Unarmed Swordsage Variant
+1
+2
+2
+2
Hide: 4 (+2)
Move Silently: 4 (+2)
Tumble: 5 (+1)
-
Improved Unarmed Strike
Quick to Act
Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus - Setting Sun)
Maneuvers:

Burning Blade (R)
Distracting Ember (R)
Wind Stride
Counter Charge (R)
Charging Minotaur
Sudden Leap (R)


Stance:

Child of the Shadow


3rd
Unarmed Swordsage Variant
+2
+2
+3
+3
Hide: 6 (+2)
Move Silently: 6 (+2)
Tumble: 6 (+1)
Improved Grapple
AC Bonus (WIS)
Maneuvers:

Mighty Throw


Stance:

Hunter's Sense


4th
Monk
ACF: Fighting Style (Cobra Strike)
+2
+4
+5
+5
Hide: 7 (+1)
Move Silently: 7 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 5 (+3)
* Dodge
Flurry of Blows


5th
Monk
ACF: Feign Death
+3
+5
+6
+6
Hide: 8 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 8 (+3)
Move Silently: 8 (+1)
* Mobility
ACF: Feign Death
Unarmed Damage: D8


6th
Tattooed Monk
+3
+7
+8
+8
Perform(Dance): 5 (+5)
Combat Reflexes
Tattoo: Chrysanthemum
Unarmored Speed Bonus: +10ft


7th
Tattooed Monk
+4
+8
+9
+9
Hide: 10 (+2)
Move Silently: 10 (+2)
Tumble: 7 (+1)
-
-


8th
Shadowdancer
+4
+8
+11
+9
Hide: 11 (+1)
Move Silently: 11 (+1)
Spot: 1 (+1)
Tumble: 11 (+4)
-
Hide in Plain Sight


9th
Shadowdancer
+5
+8
+12
+9
Hide: 12 (+1)
Move Silently: 12 (+1)
Spot: 5 (+4)
Tumble: 12 (+1)
Greater Fortitude
Evasion
Darkvision
Uncanny Dodge


10th
Drunken Master
+5
+10
+14
+9
Hide: 13 (+1)
Move Silently: 13 (+1)
Tumble: 13 (+1)
Craft (Blacksmith): 6 (+2)
-
Drink-like-a-Demon
Improvised Weapons: +1D4


11th
Drunken Master
+6
+11
+15
+9
Hide: 14 (+1)
Move Silently: 14 (+1)
Tumble: 14 (+1)
Craft (Blacksmith): 8 (+2)
-
Stagger


12th
Tattooed Monk
+7
+12
+16
+10
Craft (Blacksmith): 9 (+1)
Hide: 15 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 9 (+1)
Move Silently: 15 (+1)
Tumble: 15 (+1)
Power Attack
Tattoo: Chameleon
Monk AC Bonus: +1


13th
Tattooed Monk
+8
+13
+17
+11
Craft (Blacksmith): 10 (+1)
Hide: 16 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 10 (+1)
Move Silently: 16 (+1)
Tumble: 16 (+1)
-
Unarmed Damage: D10
Unarmored Speed Bonus: +20ft


14th
Shadowdancer
+9
+14
+17
+12
Hide: 17 (+1)
Move Silently: 17 (+1)
Spot: 9 (+4)
Tumble: 17 (+1)
-
Shadow Illusion
Summon Shadow (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/shadow.htm)


15th
Shadow Sun Ninja
+9
+16
+19
+14
Hide: 18 (+1)
Move Silently: 18 (+1)
Spot: 11 (+2)
Tumble: 18 (+1)
Improved Bullrush
Touch of the Shadow Sun
Maneuver: Shadow Stride


16th
Tattooed Monk
+9
+17
+20
+15
Craft (Blacksmith): 11 (+1)
Hide: 19 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 11 (+1)
Move Silently: 19 (+1)
Tumble: 19 (+1)
-
Tattoo: Phoenix



17th
Tattooed Monk
+10
+18
+21
+16
Hide: 20 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 12 (+1)
Move Silently: 20 (+1)
Spot: 12 (+1)
Tumble: 20 (+1)
-
Unarmored Speed Bonus: +30ft


18th
Tattooed Monk
+11
+19
+22
+17
Hide: 21 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 13 (+1)
Move Silently: 21 (+1)
Spot: 13 (+1)
Tumble: 21 (+1)
Shock Trooper
Unarmed Damage: 2D6
Monk AC Bonus: +2
Tattoo: Tortoise



19th
Tattooed Monk
+12
+20
+23
+18
Hide: 22 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 14 (+1)
Move Silently: 22 (+1)
Spot: 14 (+1)
Tumble: 22 (+1)
-
-


20th
Tattooed Monk
+12
+21
+24
+19
Hide: 23 (+1)
Knowledge (Religion): 17 (+1)
Move Silently: 23 (+1)
Spot: 15 (+1)
Tumble: 23 (+1)
-
Tattoo: Falcon
Unarmored Speed Bonus: +40ft





G.R.8 was designed as a barbaric warrior with some minor adjustments. Most notably his skill selection due to way he was programmed and designed. The "Ferocity" acf exchanges rage and still works when his alignment starts to change (L-G) after the war due to his monk friends. Those have a great influence on his new gained freedom of personality.
While he tries to become a monk as a new purpose in life (first monk lvl), he can't stop his habit to pick up other combat tactics (stances) and maneuvers (swordsage) from his battles against the local bandits in the desert. He picks up the habit to move in fast blurry motions (Child of the Shadow) and a bunch of situational maneuvers. The Burning Blade maneuver is a nice dmg boost that also fits the Dol Arrah fluff (sun). Further he enhances his sense to smell (Hunter's Sense) since he grows an interest in the flowers of the oasis. Especially the Chrysanthemum flowers look very beautiful to him and he likes their smell the most. But all these different smells irritate him while in combat and as such he disables it most of the time while in combat (Child of the Shadow for combat and Hunter's Sense out of combat when desired).
This reminds him of the fact that most of his thoughts and actions are still driven mainly around "war". It is the result of slowly being able to understand the principles of law and chaos, good and evil. A feeling of concern emerges within G.R.8 (due to his new L-G alignment). He seeks advice from a few elder monks. They recommend him to follow the path of a warrior monk. Because they learn to mediate about their thoughts and emotions to seek balance in life. That balance helps to handle those difficult thoughts. It enables one to find the right path of order in all things.
This gives G.R.8 a reason to focus on the teachings of the warrior monks of Dol Arrah. He pick up the basics really fast (first lvl monk). And after he starts his meditation training he has a big breakthrough. To everybody's surprise he masters the highest levels of mediation (ACF: Feign Death) where you achieve a near-dead state. Maybe it's due to the warforged nature that he picked it up so fast (no need for eating, sleeping, breathing, drinking..), who knows. What G.R.8 knows is that it helps him to clam his conflicting emotions and thoughts about life. He gets a more clear and objective view on things.

G.R.8's service as a loyal follower of Dol Arrah and the countless hours of deep state mediation seems be bear unintended fruits. One day he notices how a "Chrysanthemum" pattern on his body starts to appear out of nowhere. It seems like a gift from Dol Arrah since he notices the beneficial repair effects of the tattoo when he is in sunlight (only 50% effective). He also learns from the other monks how to dance on religious ceremonies.
One day, while he's doing his meditation, a wandering monk takes a break near him, assuming he is a lifeless statue. He's drunk from his cheap smelling wine and starts to talk to himself. The nonsense that drunken idiot is talking about breaks his mediation and G.R.8 can't take it anymore. He wakes up from his deep state meditation to the surprise of the monk and starts a dispute about the nonsense the drunken monk is telling. This results in a lil friendly brawl (non-lethal damage). G.R.8 finally has to give in and starts to knowledge the elder drunken monk. His fighting skills are interesting for a monk. He explains him that "there is meaning in getting drunk.." and that "wine is the essence of life". It helps him with his "evasive" charge attacks. G.R.8 grows an interest in learning his fighting style, but the Drunken Master demands that he has to pay for a night of revelry first or he won't even consider this. There seems no other way. He has to pay for an expensive night of revelry and survive his attitude in the meanwhile. After he gets acknowledged by his new master, G.R.8 tries to learn his style but has difficulties to pick it up. He lacks the "Evasion" of the drunken monk and needs to focus on that first. Since he already has some flexibility due to his dancing skills, the drunken monk advises him to build on that to refine his evasive skills (Shadowdancer 1&2). This training has some nice side effects. First he discovers how to hide from his enemies view (trick em and move into their blind spots) while being observed (Hide In Plain Sight) due to his blurry and unpredictable drunken dance moves. Finally he mastered the "Evasion" technique. Since he trained all night long over such a long period, his eyes have become more used to the darkness too (Darkvision). Another bonus are his enhanced reflexes to predict even unpredictable attacks (Uncanny Dodge).
But before mastering the true evasive techniques of the Drunken Fist, now he has to become drunk.. (Drink-like-a-Demon).

Finally G.R.8 mastered the true evasiveness of the Drunken Fist (Stagger). Combined with a powerful attack (Power Attack) he can now unleash unpredictable and devastating charge/pounce attacks. Stagger allows for charge/pounce every turn despite the space. As long as you can move somehow you can charge. Move back and forth or make loopings (if you invest into better maneuverability^^). This increases the value of charge multiplying items/effect dramatically (e.g. Valorous Weapon).

His hours of meditation again gift him with another mystical tattoo. This time, one of a Chameleon. It enables him to change into other mechanical forms (constructs: Animated Object (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm)as main form). As Animated Object his appearance can change to almost anything he can imagine. This enhances his combat abilities greatly: 60ft base speed for wheeled (wheeled robot feet), half speed flying with clumsy maneuverability due to sheetlike wings (similar to a bat/gargoyle), Large size, +5 natural armor).

One day, while he is meditating, he notices something dark inside him. Afraid of it, he seeks the advise of the elder monks. They advise him that: "One must seek balance in all things in life. Where there is light, there is also darkness. But it's not about what it is, but how you use it" they say. He shall further mediate on it and solve his final inner conflict.
It's a dark spark inside him that he has suppressed for so long. He tries to channel it out of his body with his deep state meditation. As he finally succeeds, the dark spark leaves his body and takes substance in form of his shadow (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/shadow.htm).
His shadow seems to obey and aid him where he needs. G.R.8 feels great relief, but there seems to be a bit more. His dark energies enable him to make small illusions once a day (Shadow Illusion). Then he discovers how to avoid the light and jump through shadows (Shadow Stride). Finally he masters the light and darkness within himself and obtains the power of the "Touch of the Shadow Sun". This enables him to constantly heal him or others (every second round. first round he heals his shadow. more on that later)



Dol Arrah seems to be satisfied, since a Phonix tattoo starts to appear on G.R.8's body. This one enables him to withstand any cheap magical tactics that try to stop him. Not even magic may oppose Dol Arrah's will.

At this point G.R.8 masters the art of shocking his enemies with a "Heedless Charge" attack (Shock Trooper), further improved the fighting style of his (drunken) master. Combined with his high movementspeed and Stagger this results in an overwhelming pounce attack every turn.

Another tattoo in shape of a Tortoise is been gifted to G.R.8. It represents the stillness of his mediation and is the final spark of enlightenment that gives him a board knowledge in anything he needs to know to accomplish Dol Arrah's will. This is mostly used for the knowledge skills in downtimes, but can be abused for using wands with UMD if really needed (resulting in a mere +7 modifier due to the -2 Cha penalty). Most notable is the access to "Knowledge: (local)" for any city/region. Finally he can use it for any other skill he is lacking if the situation demands it (search, swim, professions, diplomacy, bluff...). One of the stronger Jack-of-all-Trades abilities in the game, even if limited to 5/day.
At this point people start to view him as some kind of oracle enlightened by Dol Arrah (due to his knowledge, not due to visions of the future. that kind of oracle^^).

The last tattoo gifted by Dol Arrah is that of a Falcon. It shows how fearless and reliable G.R.8 is. After his enlightenment he was able to delete fear itself from his mind. Even those who stand by his side show less fear. Because G.R.8, "Dol Arrah's Spiritual Guardian of the Mystical Oasis", is with them. Besides from the combat effects a nice roleplay-tool for G.R.8 to be even more of a spiritual guardian monk.



Due to the special nature of the build (warforged, shadow, religion fluff) if felt the need for a more detailed magic item section than usual. I tried to split em up into "fluff items", "commonly expected items" and finally "build specific combat items". None of em are really mandatory for the build to work, but some can greatly add to the combat power while other items greatly enhance the fluff experience and fun at the table.


The items here can greatly add to the fuff of the build and are more out of combat/pre-combat related.

Docent: "April" (warforged component) (2,500g base price, add the prices of the effects on top of it) - Eberron Campaign Setting
A docent is an intelligent item that has a separate voice, but uses the voice module of the warforged. As such it can have a female voice and we name her "April". This item can help to roleplay the difficulties warforged have when it comes to genders. With April, G.R.8 has found a voice for his/her female personality/attitudes. Why bother picking a gender if you can have both? As such G.R.8 and April will often switch when talking depending on the situation.
Besides from this great roleplay gimmick (and the ability to learn languages), Docents can have up to 4 nice abilities. I'll mention the most fitting for this build:
1: Decipher Scripts 10 ranks (+5,000g)
Since G.R.8 is illiterate, this is a nice way to solve this. "April" would be a good way to explain the Tortoise tattoo, since he could start to memorize tons of books that she read for him.
2: Status at-will (+11,000g)
You can now protect everyone who seeks the divine protection of Dol Arrah. People come to G.R.8 before doing dangerous or risky tasks. If someone needs aid/help, G.R.8 will be come. This helps to fluff his deep meditation as mystical shrine figure/statue. Now pilgrims can come to seek divine blessing and protection by touching him.
3: detect opposing alignment at-will (7,200g)
"April" has a good nose for those who don't have "lawful good" intends. Her female instincts (almost) never fails. This helps G.R.8 to identify possible threads as early as possible.
4: Listen 10 ranks (+5,000g)
"April" is a good and patient listener. She can hear better with G.R.8's ears than he himself. She seem to be better at analyzing the sounds he can hear. This is especially useful when he is in Deep State Meditation (Feign Death) and can't see anymore.

Decanter of Endless Water (9,000g) - DMG
G.R.8 is grateful for all the support that he gets from his new home and friends. He wants to get even somehow. All the fighting is not enough and not the right way to show his thankfulness. As such he thinks hard about what would be the best way to help those fragile humanoids that he calls his friends. The harsh live in the desert is their biggest enemy compared to him. As such, he decides that the best way to help em is to fight back the desert...^^
He learned about the existence of magic items that can produce endless water from a merchant a few years ago. Such an item could help to increase the water sources of the small oasis and could be of a big help here. He sets his mind and organizes one of them. He builds a Watchtower-Aqueduct system. This should increase the amount of new settlers/farmers. He further builds an irrigation system to help the farmers (there are special warforged shovel gauntlets in the Dragon Magazine. I'll showcase em after the judgement and just wanted to mention em here for the sake of complete build post. They ain't really important, just a nice full gimmick I wanna mention).

Figurines of Wondrous Power: Serpentine Owl x3 (9,100g each) - DMG
These figurines can turn into "horned owls (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/owl.htm)" for 8h/day (we won't use the giant owl option of the item since it will deplete the magic of the item after 3 uses). By having 3 of em, we can cover 24h/day. The owl communicates with its owner by telepathic means, informing her of all it sees and hears. (Remember the limitations of its Intelligence.)
The owls will be used as scout for mainly the oasis. They can immediately inform G.R.8 when anyone approaches the oasis. This enables G.R.8 to "welcome" anyone, be it friend or foe.
On journeys they can scout the area around his party or an entrance of a building/cave they entered.




These are items that imho will be useful for most of the builds in the competition. But since I already started a magic item section I wanted to mention em too:

Sandals of the Tiger Leap (3,500g) - Arms and Equipment
Double dmg with unarmed strikes on a charge attack. And this build charges ever turn. A very cheap but reliable dmg boost for this build.

Necklace of Natural Weapons (unarmed strike): +2 + Sizing + Valorous + Ghost Touch (50,600g) - Savage Species + MIC
Increases toHit & dmg and gives another charge multiplier (x2 + x2 = x3). Sizing allows to change the size of our Unarmed Strike up to colossal if desired. Each step adds a-2 penalty to attacks. Note that unarmed strikes always count as light weapon, despite their actual size. Finally "Touch of the Shadow Sun" profits from the size change for its "base unarmed strike damage" (increasing the free heals).
If the character gets a "docent" (see above), the necklace will be placed on it with the rule for adding magic item effect onto other magic items.

Belt of Giant Strength +6 (32,000g) - DMG
Not much to say here.

Wish x5 for +5 STR (132,650g) - PHB
Same here..^^

Monk's Tattoo (80,000g) - Magic of Faerun
Normally the Monk's Belt is seen as superior since it increases the monk levels for the abilities by 5 level. But the Monk's Tattoo progresses the monk's movementspeed and is slotless. With the tattoo the unarmed dmg caps for this build at 2d8 and the movementspeed bonus at +60ft. Adds also to the tattoo theme of the build, but I assume I'm not the sole one with this and as such I did put it in the to "commonly expected items" category.





Improvised (piercing or slashing) Weapon (0 g)(yeah, I know not magical but otherwise fits well into this category)
While the build suffers from the -4 toHit penalty, it can be situational used for a charge multiplier with dive attacks (with a flying animated object form) if you lack any decent gear or have lost it somehow.

Everfull Mug (recommend to have multiple of em) (200g each) - MIC
3/day fills with water/cheap ale/watery wine. Helps to fuel the "Drink-Like-A-Demon" ability if wanted. Shadow can take care of the fueling (exchange of the Everfull Mugs after 3 uses). Therefore it is advised to build the mouth of the Animated Object into the cockpit. The voice module can still remain where it belongs.

Phoenix Cloak (50,000 g) - MIC
Since the build has already access to flight, this would just be a deluxe investment for better maneuverability (perfect) and higher fly speed (at your base movement speed and not half = no extra cost for flying movement and for gaining altitude).


Shadow Rider and the Star Monk(s)
We'll add some extra fluff and combat power by using the Shadow as a rider and G.R.8 as his mount.


Ghost Touch Battle Bridle (9,900g) and Ghost Touch Riding Boots (13,200g) - MIC
These two items greatly enhance the interaction between G.R.8 and his shadow. Without em, the shadow only enters his body (in large Animated Object form) and tries to aid him as good as he can (Aid Another).
But if the shadow has these two items, he can carry em incorporeal into G.R.8's body (cockpit in his chest) and than use em there without any problems. These give the shadow +5 competence to ride and the feats Mounted Combat & Ride-by-Attack. He can now once a turn try to make a ride check to prevent an otherwise successful hit on his mount/G.R.8. Further G.R.8 can now move after his charge/pounce attack for the remaining movement he has. This increases his combat mobility and enables strategic repositioning. Due to the charge attack he has double movement speed and may change direction as much as he needs/wants (Stagger).
Both items need to be ghost touch for an unproblematic use. The 10% extra price for ghost touch is already calculated into the prices.

Griffonlance of Goring +1 (36,310 g) or Lance of Faerun+2 ( 98,310 g) (web article (http://archive.wizards.com/dnd/article.asp?x=dnd/mc/mc20020130a)/ Magic of Faerun)
Sadly both of these come from Faerun (while the Warforged & the rest of the components comes from Eberron, so check with DM). The important part here is that either one would give us the "Spirited Charge" feat for just wielding em (no need to attack with em). But the monk can still use his unarmed strikes to profit from the feat. And Sandals of the Tiger Leap already demands to use kicks^^. Finally the feats conditions "When mounted.." doesn't specify that you need to be "mounted on a mount". It can also be interpreted as "being mounted by a rider". As such, this would lead to another charge multiplier (up to x4 total with Valorous Weapon + Sandals of the Tiger Leap).
I really like to picture a monk carrying and even wielding a weapon but not using it for attacking. Like a holy item that needs to be protected or just a luck charm. Maybe it's just a present received that needs to be honored/cherished, even if one has sworn not to use any manufactured weapons anymore.
Attach a flag of Dol Arrah and yell that it will never touch the ground, even if it costs you your life.

Ring of Growth (18,000g) - Savage Species
Increase size by one step. 1/day for up to 9min (=90 rounds). +4STR -2Dex -1 toHit -1AC
G.R.8 can now turn into a Huge "Large Animated Object (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/animatedObject.htm)"..^^
This should result into enough extra space in G.R.8's cockpit for his other team members. Now the squishy casters can enter him too. Build extra blast/launch pipes into the chest of the Animated Object for your party caster/blaster. Use one-way mirrors or darkened glass to cover the cockpit. Note that since G.R.8 doesn't gets the Hardness of his target form, the materials are as robust as a normal creatures body for his AC would be in 3.5. Another option would be to use a Crystal Ball (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/wondrousItems.htm#crystalBall) (42,000g) as monitor to see with G.R.8's eyes.

Ghost Touch Howdah (220g) - Arms & Equiment
This box has room for 4 passengers mounted on a huge creature. One of em is considered as the "rider" for combat reasons (Initiative, movement..). Again the extra 10% price tag for Ghost Touch is included in the price. The boxed version also gives 50% cover, if you should decide to leave G.R.8's chest half open in the Animated Object form. We have now enough space to fit the entire party + shadow.



You know that the main event of the day has come when this happens..^^ (since it's a 1/day ability)

"We've got to go into Challenge Phase."

"What's that?"

"There is no time to explain.
Get in and join forces with G.R.8.
Hurry!"

"OK, lets see what happens."

"When the entrance ramp is clear, hit the flashing red light. Shadow Rider, you give the signal!"

"OK.
Get Ready.
Hold it..
NOW!"

"Alright, G.R.8 will now take navigational control."

"Acknowledged April!
Navigational Control .. Mine !
G.R.8 Challenge Phase .. ONE !
..
Head Em Up .. Move Em Out !
..
POWER STRIDE .. & READY TO RIDE !!!"
Even if I have slightly altered the dialog, I expect at least a few have already started to hum the transformation music. If you still don't know what is going on here, I'll help you out with a link (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76vyMMqURaU);)






I'll try to explain how some of the abilities have synergy or how they behave in specific scenarios.

Feign Death
On first glance the ability seems pretty standard and doesn't look amazing. But it has some interesting properties that are kinda exploitable but leave you in a grey area where the DM might enforce additional rules.
The effects that the ability does give should be self explanatory. The interesting part is the action-cost and what that implies when it is used in combat. As "immediate action" you appear dead. Not almost dead, not dying, just simple DEAD! I would argue that as long as you stand on your feet (or fly with your fly ability) you don't appear to be dead (maybe dying but not dead). As such, I would argue that the ability includes the "prone" status within its "immediate action" to appear legitimate dead. While this ain't mentioned, I don't see how it would be otherwise possible to "appear dead".
Further while this is also not mentioned in the rule text, imho when you use Feign Death in the middle of the combat you need a reason to make it plausible. After taking a direct hit (getting damaged) would be imho plausible. Before taking the hit would need some kind of acting (perform/bluff?) to make it plausible. Without any attack at all, one might need a higher acting (bluff/perform) roll to act e.g. an immediate Heart-attack death. If the DM should demand such a roll, we could rely on the 5 ranks in Perform (Dance) to act.
This could be used as a last resort if the next hit (before rolling dmg) could drop your below 0. You can hope that the enemy might be fooled and use his attacks/actions otherwise. G.R.8 can than try to escape on his next turn (standard action to wake up and movement action for escape) and perform a strategical retreat (heal up and come back later).
Finally, the ability can be used to play dead possum to avoid being noticed if he is observing a place for longer time

Pounce (and anything related)
Pounce is the bread and butter of this build. Together with Stagger, the build can pounce every turn. As Animated Object (giant robot with wheels under his feet and sheetlike wings) with monk lvls, he will already have a high base movementspeed (min. 70ft by lvl 12; up to 120ft with tattoo at max lvl) which gets doubled every turn due to charge (140-240ft), if diving even quadrupled (280-480ft). Without the Phoenix Cloak, movement is a bit restricted when flying (double movement cost for flying, quadruple movement cost for gaining altitude..), but still manageable. You need to combine the cheaper maneuverability at land with better damage when flying. Thanks due to the high movementspeed, it is easily manageable to switch between the movement modes within a single turn. Once you have the cloak, you only pay normal movement costs into any direction. This gets rid of the math and allows for a more effective use of the movementspeed.
If you should run out of enemies in your reach, the "Sudden Leap" maneuver allows for a "swift" position change within your full attack.
Shock Trooper further enhances the damage potential. Despite the low max BAB (+12) we can now go for full Power Attack modifiers. Note that they profit from the charge multipliers available (up to x4. Finally, the shadow will ride G.R.8 as mount and enhance him with Ride-By-Attack via items to further enhance his pounce attacks with the remaining rest movement after the attacks.
Finally, if desired, G.R.8 can use his HIPS after each pounce within his remaining movement to remain hidden at the end of his turn.

Temporary STR bonus stacking for an Ambush
Ferocity (+4) is the most obvious choice here. Further, Shadow will supply us with Everfull Mugs for 5 rounds to get the STR bonus up to +10. Finally, if we have access to the Ring of Growth, we get another +4 size bonus to STR. This totals into +18STR. Take the 32 as base (including lvl up + wish + item) and we look at a maximum possible STR score of 50 (+20 STR modifier!). In combination with a full scale pounce attack (up to x4 multiplier) (including repositioning with Sudden Leap), G.R.8 should hit and kill with each of his attacks.
Combined with HIPS, normal people (with normal senses) won't notice what has happened or how it happened.

Touch of the Shadow Sun
The ability allows itself to be used as swift action, if used to heal a willing target. G.R.8's shadow is always willing and always touching him inside the cockpit (on "odd" rounds - negative energy application). If the DM argues that you need to touch him with a hand, just have the cockpit have a "hand" build in. And G.R.8 can always willingly touch himself (...^^) as a free action too (on "even" rounds - positive energy application). As such G.R.8 alters constantly between healing his shadow and himself (or an willing ally). This also adds greatly to his image as holy servant as he can heal anyone at any given time. Another reason for people to visit him at the shrine.

Shadow Rider
This is a nice sideeffect of the Ghost Touch enhancement on the Necklace of Natural Weapons (unarmed strike). This gives G.R.8's entire body the Ghost Touch effect. The shadow can pick up things with Ghost Touch. These things become weightless and can also enter solid objects together with the incorporeal creature (shadow). This means that the shadow can pick up G.R.8 and move with him under the surface of the ground ("must remain adjacent to the object’s exterior"). This can be abused for sneaky stealth missions (together with Feign Death) or amush tactics. Or as last resort if G.R.8's life is in danger (e.g.low hp or even below 0hp). You could even esacpe from enemy line of effect to dodge spells/effects. And finally you can survive "Rocks fall everyone dies"^^
The question that remains is: What happens to other possible passangers? Maybe evacuate them first^^ Or find a test subject to see how the DM will rule it ;)



I think the stuff from the PHB should be obvious. Thus I will concentrate on the non-PHB stuff here to keep it clean and short. Further the magic items have a note behind their "name (price tag) -" and aren't listed here either.

Barbarian "Ferocity" - Cityscape web enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
Barbarian "Skilled City-Dweller" - Cityscape web enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
Barbarian "Spiritual Totem: Lion" - Complete Champion
Drunken Master - Complete Warrior
Monk "Feign Death" - Exemplars of Evil
Monk "Fighting Style: Cobra Strike" - Unearthed Arcana
Shadow Sun Ninja - Tome of Battle
Shadowdancer - DMG or SRD (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/prestigeClasses/shadowdancer.htm)
Shock Trooper - Complete Warrior
Swordsage "Unarmed Variant" - Tome of Battle
Tattooed Monk - Complete Warrior


Final Words
This build has it all: A religious giant (mountable) robot monk, fueled with Solar Energy, Dark Energy and even an Alcohol boost (wannabe NITRO tuning^^), who praises the words of Dol Arrah to fight evil. Become a mobile fortress for your team-members and redefine your teamplay. On the other hand, be a peace loving guide for those who seek Dol Arrah's guidance and show em the powers he gifts those he seems to be worthy (the tattoos). Praise the words of Dol Arrah. Be gentle to the weak (April as voice) and bring judgement to evil (with G.R.8's own voice).


"May Dol Arrah's Glory Shine Uppon You My Friend."

"May Dol Arrah's Glory Shine Judgement Uppon You."

„By Dol Arrah's Glory, have no fear: Shadow Rider and the Star Monks have arrived!"
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:37 PM
Good things come to those who wait.



Kilroy: the Shape in the Stone

http://www.diprotodon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/dorothy-hill-rock-hammer-1.jpg



Kilroy stood before his parents. The crackling fire in the hearth behind him made the skin on his calves tight, but he felt this was the only place in the small cottage to make an announcement of such import.

“What’d you want to talk to us about, son?” his father said and packed the bowl of his pipe with leaf.

His mother conjured a flame on the tip of her thumb when he was finished.

“Mm, thank you, m’dear.”

Kilroy cleared his throat. “Mother, father, I’m off to seek my fortune.”

His mother picked ash from under her fingernail. “So soon? Haven’t you only been on your first adventure?”

Undeterred, Kilroy nodded. “Well, yes, and what I won from it is dearer than any gold or jewel.”

His father exhaled a stream of smoke from his nostrils, idly shaping it into an owl’s head that cocked to the side.

“We were wondering what your share was. Not to be nosy an’ all.”

“It’s something that can never be taken from me or lost,” Kilroy said.

“Is this a riddle?”

“No, father; what I learned was the location of a great treasure. Or rather, where one will be and when,” Kilroy said.

“When?” his mother asked.

Kilroy looked away. “I’m afraid it’s not for a very long time. I may not be back to share it.”

His father stood and put a hand on his shoulder. “If you’re able to live well on it, then we’ve done our job. If we’re still kicking, come back and we’ll have a pint. If not, you’ll be rich enough to commune with us.”

Kilroy lifted his bag from the floor, still packed. “Of course.”


The straw boss made his way down the line of prospects. The land here was flat, or near enough to flat they shouldn’t have to do too much before they got the masons in. Still, he’d be lucky to hire half a dozen of these men. Most of them looked like they could scarcely lift a hammer. He stopped at one with hair like the sun who seemed curiously excited at the idea of being selected. He stood no taller than the other men, but a little straighter.

“What they call you, boy?” he asked.

“Kilroy, sir.”

“I’ll make sure not to put you on with Roy we hire you.” A few of them laughed. “Job’s ten a day plus meals if you can swing a hammer til you quit or we don’t need you no more.”

Kilroy looked earnestly awed. “And if I can swing two?” More of the others laughed at that one.

“Show me that.” He summoned a hammer.

Kilroy took it in both hands.

He summoned another, ready to send the boy packing, but Kilroy reached out from his own ribs with a pair of arms made of blue witch-light to take it. They bristled with fur, and the fingers ended in stout claws.

“Twenty five sound fair?” Kilroy said, hefting them.

“Don’t know how they count where you’re from, but ten and ten’s twenty round here.”

“You’ll be saving on meals,” Kilroy said.

The straw boss made a note in his ledger. “Put your mark here.”

“Don’t know how, sir,” Kilroy said.

“Don’t worry; I’ll take care of it for you. Go turn that rock over there into smaller rocks, and we’ll see about the twenty five.”

Kilroy nodded and got to it with a sound like a thunderclap. “Yes, sir.”


The new recruits lined up and Kilroy looked them over. His arms had grown twofold since his arrival here years ago. They’d filled in the odd parts of the land that didn’t lie the way they ought, and had started laying foundation last year. Finally, it was time to appoint the masons who would be starting on the stone they’d been working it seemed like a lifetime ago.

“You want to know where something ought to go, don’t be shy about asking me. I’m only as smart as all you fellows put together, so you’re not doing me any favors by keeping it to yourself. Plans are up on the boards over there.” He pointed toward them. Chalk from the lines on the paper still clung to his fingertips. He felt like if he washed his hands for an hour, he still wouldn’t get it all off.

The masons broke up and got to work. Kilroy drifted around the site and kept an eye on things. It was before lunch when he heard one of the alarms go off: broken rope.

“Watch out down there!” the mason on the crane shouted at one under it. No time to run over.

Kilroy’s chest swelled as he drew on the blink dog’s essence that pulsed through him. He took a deep breath before he disappeared. Wherever you went in between, there was no air there. He was back in the world by the man on the ground and elbowed him out of the way before being crushed under a ten thousand pound stone.

From beneath its bulk, he heard the men murmuring.

“Is he—?”

“I didn’t see him! I swear I didn’t see him!”

“Can anyone get that off him? Where’s the giant? Why isn’t he doing this anyway?”

Kilroy was under the block, and then he wasn’t. He uncrumpled himself from the mud a few feet to its left and got to his feet.

“Don’t celebrate yet; it’ll take a lot more than that to crack an old bastard like me. Is anyone hurt?” Kilroy said.

The man he pushed aside held a bandana to his nose, its white surface streaked with blood.

“You saved my life,” he said and held out his hand. Despite most of the bones in Kilroy’s wrist being broken, he shook it anyway. They were only bones.

The mason squinted at Kilroy’s wrist, looking at its bloody surface, already starting to scab over.

“Something you wanted to say about that or—“ Kilroy said, nothing if not patient.

“Oh, I just, I was looking at your tattoo. I can’t quite make it out.”

“Helluva time to ask about it. I can tell you what it is, but I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll laugh. Then I’ll laugh, and I’ll jostle something in my chest where it shouldn’t be.”

“After what you just did for me, I think I can restrain myself. What is it?”

“A crane.”

The mason broke his promise, but Kilroy couldn’t bring himself to feel upset about it.


Kilroy sat in the completed wing of the castle and leafed through a book that hovered in front of him in his cozy chair by the fire. He adjusted the glasses he’d been wearing for ten years now and began to eavesdrop on a couple of young fellows in the hall.

“Got the plans for the east wing. Who do I get to sign off?”

“You must be new around here. Give ‘em to Old Man Kilroy. You oughta find him in the library somewheres. Big mammoth hair cardigan and fists like cannon balls.”

“Alright, thanks.”

It was a few minutes before the boy approached Kilroy directly.

“‘scuse me, sir, need your signature on these right quick.”

Kilroy drew out a pen from his pocket and looked them over.

“The doors in His Majesty’s study need to be wider here and here. If it’s built like this, it’ll give way in no time from the pressure of the next floor,” Kilroy said, making a few notes.

“Will they? I figure it’d be fifty years before they need to send anyone in to shore that up.”

“Sixty.” Kilroy circled errors on other parts of the plans. “Make sure the seals around these are filled with that imported mortar and not the stuff we used in the cellar. Less conductive. And we can’t use pocket shutters on this window, it won’t support the weight of the lead.”

“Lead, sir?”

“For privacy.”

“What do you suppose he’s reading in there that he wants us to put lead in the windows?”

“I don’t know, son. More importantly, I don’t want anyone else to know either.” He handed the plans back with his signature on the bottom in a two inch flourish.

“Forgive me for asking, sir, but what’s the difference in sixty years? Don’t you think these things might put us behind schedule?”

Kilroy sighed. Not with frustration, or even impatience. He sighed because he remembered when he would’ve asked the same thing at the boy’s age.

“Come here a moment, please. I want to show you something. It won’t take long, and if your master gives you any grief about it, you can tell him I’m to blame.” He returned to his chair and his book.

“What do you see here, son?” He tapped a passage in the book.

“Something about the ruins of Xen’drik.”

“And you can read it all right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“This book here is older than I am,” Kilroy said.

To his credit, the boy tried not to let his surprise show. Kilroy was sure he seemed unfathomably ancient, even if he still had a bit of red left in his hair.

“How is it still so clear, then?”

Kilroy shut it. “Because the binder took the time to use things to make it that would last. This book will outlive all of us. Whoever comes after us might sift through this castle some day and find it to put in one of their museums.”

The boy looked uneasy. “But if you think this place will fall to ruin some day, what’s the point?”

“To make the bastards wait a little longer. Now go put in the order for the lead, will you?”

The boy nodded, bowed, and left. Kilroy reopened his book and stayed until he was finished.


Kilroy lay in a bed finer than any he’d known existed when he was a boy. The granddaughter of the king sat by his side in his coarse wooden chair and rested her hand, ungloved, atop his weathered forehead. Judging from her expression, she wasn’t encouraged by its temperature.

“The physicians tell me all there is to do now is keep you comfortable,” she said, uncomfortable being the one to deliver this truth to him.

Kilroy smiled. “‘m plenty comfortable here, young miss.”

“I’m sorry, but that’s just not good enough for me. You’ve given your life to our home, Kilroy. If there’s anything you want in this world, let me know it and I’ll make sure the king grants it.”

Kilroy nodded. “If it would make you feel better. I love this estate, young miss. If there’s one thing I could ask for, it’s for you not to make me leave it after I go. If there’s a way, I would like to be laid to rest here, so I’ll never have to say goodbye.”

She held back her tears admirably. Kilroy pretended not to notice.

“Consider it done. We’ll put your head apprentice on it.”

Kilroy nodded toward his drafting table. “If it wouldn’t be too great an expense, I had sketched out a few ideas.”

She laughed and put her arms around his withered frame.

“As much as I’m going to miss you, there is one good thing about you passing on,” she said.

“And what’s that, young miss?”

“It’s the only way we’ll ever get you to stop working.” Kilroy laughed, she left him alone with his thoughts and went to make arrangements.


They laid Kilroy to rest shortly thereafter. The king brought his finest magicians to have the bricks lay themselves in Kilroy’s tomb and had caged spirits of air blow themselves upon the mortar that it might dry more quickly. Kilroy had asked to b allowed to supervise the construction one last time, and His Majesty didn’t have it in him to say no.

Kilroy drank the magical draught he had had sent from a far off place, somewhere even the most well-traveled diplomat had never visited. He assured his masters it would preserve him for the ages since it wouldn’t do to attract pests into the basement. They thanked him for his thoughtfulness one final time and said their goodbyes.

The final brick was laid and Kilroy was immured in utter darkness and silence.

And there he remained, while the draught did its job. While what he had told the master of the house wasn’t exactly a lie, it wasn’t exactly the whole truth either.

Kilroy’s remains wouldn’t be attracting any pests, no. But that was because he had no plans to die now, any time soon, or ever at all, in fact.

In the summer heat, even this area of the castle had grown warm, nearly the temperature of his body. With neither sight nor sound to distract him, he could feel the draught working, even if it was only his own knowledge making him think he did. What he’d drank came from an ancient and secretive order. One who had accepted his requests to join their ranks a lifetime ago and finally sent him his approval. Kilroy understood the value of patience. He could only imagine how much more firmly he would grasp it once he was immortal.

Over the silent years, his body rebuilt itself from within. He felt the lean muscle of his youth knit itself back together one fiber at a time as his mind worked away at it like a woman at a loom. Like anything Kilroy had ever built, he wanted to make sure it was done right. For the first time, he could be sure what he was putting together would last for all eternity.

Later—how much later exactly, he had no way of saying. It no longer mattered—he had finished remaking himself. Not exactly as he had been before, but better. He emerged from the silent and hollow husk of his old body not like a moth chewing its way from a cocoon, but as a phase spider passes through its prey. Should his masters’ descendants wish to pay their respects to the man who had built their home, he would not deny them that comfort.

Kilroy moved unimpeded by the walls he had hewn the stone for. He didn’t exactly go through them. Like a sketch of a man in a maze who could only go forward and back or left to right, and had no conception of the pen that had birthed him nor its ability to go up and down, most people were constrained by a sturdy wall of stone. Kilroy had spent his life understanding every facet of this castle. Just as the pen can be lifted from paper to bypass the walls of a maze, he moved himself beyond the constraints of the walls he had spent his life setting forth until he was at the promised location with the treasure he had anticipated his whole life. He packed it away and was on his way.

He drifted along the stairs whose heights he had measured by candlelight to make sure no one taking them would trip. He didn’t worry about anyone seeing him. They couldn’t, the place he went when he was moving like this. He was out of the castle in short order and returned to the world as everyone else saw it and was seen in kind.

He booked passage on a ship to the town where he was born. Alongside his treasure, he had a dozen scrolls packed away to speak beyond the veil of death and share his news with his parents.

His ship arrived. The porter welcomed him aboard and took his ticket.

“Good evening, sir. You got family back east?” he said with a smile.

Kilroy leaned on the ship’s railing and packed a pipe the way he still remembered his father doing it. He cupped his hand around it and lit it with a wand he’d not even bothered to ask the price of. He exhaled a shape of smoke even his father would be proud of:

YES.

LN elan totemist 6/tattooed monk 9/thief-acrobat 5



base:

str 14
dex 14
con 16 (increase at 16)
int 14 (increases at 4, 8, 12, 20), +3 from age
wis 12, +3 from age
cha 8, -2 from elan +3 from age

finishing (after race and age)
str 14
dex 14
con 17
int 21
wis 15
cha 9




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


1st
totemist 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
k (arcana) 4, k (religion) 4, k (planes) 4, listen 4, spot 4, tumble 4 (2)
endurance
wild empathy, illiteracy


2nd
totemist 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
k (arcana) 1 (5), k (religion) 1 (5) k (planes) 1 (5), listen 1 (5), spot 1 (5) tumble 1 (5)

totem chakra bind (+1 capacity)


3rd
totemist 3
+1
+3
+1
+3
k (arcana) 1 (6), k (religion) 1 (6), k (planes) 1 (6), listen 1 (6), spot 1 (6), tumble 1 (6)
improved unarmed strike
totem’s protection


4th
totemist 4
+2
+4
+1
+4
k (arcana) 1 (7), k (religion) 1 (7) k (planes) 1 (7), listen 1 (7), spot 1 (7), tumble 1 (7)




5th
totemist 5
+2
+4
+1
+4
k (arcana) 1 (8), k (religion) 1 (8), k (planes) 1 (8), listen 1 (8), spot 1 (8), tumble 1 (8)

chakra binds (crown, feet, hands)


6th
totemist 6
+3
+5
+2
+5
k (arcana) 1 (9), k (religion) 1 (9) k (planes) 1 (9), listen 1 (9), spot 1 (9), tumble 1 (9)
improved grapple
totem chakra bind (+1 meldshaper level


7th
tattooed monk 1
+3
+7
+4
+7
balance 5, climb 1

monk abilities, crane tattoo (nonmagical disease immunity)


8th
tattooed monk 2
+4
+8
+5
+8
balance 3 (8), climb 4 (5)




9th
tattooed monk 3
+5
+8
+5
+8
jump 7
assume supernatural ability (choker’s quickness)
chameleon tattoo, crane tattoo (poison immunity)


10th
tattooed monk 4
+6
+9
+6
+9
climb 3 (8), listen 2 (11) collector of stories




11th
tattooed monk 5
+6/+1
+9
+6
+9
jump 1 (8), k (local) 4, listen to this

monkey tattoo, crane tattoo (aging immunity)


12th
tattooed monk 6
+7/+2
+10
+7
+10
k (local) 5 (9), back on your feet
open lesser chakra (shoulder)



13th
tattooed monk 7
+8/+3
+10
+7
+10
k (dungeoneering) 6, extreme leap

white mask tattoo


14th
tattooed monk 8
+9/+4
+11
+8
+11
k (dungeoneering) 1 (7), k (local) 5 (14), nimble charge




15th
tattooed monk 9
+9/+4
+11
+8
+11
k (dungeoneering) 6 (13), acrobatic backstab
rapidstrike
wasp tattoo


16th
thief-acrobat 1
+9/+4
+11
+10
+11
move silently 10

fast acrobatics, kip up, steady stance


17th
thief-acrobat 2
+10/+5
+11
+11
+111
hide 10

agile fighting +1/+2, slow fall 20 ft


18th
thief-acrobat 3
+11/+6/+1
+12
+11
+12
move silently 10 (20)
open greater chakra (waist)
acrobatic charge, defensive roll 1/day


19th
thief-acrobat 4
+12/+7/+2
+12
+12
+12
hide 10 (20)

agile fighting +2/+3, skill mastery, slow fall 30ft


20th
thief-acrobat 5
+12/+7/+2
+12
+12
+12
hide 3 (23), move silently 3 (23), tumble 3 (12), point it out

defensive roll 2/day, improved evasion




Totemist brings unparalleled versatility to bear through its soulmelds. You have a great many natural attacks available from the start with things like landshark boots. For ranged options, manticore belt lets you snipe at enemies at your leisure and do meaningful damage at low levels. Totemist also brings its knowledges to bear laying groundwork for tattooed monk and granting the other two most common monster identification skills in with arcana and planes, letting you identify many common monster types and other magical and planar stuff. You obtain religion through association with the paragnostic assembly. You can easily get a rank 5 affiliation score of 30 points by being a member for 35 years. Given elans’ long life spans, this is easily achievable before you hit middle age. Consequently, you get bonuses to research skills when using the paragnostic assembly’s library, have religion as a class skill from now on, get a boost to diplomacy when dealing with bureaucrats, and gain skill mastery with all knowledge skills. Totemist’s ride is easily altered to tumble via skilled city dweller, freeing up your points in tattooed monk for other things later. Your feats for the time being are paying taxes for entry, as is elan, indirectly, but more will be said on that later.

You’re finished taking all the necessary feats for tattooed monk, and have attained the crane, your first tattoo. Tattooed monk has granted its second tattoo in the form of the chameleon, giving alter self. As an elan, aberration opens up many useful forms. For the time being, you will likely be getting a great deal of use from the classic grell and its bevy of natural attacks alongside improved grab and constrict. It also flies with perfect maneuverability. Your crown, hand, and foot chakras are now open in addition to your totem, providing valuable utility alongside more natural attacks. Tattooed monk continues to pay dividends in advancing your crane tattoo another step providing immunity to all poisons. In addition to this, assume supernatural ability is online. One of your favored forms through the chameleon tattoo will definitely be the choker, a compact form with native climb speed and the coveted quickness ability which enables you to take an extra standard or move action each round. It also grants improved grab and constrict as though that weren’t enough. The possibilities are nearly limitless. Among other things, it allows you to move your full speed and then full attack.

You have continued along in tattooed monk and gained a bonus to movement and manipulation skills from the monkey tattoo, and block unfriendly divination with the white mask tattoo. Your advancement in tattoos has also made your crane tattoo more powerful and you no longer take penalties for aging. Since elan has no maximum age category, you can easily advance to the maximum age without fear of penalties or death for the mental ability bonuses. Thanks to your aberration type, you are eligible for rapidstrike, giving even more attacks. The wasp tattoo grants haste many times a day. With this in tandem with choker’s quickness and your bevy of available natural attacks through totemist, you will deal a huge amount of damage in combat. Your shoulder chakra is open, allowing you to bind any of your melds there including such options as the phase cloak which enables ethereal movement. In tandem with choker’s quickness, you can move much further than normal. I This is your final level of tattooed monk because the 10th level is dead, and this allows you to complete thief-acrobat.

You round out your career with thief-acrobat, a flavorful, interesting class that tattooed monk provides all the necessary skills to enter. Evasion is granted by the totem bind of the great raptor mask. This class allows you to stand from prone, further beefs up your mobility skills, grants slow fall, another monk ability in addition to those granted by tattooed monk, and provides skill mastery, defensive roll, and improved evasion. It also gives additional armor bonus in addition to the one provided by tattooed monk. You’re high enough level now to open your waist chakra, so you do so, granting greater versatility than ever and opening up new options to supplement your tattoo abilities.



magic of incarnum: incarnate, open lesser chakra, open greater chakra
draconomicon: rapidstrike
srd: elan, endurance, improved unarmed strike, improved grapple
complete adventurer: thief-acrobat
complete champion: paragnostic assembly
savage species: assume supernatural ability
complete scoundrel: skill tricks
skilled city dweller (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a)
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:38 PM
Everybody loves the Classics.



Glaucon
Human Binder 8/Tattooed Monk 7/Knight of the Sacred Seal 5
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/647393639886094337/813014082964815872/resized-image-Promo.jpeg

The light of the cave’s entrance had long since faded beyond view. A dwarf’s eyes are comfortable in the dark, but after hours of walking the passageway, even I felt as if I were in traversing a void. The walls and floor were featureless, scraped smooth by what could only have been adamantine, given the hardness of the stone, but must also have been a tool so fine as to rival a hand shaping clay. Though I knew there had been a beginning, and had been assured there would be an end, I could not help but begin to doubt both.

Then, at long last, light. A single brilliant point at the edge of my vision growing as I approached until I reached the chamber from which it emanated. The smooth stone walls were no longer featureless, but engraved with strange, intricate seals. Another similar seal, larger than the rest, was carved into the floor at the center of the room, surrounded by a pool of placid water. Sitting atop it cross-legged, eyes closed and seemingly in meditation, was a human man, and it was from him that the light seemed to radiate, though shadows still flickered across his bare chest, forming the silhouette of a blooming flower, around which cuts and burns upon the man’s skin were slowly healing before my eyes.

“Are you the Sage of the Cave?” I asked, realizing I sounded rather stupid as I said it.

“Is that what they call me now?” He did not move or open his eyes.

Undeterred, I tried another tack. “Were you the one who brought down the dragon?”

“The shadows upon the land shifted as I walked across.”

I wish sages would just say what they mean. “Erm… Could you explain?”

He opened one eye to look at me in seeming irritation and sighed as if the point were obvious. He inclined his head ever so slightly toward another exit to the chamber opposite the way from which I had entered. “Beyond this room, imagine there are chained men, unable to escape.”

“Wait, really?”

“I said imagine.” He sounded irritated, and I decided to drop the point for the moment. “To these men,” he continued, “there is only darkness save for the light emitted from this chamber that shines upon the wall in front of them. If some shape were to be set between here and there, and its silhouette cast upon their wall, would that not be as the thing itself to them? Knowing nothing but the cave and the wall, what distinction can they make between shadow and reality?”

This all sounded awfully morbid to me. “I suppose…”

The corner of his mouth twitched in the smallest of smirks. “And what then of our own reality? What makes us think that what we experience is any different?”

“Well…” This all sounded rather silly to me and I wondered where he was going with it.

“In fact, it should be considered no different. Etch an image into your flesh, upon your very soul if you like. It is still but a shadow on a wall. Become the light itself that casts the shadow, and even then, that light is the shadow of something else. Some nothing else.”

He was becoming less helpful by the second. “And what does this have to do with the dragon?”

“Once you understand that,” he replied with another imperceptible smirk and an obnoxious air of patient explanation, “altering the shadows becomes a trivial matter.”

And indeed, the shadows upon his skin did seem to shift. The flower became a lizard with a tail curling around the man’s navel, and suddenly his own shadow fell upon the ground on which he sat, then began to shift into an outline of something quite inhuman.

Ability Scores16 Str, 13 Dex, 14 Con, 10 Int, 13 Wis, 12 Cha
Increase Dex at 4th level, Wis at 8th, and Str at all opportunities thereafter.
The Build

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


1st
Binder 1
+0
+2
+0
+2
Knowledge (Religion) 4, Knowledge (The Planes) 4, Intimidate 4
Improved Unarmed Strike, Improved Grapple
Soul Binding (1 Vestige)


2nd
Binder 2
+1
+3
+0
+3
Knowledge (Religion) 5, Knowledge (The Planes) 5, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 1
-
Pact Augmentation (1 Ability), Suppress Sign


3rd
Binder 3
+2
+3
+1
+3
Knowledge (Religion) 6, Knowledge (The Planes) 5, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 3
Endurance
-


4th
Binder 4
+3
+4
+1
+4
Knowledge (Religion) 7, Knowledge (The Planes) 5, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5
Improved BindingB
-


5th
Binder 5
+3
+4
+1
+4
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 7, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5
-
Pact Augmentation (2 Abilities)


6th
Tattooed Monk 1
+3
+6
+3
+6
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 2, Collector of Stories
Planar Touchstone (Catalouges of Enlightenment: War), Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike)
Monk Abilities, Chameleon Tattoo


7th
Tattooed Monk 2
+4
+7
+4
+7
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 2, Balance 5, Collector of Stories
-
-


8th
Tattooed Monk 3
+5
+7
+4
+7
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 5, Balance 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge
-
Chrysanthemum Tattoo


9th
Knight of the Sacred Seal 1
+6
+9
+4
+7
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 8, Balance 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge
Sun Devotion
Aligned Strike, Patron Vestige (Tenebrous), Skilled City-Dweller (Ride for Tumble)


10th
Knight of the Sacred Seal 2
+7
+10
+4
+7
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 1, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge
-
Vestige’s Protection


11th
Knight of the Sacred Seal 3
+8
+10
+5
+8
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 4, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge
-
Vestige’s Protection Aura, Soul Binding (2 Vestiges)


12th
Knight of the Sacred Seal 4
+9
+11
+5
+8
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer
Strength Devotion
Vestige’s Power


13th
Knight of the Sacred Seal 5
+10
+11
+5
+8
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 3, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer
-
Apotheosis, Vestige’s Surge


14th
Tattooed Monk 4
+11
+12
+6
+9
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 5, Climb 3, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer
-
-


15th
Tattooed Monk 5
+11
+12
+6
+9
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 6, Climb 5 Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent
Expel Vestige
Tiger Tattoo


16th
Tattooed Monk 6
+12
+13
+7
+9
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 9, Climb 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent, Leaping Climber
-
-


17th
Tattooed Monk 7
+13
+13
+7
+9
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 4, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 14, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent, Leaping Climber
-
Wasp Tattoo


18th
Binder 6
+14
+14
+8
+10
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 5, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 14, Bluff 2, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent, Leaping Climber
Metamorphic Transfer
Soul Guardian (Immune to Fear)


19th
Binder 7
+15
+14
+8
+10
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 5, Knowledge (Arcana) 5, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 14, Bluff 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent, Leaping Climber
-
-


20th
Binder 8
+16
+15
+8
+11
Knowledge (Religion) 8, Knowledge (The Planes) 8, Intimidate 5, Knowledge (Arcana) 8, Tumble 10, Balance 5, Swim 5, Jump 14, Bluff 5, Collector of Stories, Twisted Charge, Quick Swimmer, Speedy Ascent, Leaping Climber
-
-



Level 5Non-Monk entry into requires paying some taxes to get into the SI, but Binder is aa versatile class, with the ability to choose a vestige to suit the needs of a given adventuring day, allowing us to pull our weight even without much feat support to back it up (Improved Grapple and Endurance are also more useful at these levels than they generally are later on). With Improved Binding from the Binder bonus feat, we’re up to 4th level Vestiges by 5th level, giving a nice range of options.
Level 10Even when restricted to humanoid forms, Alter Self is pretty spiffy, granting access to different movement modes, natural armor, and natural attacks to add to the Monk’s Unarmed Strike the SI gives us on a full attack routine. If you can get your hands on wands (possibly by crafting them with Astaroth if you can get someone to provide the spell for you) of spells like Aspect of the Wolf or Essence of the Dragon, which Karsus or UMD from Naberius can help you to activate, you can access other forms that way as well. Our next tattoo will be the Chrysanthemum, which will slowly heal us as long as we stay in sunlight. To that end, we take Sun Devotion, which explicitly produces true sunlight rather than the light of a Daylight spell, and hence works as long as you can maintain it for the requisite amount of time. The one minute duration of Sun Devotion poses a problem in that regard, but a turn or rebuke attempt gives you an extra use, and Tenebrous gives you the ability to rebuke every 5 rounds (30 seconds), so you can stay in sunlight as needed to heal up, regardless of environment or time of day. Since we’re locked into Tenebrous to make this trick work anyway, we duck out of Tattooed Monk for a bit to enter Knight of the Sacred Seal, qualifying via the Binder’s Weapon Focus – the War Domain granted power from Planar Touchstone (Catalogues of Enlightenment: War) – which can also allow you to cast a spell from the domain once per day (Magic Vestement is a nice way to add an armor bonus on an unarmored build) if you can make the interplanar commute once in a while.
Level 15 Tenebrous’ Rebuke resets quickly enough to keep a second minute-duration Devotion feat up continuously, so our 12th level feat goes to Strength Devotion, which adds a slam attack to our natural attack routine and makes all our attacks overcome DR and hardness as if adamantine.

Finishing out Knight of the Sacred Seal means both that we now have a second vestige of up to 6th level (including any of our old favorites, always good options like Zceryll, Zagan to make use of the SI’s Improved Grapple prereq in smaller than Large forms, Ipos for claws in forms that don’t already have them, and perhaps our favorite, Chupoclops for pounce, ethereal movement, Ghost Touch, and a bite in forms that don’t already have one) and that we achieve Apotheosis, which grants outsider typing and hence superior outsider forms with the Chameleon Tattoo’s Alter Self ability. Useful outsider forms include… Dwarf Ancestor - Large size and +18 natural armor.
Skulvyn – Large size, 50 ft swim speed, +6 natural armor, natural attack routine of either bite/claw/claw or 4 tail lashes. Unarmed Strike and Strength Devotion add to either. Chupoclops bite and the language of “including a bite attack” on its pounce ability might allow a bite to be added to the tail lash routine.
Juvenile Tojanda – Swim speed of 60 ft (as alter self caps it) and +10 natural armor, but small size and just a bite/claw/claw attack routine, so probably an inferior swimming combat form to the Skulvyn most of the time.
Spinagon, Air Mephit, Protectar, or Vaati (Houdeam) – Good flying forms if you can’t get flight from elsewhere. Spinagon is the fastest, reaching Alter Self’s cap of 120 ft, but only has average maneuverability. Air Mephit’s speed is only 60 ft, but with perfect maneuverability. Protectar has 60 ft (good), but is medium where the Mephit and Spinagon are small. The Houdeam only has a 30 ft fly speed, but perfect maneuverability, medium size, and good natural armor (probably just the +7 rather than +7+2 per character level, but feel free to ask your DM).
Skeroloth – 20 ft Burrow and Climb speeds and 4 claw natural attack routine. Small size, but still a pretty nifty form.
Pentadrone – 5 slamming limbs before Strength Devotion. If they count as hands, then you can add a claw attack to each by binding Ipos, so it might have potential as medium combat forms go.
Voor – If assuming its form doesn’t make you blind, it’s a phenomenal combat form with large size, 4 tentacles with extra reach, 2 claws, and +6 natural armor. Even if it does make you blind, that might be resolvable with Geryon’s All Around Vision, Malphas’ Bird’s Eye Viewing, or Ipos’ True Seeing ability.


We also now have a high enough effective turning level from Tenebrous to command some noteworthy undead, and being permanently bound to him shouldn’t ever have to worry about losing control of them. At EBL 10, Shadows become a viable option (they are effectively 5 HD including their Turn Resistance). In addition to being thematic and relatively dangerous even to high CR enemies, they can Create Spawn under their command, which can allow you to enthrall a larger army of them than you’d normally be able to as long as you can keep the top echelons of they pyramid scheme safe.

Once finished with Knight of the Sacred Seal, we return to Tattooed Monk. With a third iterative, Sun Devotion’s slam, and likely a bunch of added natural attacks from whatever form we assume, we’ve got plenty of vectors to deliver the Tiger Tattoo’s bonus damage. A third use per day and increased duration on the Chameleon Tattoo is also welcome to reliably access and maintain desired forms throughout the adventuring day.
Level 20The Wasp Tattoo’s Haste improves our ability to churn out attacks still further, and both it and the Tiger and Chameleon Tattoos are now up to the requisite number of uses to potentially devote one to each of a standard adventuring day’s four encounters. We return to Binder rather than finishing the SI after that, but with the assertion that it actually makes for a better use of the SI. The nature of choosing Tattoos off a menu is that options get worse as you progress through the ones we wanted most unless there’s a level-gated one that’s appealing, and the best such Tattoo (Crescent Moon) is largely redundant with Chupoclops being a commonly used vestige for the build. On the other hand, returning to Binder allows us to hit BAB 16 for a 4th iterative, which wrings more out of both the Unarmed Strike progression and Tiger Tattoo bonus damage than would a small uptick in base damage and additional use per day, respectively.

In addition to now having an Effective Binder Level of 13 for the purpose of abilities (including, notably, an extra use/day of Tenebrous’ Flicker and his Vessel of Emptiness applying to every unarmed strike in a round with its bonus damage increased to 2d8) and access to vestiges of up to 7th level expanding the options for our second slot, we bolster our Binding with Expel Vestige, making it viable to use a wider range of options with the second vestige slot. One such option, acquired with our 18th level feat, is to gain a Manifester Level to qualify for Metamorphic Transfer while bound to a psionic vestige, allowing access to the wide range of supernatural abilities that outsider Alter Self forms have. Since the ability is gained upon assuming the form, we can bind the psionic vestige, assume the relevant form for up to a 7 hour duration, then expel the Vestige in favor of another whose abilities are more appealing or synergistic with the ability in question. The full range of outsider (Su) abilities available through Alter Self is too extensive to list here, but includes gems even among the forms that we already favor for other reasons (Skulvyn’s Slow Aura, Dwarf Ancestor’s Blink Out, Houdeam’s Dancing Sword), all manner of stuff that’s situationally useful if you have the prep time to dial it up, thematically fun, or just plain weird (Ravid’s Animate Objects, Vorr’s Shadow Form and Shadow Jump, Xeg-Yi’s Rebuke Undead, Kaorti’s Vile Transformation), and even things that can potentially veer off into TO territory (Visilight’s Charisma Drain).

Cityscape Urban Class Features Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a): Skilled City-Dweller
Cityscape Urban Magic Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070307a): Astaroth
Class Chronicles (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/frcc/20070718): Zceryll
Complete Champion: Strength Devotion, Sun Devotion
Complete Scoundrel: Skill Tricks
Complete Warrior: Tattooed Monk
Fiend Folio: Kaorti, Skulvyn, Skeroloth, Vorr
Manual of the Planes: Spinagon, Xeg-Yi
Manual (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20010921a) of the Planes Modrons Web Enhancement[/url]: Pentadrone
Miniatures Handbook: Protectar
Mind’s (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20070119a) Eye[/url]: Psionic Vestiges
Monster Manual III: Visilight
Monster Manual IV: Dwarf Ancestor, Voor
Oriental Adventures Mahasarpa Web Enhancement (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/Mahasarpa.pdf): Vaati
Planar Handbook: Planar Touchstone, Catalogues of Enlightenment
Races of the Dragon: Essence of the Dragon
Spell Compendium: Aspect of the Wolf
Tome of Magic: Binder, Expel Vestige, Improved Binding, Knight of the Sacred Seal, Vestiges not mentioned elsewhere
Everything else mentioned is SRD.
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:45 PM
"Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly.


Mori Kumo
LG Synad Monk 2/Ranger 8/Tattooed Monk 10
https://allthatsinteresting.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/roshi-ensei-irezumi-painting.jpg

The serenity of the tea house was broken as a Raika Yusuke flung wide the doors and swaggered in. He sauntered up to the counter, a sword in one hand rested on his shoulder, and the other tugging at his lapel to reveal the yakuza tattoo under his shirt to the owner.

“Oi, old woman,” he drawled menacingly, “I was looking through the books, and your shop doesn’t seem to be paying protection. Don’t you know who runs this town?”

“B-but…” she stammered.

“They say some of our best are monsters who ain’t even human! Just count yourself lucky it’s only me this time, cough up the money and no one has to get hurt!”

A man who had been sipping tea in the corner, calmly set down his cup and strode over. “You’re awfully noisy. Why don’t you run along now?”

“And who do you think you are? Buzz off!” The gangster moved to swing his sword, but the man’s stance was confusing, almost like a logic puzzle and trying to adjust to it slowed the blow so that it was easily avoided.

“You shouldn’t have done that, son. I’ll give you one more chance to run away and not come back.” His voice was still calm as he disappeared from view.

“I should say the same to you, but I won’t,” was the snarling response as Yusuke looked around for a sign of the man’s whereabouts. “Alright boys,” he called toward the door, “it seems they’ve chosen the hard way.

His fellow Yakuza swarmed in just in time to observe an enormous spiderlike creature marked with what looked like irezumi tattoos of its own appear hanging from the ceiling directly above their compatriot’s head. With a massive foreleg it swatted Yusuke to the floor, then slammed into his gut, causing bile to rise in his throat. Trying to rise to his feet to strike at the creature, Yusuke had just the split second to notice that his fellows had dropped to the floor in kowtow positions as well before he was struck again. This time he stayed down as the world faded to black.

He awoke in one of the corner booths to one of his friends slapping him awake with a cure spell that was probably applied with more force than necessary. “You dumbass. What were you thinking picking a fight with him?”

Yusuke’s head was throbbing. “He was… one of us?”

“That’s a pretty favorable interpretation of us. He’s a big dog, er, spider, whatever. Way high up. And apparently, he’s got a soft spot for this tea house. He says we’re to fix this place up and help out for a few weeks. Something about ‘keeping us off the streets.’”

“Are you going to sit around chatting all day?” The owner sounded more in her element now than when she’d been under threat earlier. “I’ve got more customers, and there are still spider tracks all over my ceiling. Get to it!”

They winced, and even in Yusuke’s case, not entirely in pain. “Hold the ladder for me, would you?” his friend asked, hauling him to his feet and moving to grab a bucket and rag.

Ability Scores
Point Buy: 16 Str, 14 Dex, 14 Con, 12 Int, 14 Wis, 8 Cha
Increases go to Str.

Build Table

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


1st
Monk 1
+0
+2
+2
+2
Knowledge (Religion) +4 (4), Tumble +4 (4), Jump +4 (4), Climb +4 (4), Swim +3 (3), Knowledge (Arcana) +1 (1)
Monk 1: Improved Unarmed Strike, Monk 1: Stunning Fist, 1st Level: Sapphire Fist
Unarmed Strike, Decisive Strike


2nd
Monk 2
+1
+3
+3
+3
Knowledge (Religion) +1 (5), Tumble +1 (5), Jump +1 (5), Climb +1 (5), Swim +1 (4)
Monk 2: Combat Reflexes
Invisible Fist


3rd
Ranger 1
+2
+5
+5
+3
Knowledge (Religion) +1cc (6), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +1 (1), Survival +2 (2), Leaping Climber
Ranger 1: Track, 3rd Level: Improved Grapple
Favored Enemy (Arcanists), Wild Empathy, Skilled City-Dweller (Ride for Tumble)


4th
Fangshields Ranger 2
+3
+6
+6
+3
Knowledge (Religion) +1cc (7), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +1 (2), Survival +3 (5), Speedy Ascent
Fangshields Ranger 2: Improved Natural Attack (Unarmed Strike)
-


5th
Ranger 3
+4
+6
+6
+4
Knowledge (Religion) +1cc (8), Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +2 (4), Survival +3 (8)
Ranger 3: Endurance
-


6th
Tattooed Monk 1
+4
+8
+8
+6
Knowledge (Dungeoneering) +2 (6), Jump +1 (6), Collector of Stories
6th Level: Ascetic Hunter
Monk Abilities, Chameleon Tattoo


7th
Tattooed Monk 2
+5
+9
+9
+7
Swim +1 (5), Jump +2 (8), Quick Swimmer
-
-


8th
Tattooed Monk 3
+6
+9
+9
+7
Balance +5 (5)
Harpoon Spider Form: Improved Trip
Spider Tattoo


9th
Tattooed Monk 4
+7
+10
+10
+8
Jump +4 (12), Tumble +1 (6)
9th Level: Knock-Down
-


10th
Tattooed Monk 5
+7
+10
+10
+8
Jump +1 (13), Tumble +4 (10)
-
Scorpion Tattoo


11th
Tattooed Monk 6
+8
+11
+11
+9
Jump +1 (14), Tumble +4 (14)
-
-


12th
Tattooed Monk 7
+9
+11
+11
+9
Jump +1 (15), Tumble +1 (15), Knowledge (Nature) +3 (3)
Sapphire Smite
Lion Tattoo


13th
Tattooed Monk 8
+10
+12
+12
+10
Jump +1 (16), Tumble +1 (16), Knowledge (Nature) +2 (5), Concentration +1 (1)
-
-


14th
Tattooed Monk 9
+10
+12
+12
+10
Jump +1 (17), Tumble +1 (17), Concentration +3 (4)
-
Crescent Moon Tattoo


15th
Tattooed Monk 10
+11
+13
+13
+11
Jump +1 (18), Tumble +1 (18), Concentration +3 (7)
Assume Supernatural Ability (Runehound’s Uncanny Blindsight)
-


16th
Ranger 4
+12
+14
+14
+11
Jump +1 (19), Tumble +1 (19), Survival +5 (13)
-
Urban Companion


17th
Ranger 5
+13
+14
+14
+11
Jump +1 (20), Tumble +1 (20), Survival +5 (17)
-
Favored Enemy (Humanoid (Human))


18th
Fangshields Ranger 6
+14
+15
+15
+12
Jump +1 (21), Tumble +1 (21), Survival +4 (21), Concentration +1 (8)
Fangshields Ranger 6: Weapon Focus (Unarmed Strike), 18th Level: Psycarnum Infusion
-


19th
Ranger 7
+15
+15
+15
+12
Jump +1 (22), Tumble +1 (22), Survival +1 (22), Concentration +4 (12)
-
Woodland Stride


20th
Ranger 8
+16
+16
+16
+12
Jump +1 (23), Tumble +1 (23), Survival +1 (23), Concentration +4 (16)
-
Swift Tracker



Ranger Casting


Level
1st
2nd


16th
0
-


17th
0
-


18th
1
-


19th
1
-


20th
1
0

*Not including bonus spells.

Level 5Monk and Ranger bonus feats offer a nice easy path to on-time entry into the SI, though Kumo does take Improved Grapple with a regular feat to free up a Monk bonus feat for the harder to qualify for Stunning Fist, the save DC for which is bolstered by Decisive Strike and Sapphire Fist. As aberrations, Synads qualify for the Fangshields Ranger substitution levels. The only natural weapon that Kumo has at this point is his Monk’s Unarmed Strike, so he gets Improved Natural Attack from the Fangshields Combat Style.

Level 10We’re into the SI. The Chameleon Tattoo is far and away the best that Tattooed Monk has to offer, and as an aberration, Kumo has access to forms of that type when using its Alter Self ability. This includes the Grell for its impressive attack routine, reach, and perfect flight, Snowcloak for large size and faster flight, Gibbering Mouther or Skum for a swim speed, and Harpoon Spider for large size and climb speed. The Harpoon Spider will become the go-to form for Kumo, as Alter Self grants racial feats, so it provides Improved Trip to qualify for Knock-Down while in that form, granting a debuff and likely an extra double-damage attack on a Decisive Strike, and the Climb speed allows for 5-ft steps while climbing, which in conjunction with the Leaping Climber and Speedy Ascent skill tricks allows for significantly expanded swift action movement (if you can get your hands on a Sparring Dummy of the Master, you can even do 20 ft free action movement with Speedy Ascent – or Quick Swimmer in the appropriate form – on a 10-ft step) allowing him to make such attacks more reliably.

The Spider Tattoo comes next. As the Con damage is a flat 2 instead of a die roll, it’s multiplied by Decisive Strike, and as it comes in place of a Stunning Fist attempt, it benefits from things that boost that save DC. Those now also include his Favored Enemy bonus, thanks to Ascetic Hunter.

Ascetic Hunter also stacks Ranger levels on unarmed damage progression, which brings it up to full. Due to the way that damage dice work, having the bigger base means more value from the artificial size increase from Improved Natural Attack and the real one from assuming a large form.

Keeping up the arachnid theme, the third tattoo is the Scorpion. As it’s (Su) it requires no verbal or somatic components, so it, as well as Invisible Fist, should constitute purely mental actions, and with immediate action activation, should work with the Synad’s Multitask ability if you need to keep a swift freed up for the other one, or for Leaping Climber.
Level 15Finishing out the SI gives a few more tattoos. The Lion Tattoo’s smite is another flat damage boost that gets multiplied by Decisive Strike. Sapphire Smite can increase that damage and uses per day, though essentia are tight at this point between it and Sapphire Fist. Crescent Moon gives a helpful emergency button or utility ability once per day. Being (Sp), it requires a Concentration check to use defensively, but even with relatively few ranks, the ability to take 15 by expending psionic focus can trivialize it for Kumo. He also has more uses and longer duration for the Chameleon Tattoo, meaning there are uses free to throw around on utility forms, specifically the Runehound, whose excellent Uncanny Blindsight he gains access to with Assume Supernatural Ability.

Level 20Ranger keeps up unarmed damage thanks to Ascetic Hunter, grants another Favored Enemy against which the Spider Tattoo’s save DC is boosted, and keeps BAB up. Kumo is still likely to prefer Decisive Striking over full attacking, but hitting the 16 BAB benchmark is still nice, especially with the potential to further expand the routine with natural attacks. Psycarnum Infusion allows him to put his real essentia into Sapphire Smite freely, expending psionic focus to treat Sapphire Fist as fully invested at the appropriate moment.

Arms and Equipment Guide: Sparring Dummy of the Master
Champions of Valor: Fangshields Ranger
Cityscape Web Enhancement (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/we/20070228a): Skilled City-Dweller
Complete Adventurer: Ascetic Hunter
Complete Psionic: Synad
Complete Scoundrel: Skill Tricks
Complete Warrior: Tattooed Monk
Exemplars of Evil: Invisible Fist
Frostburn: Snowcloak
Magic of Incarnum: Sapphire Fist, Sapphire Smite, Psycarnum Infusion
Monster Manual II: Grell
Monster Manual III: Harpoon Spider, Runehound
Player’s Handbook II: Decisive Strike
Savage Species: Assume Supernatural Ability
Everything else is SRD.
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:47 PM
Appropriately, that tattoo is totally sick.



Juan T.


https://best-tattoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/snakes1.jpg



“Look, undead is your job. Knowing everything is their job. Stealing stuff is their job. I do one thing on this team, and that’s spray oodles and oodles of poison on the bad guys. Actually, i can also spray fire, so actually,...I do two things on this team”

LG human
monk 1/psychic warrior 5/tattooed monk 9/Legacy Champion 5

ABILITIES
STR 8
DEX 15
CON 15
INT 11
WIS 17
CHA 8

4th: +1 WIS
8th: +1 CON
12th: +1 DEX
16th: +1 WIS
20th: +1 WIS




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


1
monk
0
2
2
2
balance 3, concentration 4, craft (tattoos) 1, K. Religion. 4, K. History 2 cc, psicraft 2cc,
IUS, improved grapple, Stunning fist, endurance
Bonus feat, Flurry, AC bonus, Unarmed Strike
0


2
psychic warrior 1

0
4
2
2
k. Religion 5, concentration 5
versatile unarmed strike
Prevenom Weapon
0


3
psychic warrior 2

1
5
2
2
k. Religion 6, concentration 6
Ancestral relic (necklace of natural attacks), linked power
Bonus Feat, Grip of Iron
1


4
psychic warrior 3

2
5
3
3
k.Religion 7, concentration 7

Burst
3


5
psychic warrior 4

3
6
3
3
k. religion 8, concentration 8
Ancestral relic (viper enchantment) Least Legacy
Hustle
5


6
tattooed monk 1

3
8
5
5
k. History 5, balance 5
Deadly Spittle
Dragon Tattoo
5


7
psychic warrior 5

3
8
5
5
psicraft 4, concentration 9
Scribe tattoo
Bonus Feat, Power Claws

7


8
tattooed monk 2
4
9
6
6
k. History 8 , concentration 11


7


9
tattooed monk 3
5
9
6
6
k.History 12, concentration 12
spit venom
Spider Tattoo
7


10
tattooed monk 4
6
10
7
7
k. History 13, concentration 13, balance 8


7


11
tattooed monk 5
6
10
7
7
k history14, concentration 14, balance 11
Lesser Legacy
Wasp Tattoo
7


12
tattooed monk 6
7
11
8
8
concentration 15, k. history 15, balance 14
practiced manifester,

7


13
Legacy champion 1
7
11
8
10
concentration 16, k history 15, craft (tattoo) 2.5cc
marrowcrushing (ancestral relic)
Reduced ritual cost (lesser), bond of lore
7


14
Legacy champion 2 (tattooed monk 7)
8
11
8
11
concentration 17, k. History 17, swift concentration skill trick, craft (tattoo) 3
manifester (ancestral relic)
Replace legacy ability (least), bamboo Tattoo
7


15
tattooed monk 7 (effective 8)
9
11
8
11
concentration 18, k history 18, balance 17
psionic tattoo mastery
Butterfly Tattoo
7


16
Legacy champion 3 (tattooed monk 9)
10
12
9
11
concentration 19, k. History 19, craft(tattoo) 4.5

Extra legacy ability use (least), Tortoise Tatoo
7


17
tattooed monk 8 (effective 10)
11
13
10
12
concentration 20, k. History 20, balance 20


7


18
Legacy champion 4 (tattooed monk 11)
12
13
10
13
concentration 21, k. History 21, craft (tattoo)6
Paralyzing fists, Quicken Legacy

Bonus legacy feat, Mountain Tattoo
7


19
tattooed monk 9 (effective 12)
12
13
10
13
concentration 22, k. History 22, balance 22, k. Religion 9

Scorpion Tattoo
7


20
Legacy champion 5 (tattooed monk 13)
12
13
10
13
concentration 23, k. History 23, craft tattoo 7.5,

Replace legacy ability (lesser), bat tattoo
7




Obviously, this is all self explanatory. ;)

Background:
Once upon there was a guy named Mr. T. They had a big necklace and a fear of flying. So they joined a monastery and got some sweet tats and that became their personality instead of the big necklace. Then the necklace got jealous...and Mr. T. had to learn how to integrate their love of sweet tats with wearing bling.

:
Monk 1 + human grants Juan T. a few things that set the build up for later. +1 skill point and a bonus feat nabs Juan the ranks he needs as he cross class knowledge religion as a psychic warrior, and the bonus feat works in concert with monk to get all of the tattooed monk feat pre- requisites taken care of. Monk also nabs wis to AC, free stunning fist, and the ability to treat unarmed strikes as natural and manufactured weapons, and your whole body is able to make unarmed strikes.

Juan wants you to remember that this build was set up around 2 monk tattoos in particular (dragon and spider), but synergies kept popping up.

Psychic warrior offers some neat stuff to a tattooed monk build:
1: hustle: more move actions mean more uses of tattoos per round.
2: linked power: more hustles is better than fewer hustles
3: bonus psionic or fighter feats, get versatile unarmed strike to make your unarmed strikes slashing damage typed.
4: scribe tattoo: many tattoos key off of the total number of tattoos you have, so start inking Juan’sself with more hustles, better yet… linked hustles, and this increases Juan’s number of tattoos for T. Monk.
5: prevenom weaponand eventually power weapon will synergize with your later feats and the spider tattoo.

Ancestral relic: this feat allows Juan to get what he needs to be the best T. Monk. Juan’s ancestral relic is a necklace of natural attacks. Somewhere between 5th and 6th level Juan can afford to put the viper enchantment on it. This turns Juan’s unarmed strike (which is slashing damage type thanks to versatile unarmed strike) into a viper. Unless a huge creature is wielding Juan as a weapon, his unarmed strikes then become a small viper. This means that Juan has a poison bite attack that counts as an unarmed strike, so the spider tattoo and the prevenom weapon power can both apply. One hit from that and you’ll be making three fort saves against 1d6+4 con damage. And then you’ll do it again in 10 rounds.

Burst and grip of iron are swift or immediate action powers meaning that when Juan linked power manifests them, he can add rider power to manifest next round automatically.


Four tattooed monk levels and Juan’s final level of psywarrior. Level six sees Juan earn his first tattoo. Of a dragon. That Juan activates as a move action. I looked up this ability first, hoping that metabreath feats were an option... But they aren’t despite being able to breath fire, there is no indication that they are classified as a breath weapon. Then I saw this language in the elixir of firebreath: “This strange elixir bestows upon the drinker the ability to spit gouts of flame.” That’s a spit attack. Thus, it qualifies for the deadly spittle feat from serpent kingdoms, turning if from one target in 25 feet to a 15 foot cone.

An extra level of psychic warrior opens up a feat, filled by scribe psionic tattoo, and grants another 2nd level power, for which power weapon is selected. This power allows Juan’s weapon to deal force damage. A number ofthe tattooed monk’s tattoos scale with the number of tattoos possessed by the tattooed monk, but there is no indicator that these explicitly have to be tattooed monk tattoos. Scribe psionic tattoo then allows you to temporarily boost your tattoo quantity for more uses of your dragon tattoo, as well as other monk tattoos down the line.

Juan picks up the spider tattoo at character level 9 along with another fantastic feat from serpent kingdoms, spit venom: it turns a poison bite attack into a ranged touch attack of spat out contact poison. This then synergizes with deadly spittle to become a 15 cone of constitution damage. And because Juan’s poison bite attack is also his unarmed strike as well as a melee weapon, prevenom weapon and the spider tattoo all get spat in that standard action, prompting 3 fort saves against constitution damage.

The spider tattoo eats stunning fist uses, which means that at level 9, Juan has 3 uses of the spider tattoo per day, if you read the monk abilities section of tattooed monk to the exhaustive list of what stacks. It can be argued that tattooed monks are monks, (it’s in their name) and thus qualify metatextually for the special section of the stunning fist feat, i which case, Juan has 6 stunning fist uses. Lastly, there is the issue with the action type: is this use of stunning fist a part of an attack action or is it a poison attack that Juan makes as a move action? If it’s the latter, it qualifies for deadly spittle, which if my logic prevails means that the spit venom feats’ standard action requirement is for the ranged touch attack contact poison and not the 15’ cone. Seeing as how it works with the move action firebreath spit attack. This means that when Juan flurries or has iteratives, all attacks are candidates for a 15 ft cone of constitution damage. Which means that with the wasp tattoo and a flurry, Juan can get 3 extra cones of double poison sprayed (move action, flurry bonus attack, wasp bonus attack) or more if they manifest a hustle.

At any of these levels, Juan can begin the founding ritual for his ancestral relic to make it into an item of legacy. This will have bearing when he takes legacy champion levels. Legacy champion has a knowledge history prerequisite and the feat least legacy as a prerequisite. You can receive the least legacy feat for free by performing the ritual to unlock its legacy abilities.

Least legacy abilities worthy of this character are weapon enhancements, deflection bonuses to AC up to +2, and extend & delay power metapsionics.



Juan wants you to fortify yourself, our patient and gracious judge(s), as you make your secondary saves against his poison.

Juan takes 2 more levels of tattooed monk, picking up the wasp tattoo and its handy haste, stopping at tattooed monk level 6. Then Juan beseeches the power of his ancestral necklace of natural viper attacks by delving into legacy champion for two levels.

Make a fort save.

Legacy champion 2 advances the class features of another class, in this case, tattooed monk. This brings Juan’s effective tattooed monk level to seven.

“A 1st level tattooed monk has one tattoo and gains another tattoo at every odd-numbered level.”

So, at legacy champion 2, Juan has an effective tattooed monk level of 7, which is odd, and thus deserving of a tattoo. I like to think of it as a virtual tattoo monk level.

Bamboo tattoo adds Juan’s number of tattoos (4+psionic tattoos) to their constitution score, thus upping the save DC on the viper poison as well as adding to HP.

Then, Juan takes tattooed monk 7, which is an odd level of tattooed monk, and despite being effective level 8, but the directions say Juan gets a new tattoo at every odd level, this should count then.

The Butterfly tattoo adds the number of tattoos (now 5+psionic tattoos) to Juan’s wisdom score, thus upping their AC, bonus power points, the save DC of prevenom weapon, the save DC of the spider tattoo, and to the save DC of stunning fist attacks (of which you have 4-10 depending on how you read tattooed monk advancing monk abilities)

Over the course of these levels, Juan picks up 2 feats from class levels. Practiced manifester gets Juan up to 9 pp to spend at a time and increases the save DC on prevenom weapon by 2. Psionic tattoo mastery opens up a whole world of wierd tattoos. Of note are the capacitor and relay. The capacitor builds pp over time, supplementing the low pp of a 5th level psywarrior. The relay allows you to stack linked hustles together, for ungodly amounts of move actions.

The lesser legacy powers worth noting are weapon enhancements and protection from arrows. These will reduce the cost of using the ancestral relic to add the manifesting property to your unarmed strike as well as the marrowcrushing property from BOVD to deal 1 con damage when you damage a person with your unarmed strike.


Make another fort save for poison, judge.

Juan takes 2 tattooed monk levels and three more legacy champion levels, using the slingshot technique of using both odd effective levels of tattooed monk and actual odd levels of tattooed monk to receive a total of 9 non-psionic tattoos over 14 levels.

At Character level 16, Juan reaches legacy champion 3, which is effective tattoo monk level 9, which is definitely an odd number, so he’ll get a tortoise tattoo added to his roster. This is nice because now Juan is a skill monkey.

At character level 17, the jig is up for a level, as Juan takes tattooed monk level 8 (effective level 10).

At Character level 18, the legacy champ slingshot continues, adding virtual tattooed champ level 9 (effective level 11) and the Mountain tattoo to the body art. The mountain adds a typeless +4 to constitution and wisdom, thus upping all of poison save DCs, granting extra HP and PP, and stacking with other constitution and wisdom upping tattoos.

Make another save against poison judge.

Seemingly plucked from 3.0's ghostwalk unedited and dropped into Drow of the underdark is the feat paralyzing fists, a feat that seems to forget that one can only use a stunning fist attack once per round. But, within the feat description, but before the listed benefit is this: "You can make multiple unarmed attacks to paralyze an opponent in a single round" which looks to Juan T. like it is permission to make unlimited stunning fist attacks in a round. This feat doesn't even have complete warrior's rapid stunning as a pre-req, so what gives? Did the designers just forget how the game worked? Often derided as flavor text, the area between the feat description and the benefit section of a build does have a record in iron chef entries as making a concrete mechanical difference, like using willing deformity (Obese) to increase the weight of a character. With that as precedent, I humbly submit that the text here is mechanical text, therefore, paralyzing fists allows multiple stun attempts per round.

At character level 19, Juan is a 9th level tattooed monk (effective tattooed monk level 12), gaining another tattoo due to it being an odd level, which is filled in with the scorpion tattoo. This tattoo is defensive as after Juan T. has drained massive amounts of Constitution from enemies and used their bevy of move actions to increase their AC and HP from the other tattoos, they are unlikely to get hit if they don’t want to be.

At character level 20, Juan takes the fifth level of Legacy Champion, becoming Tattooed monk effective level of 13, which is odd, so they add the bat Tattoo, gaining even further AC bonuses from the increased dexterity score.



Race: Human (SRD)
Class: Monk (SRD), Psychic Warrior (XPH 24), Tattooed Monk (Complete Warrior 82), Legacy Champion (Weapons of Legacy 19)
Feats: Improved Unarmed strike, endurance, stunning fist, improved grapple (SRD), Ancestral Relic (BOED 39), Versatile unarmed strike (PHB2 85), Linked Power & Practiced Manifester (Complete Psionic 62 & 57), Scribe Tattoo (XPH 51), Deadly Spittle & Spit Venom (Serpent Kingdoms 145 & 147), Least Legacy, Lesser Legacy, & Quicken Legacy (Weapons of Legacy 14, 14, & 15), Paralyzing Fists (Drow of the Underdark 57), Psionic Tattoo Mastery (Web (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/psm/20031225a))
Powers: Prevenom Weapon (XPH 145), Burst (XPH 81), Grip of Iron (XPH 111), Hustle (XPH 111), Power Claws (Complete Psionic 94)
Equipment: Necklace of Natural Weapons (Savage Species 58), Viper (serpent Kingdoms 152), Manifester (SRD), Marrowcrushing (BOVD 112)
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:49 PM
Tattooed Monk... for her!


Guildmeister Grey ran his fingers slowly through the hair of his new love, reflecting on how incredibly lucky he felt. Love at first sight was something he'd never expected to experience, and yet suddenly, here it was. He'd been travelling through the carnival on his way home from meeting the House Cannith representative, and a woman had simply stepped out of the crowd, opened the door of his coach and hopped in, pushing the latch closed behind her. He'd been on the verge of calling his footman to stop the carriage and haul her out, perhaps beat her for the impudence, but then he'd looked at her, really looked at her, and seen how amazing she was. Her skin was a canvas of animated figures, each one moving on its own, and her eyes, her voice, everything was perfect.
Now this astonishing beautiful woman, a living work of art, was in his coach, pressed up against him, her voice washing over him as she showed him yet another of her tattoos and told him a story. A story which he was unfortunately struggling to focus on. He tugged slightly at the silken scarf she'd taken off and used to tie his hands behind his back, and opened his mouth to ask if they weren't moving slightly too fast and perhaps he could buy her dinner first, but instead she gently placed another piece of soft, warm silk into his mouth, and with a coy smile and a gentle touch of his chin she pushed his mouth closed again. The guildmeister's gaze ran over her neck and shoulders again, taking in the riot of colours and the images that danced and cavorted before his eyes. Some little voice at the back of his head was tugging at him, suggesting that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite seem to place what it was. Then his eyes followed the curve of her arm and her hand as it moved to the next tattoo she wanted to draw his attention to, and Guildmeister Grey twitched in shock as he saw the two familiar faces on the men it depicted.
"This next one has a most interesting moral," she said, leaning over him to whisper into his ear. "It shows two merchants, one wise in the ways of coin but most foolish in the ways of trust, and one with great skill in dishonesty and treachery yet most foolish in the ways of coin. No, shhh, shhh. Don't struggle so. The first merchant had a thriving business, yet he yearned to undertake a pilgrimage. He left the business in the care of his close and trusted friend, and set out on the road, travelling with only a small group so as not to appear too rich and tempting a target for bandits. Yet nonetheless, bandits somehow found out about his route and set upon him, and his whole caravan was wiped out, leaving his business and all its accounts in the hands of his friend, who was of course devastated that such a tragic accident had occurred." Her hand slid slowly up Grey's neck, her fingers stroking his skin, seeking out precise veins and nerves. "But that merchant was so enamoured of his new wealth, of his new status, of all the things he could buy, that he made a very foolish mistake. He thought his wealth and status would protect him, so in his greed, he thought he could get away without paying the assassins the rest of what he owed them."
She breathed in carefully, and as the carriage passed over a small bump in the road, her hand shot out. With a quiet crack muffled by the sound of the carriage settling down again on its wheels, Guildmeister Grey slumped down in his seat. By the time the coach reached his home, there was no sign of the woman who the footman briefly remembered seeing enter the vehicle - surely she couldn't have simply opened the door and jumped out without the driver or the footman seeing. All that remained for the increasingly frustrated House Tharashk investigator was the body of the guild master, without a single visible wound or any magical auras, in a coach still locked from the inside.


Ry, The Illustrated Woman
LE Changeling Rogue 3 / Monk 2 / Tattooed Monk 10 / Chameleon 3 / Marshal 1 / Warlock 1
Str 8 (-1)
Dex 14 (+2)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 16 (+3)
Wis 8 (-1)
Cha 16 +5ASI = 21 (+5)

Multiclass Penalties: No
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Elven, Halfling

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/l5r/images/6/68/Togashi_Korimi_3.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130114212717




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


1st
Changeling Rogue 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
K/(religion) 4, Tumble 4, Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Disguise 4, Hide 4, Move Silent 4, Open Lock 4, UMD 4, Escape Artist 4, Use Rope 4, Sense Motive 4, Gather Information 4
Able Learner, Silver Tongue, Flaw: Shaky
Sneak attack +1d6, social intuition


2nd
Rogue 2
+1
+0
+3
+0
K/(religion) 4, Tumble 5, Bluff 5, Diplomacy 5, Disguise 5, Hide 5, Move Silent 5, Open Lock 4, UMD 5, Spellcraft (cc) 1, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 4
-
Evasion


3rd
Changeling Rogue 3
+3
+1
+4
+1

K/(religion) 5, Tumble 6, Bluff 6, Diplomacy 6, Disguise 6, Hide 6, Move Silent 6, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 3, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 5

Endurance
Minor Lore, sneak attack +2d6


4th
Decisive Strike Monk 1
+3
+3
+6
+3
K/(religion) 6, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 7, Hide 7, Move Silent 7, Bluff 7, Disguise 7, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 3, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 5
Improved Unarmed Strike (B), Improved Grapple (B)
Unarmed damage 1d6, AC bonus (+0), unarmoured speed +0ft, decisive strike


5th
Invisible Fist Monk 2
+4
+4
+7
+4
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 8, Hide 8, Move Silent 8, Bluff 8, Disguise 8, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 3, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 5
Combat Reflexes (B)
Invisible fist


6th
Tattooed Monk 1
+4
+6
+9
+6
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 9, Hide 9, Move Silent 9, Bluff 9, Disguise 9, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6
Wanderer's Diplomacy
Monk abilities, Tattoo (White Mask)


7th
Tattooed Monk 2
+5
+7
+10
+7
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 10, Hide 10, Move Silent 10, Bluff 10, Disguise 10, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 2
-
-


8th
Tattooed Monk 3
+6
+7
+10
+7
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 11, Hide 11, Move Silent 11, Bluff 11, Disguise 11, Open Lock 6, UMD 6, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 4
-
Tattoo (Monkey)


9th
Tattooed Monk 4
+7
+8
+11
+8
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 12, Hide 12, Move Silent 12, Bluff 12, Disguise 12, Open Lock 6, UMD 7, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5
Weapon Finesse
-


10th
Tattooed Monk 5
+7
+8
+11
+8
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 13, Hide 13, Move Silent 13, Bluff 13, Disguise 13, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5
-
Tattoo (Bellflower)


11th
Tattooed Monk 6
+8
+9
+12
+9
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 14, Hide 14, Move Silent 14, Bluff 14, Disguise 14, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, skill trick (assume quirk)
-
-


12th
Tattooed Monk 7
+9
+9
+12
+9
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 15, Hide 15, Move Silent 15, Bluff 15, Disguise 15, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 2
Carmendine Monk
Tattoo (Tortoise)


13th
Tattooed Monk 8
+10
+10
+13
+10
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 16, Hide 16, Move Silent 16, Bluff 16, Disguise 16, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 4
-
-


14th
Tattooed Monk 9
+10
+10
+13
+10
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 17, Hide 17, Move Silent 17, Bluff 17, Disguise 17, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 6
-
Tattoo (Crescent Moon)


15th
Tattooed Monk 10
+11
+11
+14
+11
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 18, Hide 18, Move Silent 18, Bluff 18, Disguise 18, Open Lock 6, UMD 9, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 8
Planar Touchstone (Catalogues of Enlightenment: Charm Domain)
-


16th
Chameleon 1
+11
+11
+14
+11
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 19, Hide 19, Move Silent 19, Bluff 19, Disguise 19, Open Lock 6, UMD 11, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 5, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 8
-
Aptitude Focus 1/day (+2)


17th
Chameleon 2
+12
+11
+14
+11
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 20, Hide 20, Move Silent 20, Bluff 20, Disguise 20, Open Lock 6, UMD 11, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 7, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 8
(Bonus Essentia)(B)
Bonus Feat


18th
Chameleon 3
+13
+12
+15
+12
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 21, Hide 21, Move Silent 21, Bluff 21, Disguise 21, Open Lock 6, UMD 11, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 9, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty)(cc) 5, K/(planes)(cc) 8
Shape Soulmeld: Silvertongue Mask
Mimic Class Feature 1/day


19th
Marshal 1
+13
+14
+15
+14
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 22, Hide 22, Move Silent 22, Bluff 22, Disguise 22, Open Lock 6, UMD 11, Spellcraft (cc) 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 11, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty) 5, K/(planes) 8
Skill Focus (Diplomacy) (B)
Minor aura (motivate Charisma)


20th
Warlock 1
+13
+14
+15
+16
K/(religion) 8, Tumble 7, Diplomacy 23, Hide 23, Move Silent 23, Bluff 23, Disguise 23, Open Lock 6, UMD 11, Spellcraft 4, Escape Artist 5, Use Rope 5, Sense Motive 11, Gather Information 6, K/(nobility & royalty) 5, K/(planes) 8
-
Eldritch blast 1d6, least invocation (beguiling influence)




Spells per Day


Level
0lvl
1st
2nd
3rd


16th
4
3
1
-


17th
4
4
2
-


18th
4
4
3
1


19th
4
4
3
1


20th
4
4
3
1


Usual spells prepared:
0: Prestidigitation, Read Magic, Detect Magic, Silent Portal
1: Serene Visage, Distract Assailant, Silent Image, Shock and Awe
2: Knock, Detect Thoughts, Delusions of Grandeur
3: Glibness



Play tips:
Tip #1, applicable at all levels: Never engage in a fair fight.

Levels 1-5
Ry begins as primarily a social-focused rogue, with Changeling Rogue substitution levels providing some extra Knowledge ranks, the vital ability to take 10 on Bluff and Diplomacy in all situations, and the 3rd level substitution providing an extra point of BAB to help soak up the BAB loss from Monk and Tattooed Monk. (Normally a rogue would want Penetrating Strike, but I don't think you can sub in Penetrating Strike for Minor Lore while still getting the bonus BAB, skills and saves from Changeling Rogue 3, and besides, you should only be sneak attacking defenseless humanoids anyway, not mixing it up in combat flanking oozes.) 4th level is possibly the weakest level of the entire build; sneak attack damage doubled up by decisive strike can potentially buff your otherwise fairly poor combat potential, if you end up in a position where you can sneak attack someone without moving, but primarily you are not a combat character, and if you are attacking someone it should be a coup-de-grâce. (If your DM is feeling lenient towards monks and permits Decisive Strike to be combined with a coup-de-grâce, it becomes much better. Take advantage of this leniency while you can; it will not last once the Diplomancy begins). You do get a nice benefit from being a monk, though: you no longer need to carry a weapon, which is very helpful for a changeling, and for an assassin generally. Endurance and Improved Grapple unlock the SI, and while they don't do much mechanically, will also have certain fluff advantages given our specific style of assassination. At level 5, where you would otherwise gain the entirely redundant evasion, Invisible Fist instead gives you the ability to turn invisible for an entire round as an immediate action, every 3 rounds. It just says 'for 1 round', not 'for 1 round or until you attack', so presumably it's like Greater Invisibility. This is a phenomenal buff for a rogue, allowing mid-combat sneak attacks without needing to manuever into flanking positions, letting you slowly hop from hiding place to hiding place while sneaking, and providing some temporary safety if you get in over your head and need to escape. Combat Reflexes hooks into Decisive Strike: if you can provoke some AoOs (perhaps because you're invisible, or between them and the only door, or both), they get the double damage bonus too.
Levels 6-10
Level 6 is where the build really kicks into gear, with Wanderer's Diplomacy allowing you to apply the +10 untyped Bluff bonus from White Mask to manipulating NPC attitudes. And since you're applying Bluff 'in the same way you use Diplomacy', that should open up the Silver Tongue list of additional Diplomacy options too. Your Bluff is +24 at level 6 before any bonuses from items or wands/potions of Glibness, and by level 10 it's +31 if you have a move action to activate the Bellflower tattoo, enough that anyone who's not actively Hostile is falling in love with you. For one minute, anyway. But a minute is more than long enough to get someone into a vulnerable, isolated and unarmed situation where you can decisive-strike sneak-attack assassinate them. Depending on exactly when your GM decides the 1 minute timer starts, you may also be able to spend that 1 minute using Use Rope to bind the target up, after which it doesn't matter if they're Hostile because no-one takes Escape Artist and you can repeatedly coup-de-grâce them to death while they spend a minute trying to escape. (Use Gather Information before-hand to double-check they're not a specialist Conjurer with Abrupt Jaunt. Pretty much anyone else is screwed. Even Freedom of Movement doesn't help - escaping bonds is a different Escape Artist usage than escaping a grapple or pin.) For slightly more long-lasting manipulation, your +25 Diplomacy suffices to turn Hostile foes Indifferent in a single round. (Weapon Finesse is just a +3 to your attack, for those rare situations where you have to land a hit on someone who's wearing a ton of armour and can't be coup-de-grâced). I'm taking a little bit of liberty with the tattoos btw, in terms of the whole 'animated' thing. Basically, Minor Change Shape can reshape your entire body in a full round, so it seems like a reasonable bit of fluff that a changeling could easily and casually just reshape a little tiny bit of their body with no mechanical result without needing to spend the full round action.
Levels 11-15
Finishing off the SI, Tortoise makes for an excellent extra boost for skill monkeys, and Crescent Moon gives you a powerful escape option. (If you already have some sort of escape route, or if you already know someone you can use Minor Change Shape and your immense Disguise skill to impersonate, who'll provide an opportunity to escape the scene, Ethereal Jaunt is also an excellent way to get yourself into someone's sanctum or bedchamber in the first place to provide a private opportunity for seduction and assassination). Carmendine Monk is effectively +3AC as a feat; there's nothing in the description of the Zealots of the Written Word that explicitly prohibits you from being a LE assassin, apart from their general presence in the Champions of Valour book, and as a changeling you're extremely well-placed to just disguise yourself and infiltrate them, but if your GM disapproves of meeting the prerequisite through lies and disguise, or just says the Zealots don't exist in his world so he's banning the feat, just go with Kung Fu Genius from Dragon Compendium instead. (The +2 monk level gives you no bonus for going from 12th to 14th equivalent monk level, so losing the other part of Carmendine Monk is only relevant for levels 12-14). Catalogues of Enlightenment gives another +4 Charisma when necessary; Tortoise and Minor Lore gives you a baseline Knowledge bonus of +14 in any Knowledge area before items and other bonuses, but you're unlikely to ever have the Wisdom to make use of the Higher-order ability anyway.
Levels 16-20
We jump straight into Chameleon, which finally unlocks the ability to use wands and eternal wands of Glibness without needing to UMD, and after 3 levels gives you the ability to cast Glibness 1/day all on your own. It also gives an extra 1d6 sneak attack damage 1/day, which helps supplement your terrible damage, and a floating bonus feat, which can be used for all sorts of things depending on what Gather Information and scouting tells you about the current assassination target. (I've provided a 'default' of Bonus Essentia, to bump Silvertongue Mask up from +2 to +6). Marshal doubles your Charisma bonus on Bluff, Diplomacy, Disguise and UMD, and hence increases the bonus you get from Bellflower. Warlock rounds things out with a repeatable ranged attack that you can use while unarmed, in case you do run into an Abrupt Jaunt Conjurer, and an extra +6 untyped to Bluff and Diplomacy. Your final Bluff and Diplomacy totals, with Charm domain and Bellflower boosting Cha 25 -> 32, are 23+11+11+6+10+2+6 =+69 and 23+11+11+6+2+2+2+3+6=+66. You cannot fail to turn a Hostile target Helpful in one round, and you can toss around Epic Bluff suggestion effects on gullible targets even without Glibness. With Glibness, you can turn an Indifferent target who's never met you before into a Fanatic ready to fight to the death for you in a handful of seconds ("You love me, darling, don't you? Go assassinate the king for me. Yes, now, in the middle of court."). The 1 minute duration on Wanderer's Diplomacy probably overrides the multi-day duration of the Fanatic attitude, but a minute is plenty of time to get someone killed by a group of royal guards.


Obviously, if you can get a custom item that gives a massive competence bonus to Bluff and/or Diplomacy, sink every gp you can into it. Barring that, potions and wands of Glibness, or an eternal wand of Glibness (get a Beguiler to make it to avoid arguments about eternal wands having a max CL of 6 and Bards having a minimum CL of 7 for 3rd level spells), are your best friends. If you can't get a custom item, a Circlet of Persuasion or Admiral's Bicorne, Greater Choker of Eloquence and a Cloak of Charisma will help at least a bit. The Bicorne (which gives an untyped bonus), Greater Choker and +6 Cloak together will add +18 up to level 18 or +21 thereafter, enough to start making Fanatics with pure Diplomacy. Even once you get Chameleon casting, resist the urge to get a Headband of Intelligence unless you can also get an inherent Int bonus of at least +2, because the key feature is how many bonus 3rd level spell slots you get. If you feel like your damage output is lacking, a Mantle of the Predator, Rogue's Vest, Bracers of Murder and Necklace of Natural Weapons with the Deadly Precision enhancement will provide a substantial increase in your sneak attack dice, and a Fanged Ring will give you an extra d6 on every unarmed strike. A wand of Find The Gap may also help, if you find yourself dealing with heavily armoured targets whose flat-footed AC is much like their usual AC. (Or just convince your helpful friend who loves you deeply to take their armour off). A wand of gravestrike may seem like the obvious investment if you need to assassinate a lich or vampire, but bear in mind that undead don't need to make the Fortitude save to avoid death from coup-de-grâce, so consider instead a wand of spark of life and persuading your new friend to voluntarily fail their Will save so they can enjoy the pleasures of life. Finally, glamerweave clothing provides a +1 circumstance bonus to Diplomacy; a small bonus, but a cheap nonmagical one that can be accessed from very early in your career and doesn't use up any item slots. (Technically, the 'Tool, Masterwork' entry in the PHB allows for Bluff and Diplomacy masterwork tools; I would be surprised to find any DM actually allowing that, but RAW you can get them, for an extra +2 circumstance bonus).


Tattooed Monk: CW
Changeling: ECS
Changeling Rogue substitution levels: RoE p122
Able Learner, Chameleon: RoDe
Chameleon & Able Learner, for changelings: RoDe p116
Silver Tongue: Dragon 318 OA update p38
Decisive Strike monk ACF: PHB2 p51
Invisible Fist monk ACF: EoE p21
Marshal: MH
Warlock: CA
Wanderer's Diplomacy: PHB2 p85
Carmendine Monk: CoV p28
Kung Fu Genius: DC p101
Planar Touchstone, Catalogues of Enlightenment: PlH p41, p166
Charm Domain: SC p271
Shape Soulmeld, Bonus Essentia, Silvertongue Mask soulmeld: MoI p35, p40, p86
Assume Quirk skill trick: CS p85
Admiral's Bicorne: Sw p131
Choker of Eloquence: CA p132
Find The Gap, Spark of Life, Grave Strike: SC p91, p196, p107
Mantle of the Predator, Rogue's Vest: MIC p130, p200
Bracers of Murder: DotU p98
Necklace of Natural Weapons: SS p58
Deadly Precision weapon enhancement: CA p127
Fanged Ring: DrM p101
Glamerweave clothing: ECS p122
Silent Portal, Serene Visage, Distract Assailant, Shock and Awe, Delusions of Grandeur: SC p190, p182, p69, p189, p63
Image: Steve Argyle
The Viscount
2021-02-21, 01:55 PM
I think that's all of them. Big turnout this round!
H_H_F_F
2021-02-21, 02:08 PM
Lots of entries, and on the face of it they seem fun and diverse. Well done, everyone! Can't wait to read through them.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-21, 02:11 PM
I really was not expecting to see two Binder/Knight of the Sacred Seal entries, let alone two that manage to go in thoroughly different directions like that. Lots of real interesting stuff in these builds. And 13 builds is way more than I was expecting. Going to be real interested to see what the judges make of all this.
Zaq
2021-02-21, 02:22 PM
Oh good! Someone went with the idea I scrapped.

Looks like a fun collection this time!
Troacctid
2021-02-21, 02:25 PM
Today I learned about another Dragon Magazine that is legal for this contest! The five basic modrons were updated in #354.

That brings the legality count up to 361, 362, 363, and parts of 318, 354, 357, and 360.
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-21, 03:04 PM
I had a build that used in the centipede tattoo to use shadow walk to go to alternative prime material planes as per the rules in the manual of the planes to get themselves a futuristic weapon from the dungeon Masters guide, all of which you can get with exotic weapons proficiency futuristic weapons. Is that it dipped soulbound psychic warrior so that there was always ammunition. It was more of a look at these funny rules I found build
AvatarVecna
2021-02-21, 03:42 PM
It was more of a look at these funny rules I found build

So, par for the course on a dare build? :smalltongue:

I'm gonna start my judgements, but it might be a bit slower than usual.
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-21, 03:52 PM
So, par for the course on a dare build? :smalltongue:

I'm gonna start my judgements, but it might be a bit slower than usual.

The build I submitted was more par for the course.

The antimatter rifle build was intriguing to me, but I couldn’t find a way to get stunning fist onto it, well...not without being kalashtar and taking a flaw.
Thurbane
2021-02-21, 04:19 PM
Congrats to all the entrants!

My stub was a spy/infiltrator build, Monk X/Factotum X/TM 10/Zhentarim Spy 5 or similar. Able Learner, of course, for skillmonkeying.

Using the tattoos Chameleon, Crescent Moon, Phoenix, Tortoise and White Mask to impersonate, infiltrate, escape and be all around sneaky.
Troacctid
2021-02-21, 05:07 PM
Here's how our contestants valued the tattoos.



Tattoo
Uses


Chameleon
9


Wasp
7


Scorpion
6


Tortoise
5


Moon, Crescent
4


Spider (OA)
4


White Mask
4


Mountain
3


Phoenix
3


Tiger
3


Chrysanthemum
2


Crab
2


Dragon
2


Lion
2


Monkey
2


Bamboo
1


Bat
1


Bellflower
1


Butterfly
1


Centipede
1


Crane
1


Falcon
1


Ocean
1


Spider (CW)
1


Arrowroot
0


Cloud
0


Crow
0


Dragonfly
0


Moon, Full
0


Nightingale
0


Pine
0


Sun
0


Unicorn
0
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-21, 05:18 PM
Here's how our contestants valued the tattoos.



Tattoo
Uses


Chameleon
9


Wasp
7


Scorpion
6


Tortoise
5


Moon, Crescent
4


Spider (OA)
4


White Mask
4


Mountain
3


Phoenix
3


Tiger
3


Chrysanthemum
2


Crab
2


Dragon
2


Lion
2


Monkey
2


Bamboo
1


Bat
1


Bellflower
1


Butterfly
1


Centipede
1


Crane
1


Falcon
1


Ocean
1


Spider (CW)
1


Arrowroot
0


Cloud
0


Crow
0


Dragonfly
0


Moon, Full
0


Nightingale
0


Pine
0


Sun
0


Unicorn
0



I was talking to some buds about just loading up on unicorn tattoos but that was nixed as an option. I would probably pair them with favored in house type feats and just have a “ hand me plot points please” character.
Venger
2021-02-21, 05:30 PM
That's a great idea for a table. Thanks, Troacctid.

Here's a more traditional one tabulating everyone's choices of class and for scores and reveal later. Since this was such a large round, I thought it might be helpful for keeping them all straight.



NAME
STUB
JUDGE 1
CHEF


Diamond "The Inkblot" Westwall
LE Nonbinary Vhaerath Deepwyrm Half-Drow Monk 7/Tattooed Monk 9/Henshin Mystic 4
-
-


Chi-Pokkena
LG female feral dragonborn muckdweller Binder 5/KoSS 5/ Tattooed Monk 9
-
-


Captain O
LN male azurin warblade 10/ tattooed monk 10
-
-


Tedmiliun Tissopebillis
LN Human Monk 1 / Cloistered Cleric of Oghma 1/ Ranger 3/ Tattooed Monk 7 / Chameleon 8
-
-


Corentin
LG hellbred (body aspect) monk 1 / totemist 10 / tattooed monk 9
-
-


Cole Sear, Master of the Spiritual Tattoo Magic
Human Monk1/Shaman4/Tattooed monk2/Sacred Fist3/Tattooed monk8/Sacred Fist2
-
-


Shiba Bajiquan, Prime protector of the Isawa Family
Human(Phoenix) Monk1/PsychicWarrior7/ShibaProtector1/PsychicWarrior1/TattooedMonk10
-
-


G.R.8 & his Shadow
N>LG spirit lion totem barbarian 1/unarmed swordsage 2/cobra strike monk 2/tattooed monk 2/shadowdancer 2/drunken master 2/tattooed monk 4/shadowdancer 3/shadow sun ninja 1/tattooed monk 9
-
-


Kilroy: the Shape in the Stone
LN elan totemist 6/tattooed monk 9/thief-acrobat 5
-
-


Glaucon
LE Human Binder 8/Tattooed Monk 7/Knight of the Sacred Seal 5
-
-


Mori Kumo
LG Synad Monk 2/Ranger 8/Tattooed Monk 10
-
-


Juan T.
LG human monk 1/psychic warrior 5/tattooed monk 9/Legacy Champion 5
-
-


Ry, The Illustrated Woman
LE Changeling Rogue 3 / Monk 2 / Tattooed Monk 10 / Chameleon 3 / Marshal 1 / Warlock 1





I haven't dug into all these yet, just skimmed, so if anyone sees alignments for Cole, Shiba, Gr8, or Glaucon, please let me know and I'll put them in the chart.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-21, 08:08 PM
Wow!

I have my qualms with a few of these entries, but this round really is something. As usual, I feel completely outmatched by many of the entries submitted. Amazing work everyone! Hopefully, the judge(s?) will like your work as much as I did.
Thurbane
2021-02-21, 08:58 PM
My honourable mention goes to Glaucon :smallsmile:
WhamBamSam
2021-02-21, 09:44 PM
Here's how our contestants valued the tattoos.There are two CW Spider Tattoos. Juan T and Mori Kumo both use it.

I used Unicorn in one of the three builds that I didn't submit. The others have just enough overlap with one of my builds or someone else's that I should probably wait until after the final reveal to post them, but this one would've been fairly distinct this round, somewhat ironically as it was designed as a Gazeebo Jones Mk2 to get around the issues the original has with the CoR update to Thrall to Demon that are the bane of many an Iron Chef build.

LG Dragonborn Warforged Monk 2/Fighter 2/Drunken Master 7/Tattooed Monk 9
1. Monk 1 – IUS, Toughness, Favored
2. Monk 2 – Endurance
3. Fighter 1 – Great Fortitude, TWF
4. Fighter 2 – Dodge, Primary Contact
5. Drunken Master 1
6. Drunken Master 2 – Advantageous Avoidance
7. Drunken Master 3
8. Drunken Master 4
9. Drunken Master 5 – Endurance
10. Drunken Master 6 – Improved Feint
11. Drunken Master 7 – Improved Grapple
12. Tattooed Monk 1 (Chameleon) – Fortuitous Strike
13. Tattooed Monk 2
14. Tattooed Monk 3 (Unicorn)
15. Tattooed Monk 4 – Better Lucky Than Good
16. Tattooed Monk 5 (Chrysanthemum)
17. Tattooed Monk 6
18. Tattooed Monk 7 (Tortoise) – Make Your Own Luck
19. Tattooed Monk 8
20. Tattooed Monk 9 (Crescent Moon)

Uses Dragonborn shuffle for Primary Contact early entry (disqualifying itself for TWF with the Dex reduction) into Drunken Master to get to 7th level for the Improved Grapple bonus feat to use it to qualify for Tattooed Monk in time to still get all 5 Tattoos. Alter Self into Animated Objects for reliable access to crazy reach and whatnot from Drunken Master a la the original Gazeebo Jones, with Luck feats and the Unicorn Tattoo as insurance against natural 1s, to keep him from breaking himself.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-21, 11:44 PM
That's a great idea for a table. Thanks, Troacctid.

Here's a more traditional one tabulating everyone's choices of class and for scores and reveal later. Since this was such a large round, I thought it might be helpful for keeping them all straight.
...

I haven't dug into all these yet, just skimmed, so if anyone sees alignments for Cole, Shiba, Gr8, or Glaucon, please let me know and I'll put them in the chart.

I checked the 4 builds you mentioned and as far as I see it, you only seem to have missed one:


Alignment: N --> L-G
G.R.8 starts with the common "neutral" alignment for warforged. Due to his "former owners" and now "new friends", he switches to "lawful good" within his first 3 levels.
to find under the "base stats" spoiler.

________________________________

WOW, 13 entries and so diverse. And people where complaining about the PRC ^^
I really didn't expect this. Well done everyone! I'm just sorry for the judge/s(?) that has/have so much to do this time. I'm halfway through reading the builds (and had a quick overview of all of em) and really all well done. Can't repeat that enough.
Khatoblepas
2021-02-22, 01:00 AM
I got too self conscious to post my build, but it looks like someone did the poison idea a lot more cohesively than I did! Counting psionic tattoos as real tattoos for tattooed monk though, wow.

My idea was to use a Marrulurk for cha Death Attack, Unorthodox Flurry with a poison ring, and unseelie fey to key everything off charisma, and use the Poison Fangs graft from Serpent Kingdoms to generate my own poison. By using the Bellflower tattoo I could boost the poison save DC in my off time and milk myself.

Unfortunately it relied too much on equipment and Unseelie Fey so I dropped it.
Chineselegolas
2021-02-22, 01:55 AM
Some very nice builds, I was looking at focusing on that Scorpion poison on every attack, and taking a Thri-Keen, going Monk/Swordsage/Tattooed Monk/Bloodclaw Master and then between Claws, Bite, Flurry and Two-weapon fighting getting 12 attacks a round... Con damage everyone to death.

Work just drained all brain power and creativity to expand the story out, and to figure out the last 4 levels and which maneuvers.

Good to see someone else looked at move action tattoos, so standard action maneuvers for attacks
Troacctid
2021-02-22, 02:04 AM
Some very nice builds, I was looking at focusing on that Scorpion poison on every attack, and taking a Thri-Keen, going Monk/Swordsage/Tattooed Monk/Bloodclaw Master and then between Claws, Bite, Flurry and Two-weapon fighting getting 12 attacks a round... Con damage everyone to death.
The problem with this, I think, is, first off, claws and bites, not monk weapons, yeah? So you can't use them in a flurry. And second, it seems like there's not much value in going thri-keen to get those extra arms and stuff when you're already getting alter self, and you can just turn into, you know, a carrion crawler or whatever.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-22, 08:21 AM
Uses Dragonborn shuffle for Primary Contact early entry (disqualifying itself for TWF with the Dex reduction) into Drunken Master to get to 7th level for the Improved Grapple bonus feat to use it to qualify for Tattooed Monk in time to still get all 5 Tattoos. Alter Self into Animated Objects for reliable access to crazy reach and whatnot from Drunken Master a la the original Gazeebo Jones, with Luck feats and the Unicorn Tattoo as insurance against natural 1s, to keep him from breaking himself.
Oooh, that's a neat trick, I'll have to remember that. I was looking at Primary Contact as a way to early-enter the SI but I couldn't find a way to swap the feat in at 4th level.

That table of chosen tattoos is interesting, lots of diversity. This is a round with so many super-weird builds and I love it.
Korahir
2021-02-22, 08:24 AM
Oooh, that's a neat trick, I'll have to remember that. I was looking at Primary Contact as a way to early-enter the SI but I couldn't find a way to swap the feat in at 4th level.

That table of chosen tattoos is interesting, lots of diversity. This is a round with so many super-weird builds and I love it.

Another possible way is Frostblood Half-Orc (or Orc) and Ranger 3 replacing Endurance with Primary Contact.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-22, 08:45 AM
Another possible way is Frostblood Half-Orc (or Orc) and Ranger 3 replacing Endurance with Primary Contact.

Hmm, yeah - start out Monk 1 -> Ranger 3, that lets you put the necessary points in Knowledge (religion), and Ranger 3 gives you the BAB. And all the feats are bonus ones, so there's room for Favoured as a 1st or 3rd level feat.
Piggy Knowles
2021-02-22, 09:42 AM
I’m still reading through all the entries, but I had a few ideas that got build stubs but never really evolved into full entries.

My first idea was using the fact that many of the tattoos have uses or bonuses based on the number of tattoos you have… but don’t actually specify that they have to be tattoos from that class. Of course, I could have gone full cheese with that idea and just arbitrarily stated having NI tiny tattoos all over my character’s body, but I thought I’d instead build a psionic character with Scribe Tatto. I had a bunch of build stubs with this and a few without; here are some of my more finished takes:

1. Kalashtar monkless monk with Dancing with Shadows feat line

Kalashtar, Psychic Warrior 10/Tattooed Monk 10

Kalashtar, Psychic Warrior 10/Tattooed Monk 10
1 Psychic Warrior1- Improved Unarmed Strike, Endurance
2 Psychic Warrior2- Improved Grapple
3 Psychic Warrior3- Power Attack
4 Psychic Warrior4-
5 Psychic Warrior5- Combat Expertise
6 Psychic Warrior6- Monastic Training (psychic warrior)
7 Psychic Warrior7-
8 Psychic Warrior8- Improved Combat Expertise
9 Tattooed Monk1- Path of Shadows
10 Tattooed Monk2-
11 Tattooed Monk3-
12 Tattooed Monk4- Dancing with Shadows
13 Tattooed Monk5-
14 Tattooed Monk6-
15 Tattooed Monk7- Tashalatora
16 Tattooed Monk8-
17 Tattooed Monk9-
18 Tattooed Monk10- Scribe Tattoo
19 Psychic Warrior9-
20 Psychic Warrior10-


Basically, take advantage of the chair’s ruling that a tattooed monk without monk levels counts as a monk for purposes of things like unarmed strike to make a PsyWar/Tattooed Monk Tashalatora build with 0 monk levels. And because it’s one of my favorite feats, I decided to go with a Dancing with Shadows build, a momentum-based build that combines Improved Combat Expertise and Power Attack with the feat to make a super defensive initial strike, followed by a full Power Attack the next round.

I abandoned it because it was hampered by the poor PA returns of unarmed strikes, meaning that despite the full unarmed strike damage and size boosts it was likely better off using a two-handed weapon, and because it matured later than I’d like.

2. Monkless monk, take 2 - crazy frog edition!

Neraph, Psychic Warrior 10/Tattooed Monk 10

Neraph, Psychic Warrior 10/Tattooed Monk 10
1 Psychic Warrior1- Improved Unarmed Strike, Endurance
2 Psychic Warrior2- Improved Grapple
3 Psychic Warrior3- Midnight Augmentation
4 Psychic Warrior4-
5 Psychic Warrior5- Linked Power
6 Psychic Warrior6- Monastic Training (psychic warrior)
7 Psychic Warrior7-
8 Psychic Warrior8- Expanded Knowledge (bestow power)
9 Tattooed Monk1- Tashalatora
10 Tattooed Monk2-
11 Tattooed Monk3-
12 Tattooed Monk4- Metapower
13 Tattooed Monk5-
14 Tattooed Monk6-
15 Tattooed Monk7- Scribe Tattoo
16 Tattooed Monk8-
17 Tattooed Monk9-
18 Tattooed Monk10- xxx
19 Psychic Warrior9-
20 Psychic Warrior10-


The same basic concept as the build above, but instead of a kalashtar dancer, this one was a crazy shapeshifting frog. Basic idea was to get lots of tattoo uses for lots of outsider form chameleon to shift between forms, with full unarmed strike to take full advantage, plus hustle to use the tattoos as a swift action. Devoted most feats to a basic slow infinite PP combo using Metapower and Linked bestow power, so that the froggy could go a courtin’ every combat, refreshing PP in between fights.

Probably could have taken this build somewhere, but honestly I got pretty bored of it before even finishing.

3. Dancing in the Dark

Human, Monk 2/Psychic Warrior 3/Crusader 4/Shadowdancer 1/Tattooed Monk 10

1 Monk1- Dodge, Improved Unarmed Strike, Darkstalker, Endurance
2 Monk2- Mobility
3 Psychic Warrior1- Combat Reflexes, Stand Still
4 Psychic Warrior2- Improved Grapple
5 Psychic Warrior3-
6 Tattooed Monk1- Sidestep
7 Crusader1-
8 Crusader2-
9 Shadowdancer1- Martial Study (defensive rebuke)
10 Tattooed Monk2-
11 Tattooed Monk3-
12 Tattooed Monk4- Scribe Tattoo
13 Tattooed Monk5-
14 Tattooed Monk6-
15 Tattooed Monk7- Elusive Target
16 Tattooed Monk8-
17 Tattooed Monk9-
18 Tattooed Monk10- Psychic Renewal
19 Crusader3-
20 Crusader4-

Maneuvers:
1- Crusader’s strike, stone bones, douse the flames, tactical strike
2- Mountain hammer
3- Defensive rebuke
6- Rallying strike, order forged from chaos

Stances:
1- Iron guard’s glare
3- Thicket of blades


Basically a take on one of the op showcases I’ve run before, Dancing in the Dark. Basic idea runs off of the fact that hide checks aren’t actions of their own, but rather are taken as part of movement, which means that Sidestep allows you to make an AoO and step into hiding in one action. The idea was a sort of backwards lockdown tank - you step into hiding, with a broad threatened area and thicket of blades. Enemies are forced to either try to find you (hopefully impossible with Darkstalker and a tricked out hide check via Scribe Tatto + monkey tat cheese) or leave you to attack your allies… but due to thicket and defensive rebuke and Stand Still, any time they try you can whack them, force them to stop in place via Stand Still and then step back into hiding via Sidestep.

This was probably my favorite build and the one I was most likely to submit if I’d been motivated enough to do a writeup, but it was a trick I’ve already addressed in more detail in one of the showcases and I was annoyed that there was no good way to get Weapon Finesse on early or to leverage Improved Grapple to make it useful.

4. Frogger take 2: Shadow Sun Giant Dwarf Oxymoronic Spectacular!

Neraph, Swordsage 3/Monk 2/Shadow Sun Ninja 6/Tattooed Monk 9

1 Swordsage1- Endurance
2 Passive Way Monk1- Combat Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike
3 Passive Way Monk2- Improved Trip, Improved Grapple
4 Swordsage2-
5 Swordsage3-
6 Tattooed Monk1- Adaptive Style
7 Tattooed Monk2-
8 Tattooed Monk3-
9 Tattooed Monk4- Sun School
10 Shadow Sun Ninja1- *(new maneuver: comet throw)*
11 Shadow Sun Ninja2-
12 Shadow Sun Ninja3- Martial Study (leaping flame) *(new maneuver: shadow stride probably?)*
13 Shadow Sun Ninja4-
14 Shadow Sun Ninja5- *(new stance: step of the dancing moth)*
15 Shadow Sun Ninja6- Improved Natural Attack *(new maneuver: ballista throw)*
16 Tattooed Monk5-
17 Tattooed Monk6-
18 Tattooed Monk7- Martial Study (shadow blink)
19 Tattooed Monk8-
20 Tattooed Monk9-


Nothing really new or exciting with this build in particular, but it made decent use of chameleon tattoo to turn into a dwarf ancestor and throw enemies around with comet throw and ballista throw. Fairly straightforward build, but outside of the chameleon tattoo access it didn’t really do anything all that great and I kept asking myself why I didn’t just have more levels of shadow sun ninja instead of tattooed monk.

5. Psychic Drunken Tattooed Brawler Shadow Dancer

Kalashtar, Monk 2/Fighter 2/PsyWar 2/Drunken Master 4/Tattooed Monk 10

1 Psychic Warrior1- Power Attack, Practiced Manifester
2 Psychic Warrior2- Scribe Tattoo
3 Monk1- Combat Expertise, Improved Unarmed Strike, Path of Shadows
4 Monk2- Improved Trip
5 Fighter1- Improved Grapple
6 Fighter2- Dodge, Great Fortitude
7 Drunken Master1-
8 Drunken Master2-
9 Drunken Master3- Endurance
10 Drunken Master4-
11 Tattooed Monk1-
12 Tattooed Monk2- Dancing with Shadows
13 Tattooed Monk3-
14 Tattooed Monk4-
15 Tattooed Monk5- Improved Combat Expertise
16 Tattooed Monk6-
17 Tattooed Monk7-
18 Tattooed Monk8- Superior Unarmed Strike/Improved Natural Attack
19 Tattooed Monk9-
20 Tattooed Monk10-


Another attempt to make the kalashtar Dancing with Shadows idea work. It tried to address the issue I had with the first build, where I couldn’t take advantage of good PA returns for maximum Dancing with Shadows fun without giving up the full unarmed strike damage I’d worked so hard to get. It did this by using drunken master, whose improvised weapons deal damage equal to their unarmed strike. This meant I could wield a big two-handed weapon, preferably something with reach, and get full PA returns without giving up the excellent base damage of the monk’s unarmed strike.

Abandoned this one because, eh, it just felt like the build was a bit all over the place, and I constantly had a niggling feeling at the back of my head that there was a better way to make this all work if I could just figure it out. Also, it really annoyed me that I needed flurry for drunken master, when decisive strike would have been so good on this build. Sounds like a little thing, but it was enough of an annoyance that I never actually got super excited about this build.

…

Anyhow, looks like a fun round overall! I’ve scanned over the entry table and it seems like a fun bunch. I’m looking forward to reading them in detail when I get some time.
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-22, 09:42 AM
Hmm, yeah - start out Monk 1 -> Ranger 3, that lets you put the necessary points in Knowledge (religion), and Ranger 3 gives you the BAB. And all the feats are bonus ones, so there's room for Favoured as a 1st or 3rd level feat.

And there’s a guild in city of water deep with a guild fringe benefit of adding +3 to a stunning fist DC 1/level. Patron diety tyr tho
WhamBamSam
2021-02-22, 10:07 AM
Oooh, that's a neat trick, I'll have to remember that. I was looking at Primary Contact as a way to early-enter the SI but I couldn't find a way to swap the feat in at 4th level.

That table of chosen tattoos is interesting, lots of diversity. This is a round with so many super-weird builds and I love it.Going Dragonborn can also disqualify races with Weapon Familiarity from Weapon Focus, since they lose proficiency when the weapon stops being martial for them, but of course that doesn't work for a Warforged.

Other good ways to land Primary Contact at the level you want include the already mentioned Frostblood Orc's Endurance, Half-Elf Paragon 1, Human Paragon 2, and Marshal 1 when you already have Skill Focus (Diplomacy), though for Tattooed Monk, any of those would require all other early levels being full BAB, and hence non-Monk, and it's gonna be pretty feat-tight.
Zaq
2021-02-22, 11:25 AM
Going Dragonborn can also disqualify races with Weapon Familiarity from Weapon Focus, since they lose proficiency when the weapon stops being martial for them, but of course that doesn't work for a Warforged.

Other good ways to land Primary Contact at the level you want include the already mentioned Frostblood Orc's Endurance, Half-Elf Paragon 1, Human Paragon 2, and Marshal 1 when you already have Skill Focus (Diplomacy), though for Tattooed Monk, any of those would require all other early levels being full BAB, and hence non-Monk, and it's gonna be pretty feat-tight.

Another dragonborn feat shuffle trick is that dragonborn automatically lose dragonmarks and anything that has a dragonmark as a prereq (see RotD pg 20). I used this a long time ago on Opsablepsia (back in the serene guardian round) to get Breath of Siberys early on for a nice early-game boost to a DFA's breath weapon and then swapped out for stuff that was more relevant in the mid-game. (Never used it for Primary Contact, though. That's clever.)
nosborm
2021-02-22, 03:44 PM
Wow, glad to see so many unique entries including multiple versions of Tashalatora and Unarmed Variant Swordsage! Now I feel a bit less bad about not making it in this round after things got a bit busy IRL. I'm hoping things are a bit more quiet so I can sink my teeth into whatever comes next. Congrats everyone on some great builds!
Chineselegolas
2021-02-23, 01:14 AM
The problem with this, I think, is, first off, claws and bites, not monk weapons, yeah? So you can't use them in a flurry. And second, it seems like there's not much value in going thri-keen to get those extra arms and stuff when you're already getting alter self, and you can just turn into, you know, a carrion crawler or whatever.

Primary weapon being flurry of unarmed strikes which for a monk can be from any part of the body, not just fists; and then secondary attacks with natural weapons, being claws and bite. But yes, the 5/day alter self for up to 10 hours each from Chameleon is very strong
Troacctid
2021-02-23, 01:54 AM
Primary weapon being flurry of unarmed strikes which for a monk can be from any part of the body, not just fists; and then secondary attacks with natural weapons, being claws and bite. But yes, the 5/day alter self for up to 10 hours each from Chameleon is very strong
When you make a flurry of blows, all your attacks have to be with monk weapons. That means no secondary attacks for that full attack, unless you have a way to treat them as monk weapons.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-23, 04:01 AM
When you make a flurry of blows, all your attacks have to be with monk weapons. That means no secondary attacks for that full attack, unless you have a way to treat them as monk weapons.
^this
If you want to flurry you may only use monk weapons for the entire turn/round. However, you could use one of the legal methods to expand the monk weapon list. E.g. Shou Disciple lets you flurry with any melee weapon. It just doesn't work with Natural Attacks (since they aren't handheld weapons as the definition of melee weapons demand it).


Primary weapon being flurry of unarmed strikes which for a monk can be from any part of the body, not just fists; and then secondary attacks with natural weapons, being claws and bite. But yes, the 5/day alter self for up to 10 hours each from Chameleon is very strong

If your intend is max amount of melee attacks per round: Shadow Pounce
With access to shadow pounce you can full attack up to 3 times per turn (swift action, movement action and standard action teleports needed for this).
Build 11 lvls of flurry progress combined with TWF feat line. Try to hit a min. of +16BAB and you have 27 attacks per turn

And if you really intent to go non-flurry for the sake of natural weapons, there are other more interesting options. Be a changeling warshaper (1 lvl dip is enough, but other levels can still be interesting) to get you morphic weapons and thus get access to any natural weapon you ever wanted. Have a look at this thread (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?286497-101-Natural-Weapons) to see your options for morphic weapons.
H_H_F_F
2021-02-23, 06:32 AM
On a different note, now that the reveal has happened, do we have any other potential judges? Is anyone willing to judge alongside AV?
Khatoblepas
2021-02-23, 12:17 PM
^this
If you want to flurry you may only use monk weapons for the entire turn/round. However, you could use one of the legal methods to expand the monk weapon list. E.g. Shou Disciple lets you flurry with any melee weapon. It just doesn't work with Natural Attacks (since they aren't handheld weapons as the definition of melee weapons demand it).

+1 Aptitude Necklace of Natural Attacks + Unorthodox Flurry (Claw) would allow you to treat every type of natural attack as a monk weapon, since Unorthodox Flurry applies to a single weapon of your choice and Aptitude makes those feats apply to that weapon. Those Changeling Warshapers would be able to flurry with their fists and attack with their many natural weapons like a champ.
Gruftzwerg
2021-02-23, 12:28 PM
+1 Aptitude Necklace of Natural Attacks + Unorthodox Flurry (Claw) would allow you to treat every type of natural attack as a monk weapon, since Unorthodox Flurry applies to a single weapon of your choice and Aptitude makes those feats apply to that weapon. Those Changeling Warshapers would be able to flurry with their fists and attack with their many natural weapons like a champ.

^and here we have the winner ^^

Well done solving this puzzle. Have to keep this in mind.
NotInventedHere
2021-02-23, 12:40 PM
Yeah, I was going to mention Unorthodox Flurry, but an Aptitude Necklace of Natural Weapons is a brilliant solution. It is dependence on an item, which I understand is usually frowned on here, but it's a pretty cheap item all things considered, Aptitude is only a +1 bonus.
daremetoidareyo
2021-02-26, 01:30 PM
I was kicking around using poison healer because the language on spider tattoo says that you deliver contact poison, so like youde be punching contact poison
Korahir
2021-03-01, 05:45 AM
How about some speculation about the next ingredient while we wait?

I think we didn't have a racial prerequisite in a while. Might be time for one again.

Also a truly awful ingredient I would dread:
Warchief from miniatures handbook might be one of the most horrible classes to optimize given how little class features it has.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-01, 06:07 AM
Last racial requirement comp wasn't very popular, but I'd be down for another one - maybe a less restrictive race/class combination would see more interest. Spinemeld Warrior?

From me, and maybe not next round (since we've just had a full BaB SI - I realize not everyone likes martials as much as I do), but I'd love to see Arcane Archer, Blackguard, and Duelist come along at some point. Horizon Walker is too much of a passive generalist, and the rest of the DMG is either too good, too short, or has been done already. These 3 will basically finish up a book, which I think is nice.

Otherwise, I'm down for anything.

Edit: just realized insidious corruptor was racially restricted, and a popular ingredient. I categorised it as half-caster in my brain, so when I was talking about the last racially restricted ingredient, I was thinking about atavist.
daremetoidareyo
2021-03-01, 07:50 AM
Shining blade of erroneous!
AvatarVecna
2021-03-01, 08:00 AM
Tattooed Monk, but not taking the 10th lvl is instant disqualification. :smalltongue:
H_H_F_F
2021-03-01, 08:00 AM
Shining blade of erroneous!

I'm down for almost* anything.
Zaq
2021-03-01, 12:15 PM
When was the last unique-casting-progression SI? Those are always weird.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-01, 01:41 PM
I'm prepared, eager even, for Shining Blade.

Eye of Gruumsh is a race-locked PrC that I've been looking forward to for a while (I think due to Viscount mentioning it before becoming chair, actually), though like Spinemeld Warrior, it's full BAB. Kinslayer (Drow, full BAB) and Scar Enforcer (Half-Elf, medium BAB, half-casting) also have some potential.

The thing about Arcane Archer is that Imbue Arrow is so good, and so much better than the other features, that taking levels after 2 instead of doing things that progress casting could be said to be a worse UoSI. Arcane Archer without Imbue Arrow, garbage class though it would be, might actually be a more interesting ingredient.

Blackguard was done in the BG version of the contest before it ported over here, though I doubt that'd be a serious issue. I'd be more interested in Defiant as a 'fallen' PrC though. Similarly, while I think there's some fun to be had with Duelist (though I'd expect a small round with several significantly overlapping entries), but would be more excited by Arcane Duelist, which feels like it's going for a similar general vibe, but would probably see more diverse entries due to how bafflingly designed it is.

For unique casting PrCs, I could see Disciple of Thrymm or Ebonmar Infiltrator.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-01, 02:25 PM
Both disciple of Thyrm and Scar enforcer are on my cool ingredients shortlist. 100% agreed on those.

I get your points on the DMG classes, though I think Blackguard can be an excellent ingredient - and it having been done on another site at some point doesn't seem like a good enough reason to ban it. Also, finding interesting things to do with Arcane Archer past level 2 seems like a challenge worthy of this competition. As I've said, I also find the idea of "finishing" a book pleasing, though I totally understand if others don't care about that sort of thing.
Venger
2021-03-01, 03:07 PM
In addition to the ones mentioned, darkrunner is an appropriately easy to enter, underwhelming, and generally stinky prestige class.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-01, 04:45 PM
Both disciple of Thyrm and Scar enforcer are on my cool ingredients shortlist. 100% agreed on those.

I get your points on the DMG classes, though I think Blackguard can be an excellent ingredient - and it having been done on another site at some point doesn't seem like a good enough reason to ban it. Also, finding interesting things to do with Arcane Archer past level 2 seems like a challenge worthy of this competition. As I've said, I also find the idea of "finishing" a book pleasing, though I totally understand if others don't care about that sort of thing.Like I said, I think Arcane Archer 10 would be a more interesting challenge if Imbue Arrow weren't just sitting there. As is, though, you're getting three 1/day abilities, two of which amount to worse versions of the same 2nd level spell from common entry classes (and worse in a specific way that makes them incompatible with Imbue Arrow), one of which is in direct competition with Imbue Arrow that it's clearly losing, and then a flat enhancement bonus, and Arrow of Death. Those abilities aren't uninteresting, but each is pretty much just objectively worse than a single spell slot per day with a good or interesting spell for Imbue Arrow in it, even by the metric of Use of Secret Ingredient.
Zaq
2021-03-01, 04:52 PM
I'm prepared, eager even, for Shining Blade.

Eye of Gruumsh is a race-locked PrC that I've been looking forward to for a while (I think due to Viscount mentioning it before becoming chair, actually), though like Spinemeld Warrior, it's full BAB. Kinslayer (Drow, full BAB) and Scar Enforcer (Half-Elf, medium BAB, half-casting) also have some potential.

The thing about Arcane Archer is that Imbue Arrow is so good, and so much better than the other features, that taking levels after 2 instead of doing things that progress casting could be said to be a worse UoSI. Arcane Archer without Imbue Arrow, garbage class though it would be, might actually be a more interesting ingredient.

Blackguard was done in the BG version of the contest before it ported over here, though I doubt that'd be a serious issue. I'd be more interested in Defiant as a 'fallen' PrC though. Similarly, while I think there's some fun to be had with Duelist (though I'd expect a small round with several significantly overlapping entries), but would be more excited by Arcane Duelist, which feels like it's going for a similar general vibe, but would probably see more diverse entries due to how bafflingly designed it is.

For unique casting PrCs, I could see Disciple of Thrymm or Ebonmar Infiltrator.

I agree that arcane archer is just not a good idea, basically for the reasons you lay out. I can say that I'd sit out if we removed imbue arrow, though, since that's just far too dull to be worth anyone's time.

Duelist has literally one ability that isn't +numbers (and not exactly good numbers) or a readily available feat. And that one ability, while not super common, also isn't unique. I agree that arcane duelist is much more intriguingly bizarre (and very, very much not good). I'm scared to list blessed of Gruumsh as an alternative; on the one hand, it has abilities, but on the other hand, those abilities suuuuuck (so many unnecessarily daily limitations! WHY?!).

The only thing I like about scar enforcer is the fact that the fluff is basically half-elves whining about how much they suck. (And they do.)

Spinemeld warrior is hilariously bad, but since the entry is SO wide-open, I bet we'd get some weird stuff there, which would be fun.


Both disciple of Thyrm and Scar enforcer are on my cool ingredients shortlist. 100% agreed on those.

I get your points on the DMG classes, though I think Blackguard can be an excellent ingredient - and it having been done on another site at some point doesn't seem like a good enough reason to ban it. Also, finding interesting things to do with Arcane Archer past level 2 seems like a challenge worthy of this competition. As I've said, I also find the idea of "finishing" a book pleasing, though I totally understand if others don't care about that sort of thing.

Disciple of Thrym is nifty. I took a dip in it way back in my very first Iron Chef entry. Used it to qualify for the divine side of ardent dilettante.


In addition to the ones mentioned, darkrunner is an appropriately easy to enter, underwhelming, and generally stinky prestige class.

It's bad stuff. No argument there.

I've got some ideas for shaper of form, so I'm looking forward to that round.

Maybe some weird Eberron thing?
Thurbane
2021-03-01, 05:08 PM
For unique casting PrCs, I could see Disciple of Thrymm or Ebonmar Infiltrator poor man's Beguiler.

Fixed that for you.

Actually, re-reading EI, I can see a few things I might be able to exploit...
H_H_F_F
2021-03-01, 05:43 PM
Like I said, I think Arcane Archer 10 would be a more interesting challenge if Imbue Arrow weren't just sitting there. As is, though, you're getting three 1/day abilities, two of which amount to worse versions of the same 2nd level spell from common entry classes (and worse in a specific way that makes them incompatible with Imbue Arrow), one of which is in direct competition with Imbue Arrow that it's clearly losing, and then a flat enhancement bonus, and Arrow of Death. Those abilities aren't uninteresting, but each is pretty much just objectively worse than a single spell slot per day with a good or interesting spell for Imbue Arrow in it, even by the metric of Use of Secret Ingredient.

Oh man, I misremembered arcane archer's /day limits. For some reason I had it in my head that they advanced kind of like this ingredient (once/day/special arrow).

I submit to the wisdom of the forum on this subject.
The Viscount
2021-03-01, 05:46 PM
Always glad to see people discuss possible ingredients. Many of the ones mentioned are already on my list of potential SIs.

Are people that jazzed for Ebonmar Infiltrator? It strikes me as fairly competent, if not incredibly exciting.

My 2 cents on Arcane Archer is that while its abilities are bad, imbue arrow gives just enough of an interesting feature that there's material to work with.


How about some speculation about the next ingredient while we wait?

I think we didn't have a racial prerequisite in a while. Might be time for one again.

Also a truly awful ingredient I would dread:
Warchief from miniatures handbook might be one of the most horrible classes to optimize given how little class features it has.

I don't know what you're talking about, Warchief is dope.


In addition to the ones mentioned, darkrunner is an appropriately easy to enter, underwhelming, and generally stinky prestige class.

I completely agree that Darkrunner would make the perfect Iron Chef ingredient. It was round 42.


I've settled on what will likely be the next ingredient. It has yet to be mentioned in the thread.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-02, 07:02 AM
I'm scared to list blessed of Gruumsh as an alternative; on the one hand, it has abilities, but on the other hand, those abilities suuuuuck (so many unnecessarily daily limitations! WHY?!).Yeah. The daily (weekly for the capstone) use limits are brutal. I definitely would rather *ahem* see, Eye of Gruumsh over Blessed of Gruumsh. I also suspect that if we got either, someone would want to use both, since they have overlapping flavor and prereqs, but amusingly might not be able to without fully blinding themselves, unless the same eye-removing ritual counted for both or they got an extra eye from somewhere.


My 2 cents on Arcane Archer is that while its abilities are bad, imbue arrow gives just enough of an interesting feature that there's material to work with.The problem is that it's too interesting a feature. Once I have two levels of Arcane Archer, if I take two more levels in it, the class gives me the ability to use a crappy version of Brilliant Energy Arrow that has action weirdness keeping me from using it in conjunction with Imbue Arrow 1/day and an additional +1 enhancement to my arrows. If I take two levels of any spellcasting class, I gain a spell level, which probably contains something that Imbue Arrow increases the value of by considerably more. Similarly, while I *could* try to optimize Hail of Arrows to the point where it would outdamage, say, Imbued Arrow Cone of Cold, but that's a big ask, and I could instead just get one or more extra uses of Cone of Cold per day along with the other things that come with 6 levels of casting. In basically every case, I'm getting more value added from the SI by not taking more of the SI.


I've settled on what will likely be the next ingredient. It has yet to be mentioned in the thread.Might be enough time has passed since the round it was scrapped as SI to revisit Dungeon Delver. Or maybe Rage Mage or Skylord as a gishy half-caster? Vassal of Bahamut is another unique casting PrC. Been a while since we really had a Roguish PrC, so maybe Ninja of the Crescent Moon or Bayushi Deceiver? Probably not Beast Heart Adept right after another class that gives a menu of options to choose from.
daremetoidareyo
2021-03-02, 08:48 AM
If we’re talking about racial classes, How about some lunkers from serpent kingdoms?
The Viscount
2021-03-02, 08:06 PM
I'm hesitant to use Dungeon Delver. The entry prerequisites are absolutely punishing, and I try to use ingredients with more than one way in to encourage people to use varied classes.


If we’re talking about racial classes, How about some lunkers from serpent kingdoms?

All the racially restricted classes I see in serpent kingdoms are restricted to races with punishing ECL adjustments. At least one of the non-restricted ones might make an appearance. though.
Zaq
2021-03-02, 08:15 PM
I don't particularly want a 3.0 class right now (at least not any of the stinkers I'm thinking of), but this discussion got me looking at a bunch of unupdated 3.0 PrCs (as we've had some memorable discussions of in the past) and, well, I'm sure it's not a surprise how bad they are. What got me this time, though, is how completely alien the design philosophy feels. I get that the game was relatively young and they didn't have the modern sense of balance we associate with the later stuff, but there's just an utter lack of cohesion, let alone a progression of proper level-appropriate abilities.

With a lot of bad modern classes, I can see what they were going for. Thunder guide is an absolute trash heap of a class, but the abilities all share some thematic similarities and they all make sense. They're weak as hell, but there's coherence to it, even if the appropriate use of the class is to scrap it for parts and give out its abilities as nifty flavor ribbons as rewards for good RP. But for an awful lot of 3.0 classes, I can't even say that much for them.

Anyone else feel like they're just really looking at another world when trying to fathom the design intent behind 3.0 stuff? It's not even the quality so much as just the lack of cohesion that's getting me, at least this time around.
The Viscount
2021-03-02, 08:22 PM
I agree. One thing about the design philosophy, especially for divine casters, is that prereqs are often so prohibitive it seems like you have to plan your entire character from creation towards entering the class. There aren't that many 3.0 classes on my list currently.
Zaq
2021-03-02, 09:23 PM
I think my absolute favorite example of the baffling design philosophy is master samurai, from Sword and Fist. Which was clearly designed by two different people.


Five prereq feats, cool cool cool
First level: Bonus feat, and a +2 bonus to Tumble, which you can't use while armored unless you're a dwarf. And the class makes you proficient with armor. Hope you're a dwarf!
Second: A really, really weird bonus if you, um, delay? I guess? Also 5-ft after a Cleave, that's kind of cool.
Third: Better than the Mobility feat? I guess I'll take it.
Fourth: RAI? This is like + 0.5×STR, woo. RAW? Pretty nice bonus since it doesn't say you don't get the normal 1.5×STR as well.
Fifth-tenth: Sure, let's just bounce back and forth between two really bad and uninspiring class features (with no particular synergy with anything that came before) and s-l-o-w-l-y grant uses per day?

How... how do you even explain that?
WhamBamSam
2021-03-02, 10:34 PM
I'm hesitant to use Dungeon Delver. The entry prerequisites are absolutely punishing, and I try to use ingredients with more than one way in to encourage people to use varied classes.Because of the Trapfinding req, or the need to get Disable Device/Open Lock as a class skill? I'd say both have more varied accessibility than one might think.


I think my absolute favorite example of the baffling design philosophy is master samurai, from Sword and Fist. Which was clearly designed by two different people.

...

How... how do you even explain that?I think they assumed that you 1) were a single-classed fighter with nothing better to do with all your feats than qualify for crappy prestige classes and 2) would of course be switching between ranged and melee combat and from horseback to on foot regularly.

EDIT: As for the shift after 4th level, I have no idea. Maybe they just hit a deadline.

It is one of my perennial frustrations that there isn't really a reasonable class with Supreme Cleave. They're all either gated behind a zillion taxes or have some other ludicrous aspect that similarly tries to engulf the entire build.
The Viscount
2021-03-02, 10:41 PM
Because of the Trapfinding req, or the need to get Disable Device/Open Lock as a class skill? I'd say both have more varied accessibility than one might think.


Those in combination with the immense number of skill points. Like with Magelord, I don't see it making a good ingredient, but I'm not a tyrant. If the people demand it I'm willing to heed the public.
NotInventedHere
2021-03-02, 10:50 PM
My personal favourite of the Sword & Fist ones is the part where they thought it was vitally important to put in the prerequisites of the Lasher - a prestige class which requires Weapon Focus (Whip), whose abilities revolve entirely, 100% around the use of the whip or whip dagger, which has a line saying 'when using a whip or whip dagger' in every one of its abilities and even its bonus feats just so you don't try to do anything even slightly out of the box - that in order to take levels in the class, you need to own a whip. Like. That somehow, if they didn't remind you, you might forget. To spend one, single gp on buying yourself a whip, for your focused whip-wielding character.

Oh, they also note, as an aside, that a really wealthy Lasher might own a Mighty whip and a Mighty whip-dagger. Such extravagance, for a 6th level character to splash out on both a 200gp item and a 225gp item. Much bling. Wow.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-03, 12:18 AM
Those in combination with the immense number of skill points. Like with Magelord, I don't see it making a good ingredient, but I'm not a tyrant. If the people demand it I'm willing to heed the public.In fact there was a strong enough demand that it *not* be the SI back in round LXXXII that the round ended up being Elocater instead. But now it's the Occluded SI as it were, and I, at least, have warmed to it a bit.
Gruftzwerg
2021-03-03, 01:24 AM
I would like to ask if a specific item could also become a SI?
A few days ago I felt the need to put Ring of Telekinesis (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/rings.htm#telekinesis)on my to-do list for 3.5 stuff. I really want to make a build that relies on this item. And having a challenge would mean I would have the luck to see a bunch of builds xD
Sorry for the maybe selfish question here.
Venger
2021-03-03, 02:45 AM
I completely agree that Darkrunner would make the perfect Iron Chef ingredient. It was round 42.
How foolish of me. I don't know how I could've forgotten since it was only 8 years ago.

Please no to dungeon delver. It's a boring class that doesn't do anything, requires like 80 skill points and only allows two possible methods of entry.

As to the whole deal with 3.0 design "philosophy," (assuming the designers had one for the sake of argument,) after moving from 2e to 3e they massively overvalued how useful multiclassing was and often used it as a synonym for powergaming. They thought a wizard10/fighter10 was equivalent to a wizard20, and designed a lot of terrible 3.0 prcs around these principles. Why would you want to be a straight wizard when you could burn a bunch of levels in rogue and be a magelord or whatever.

Also with 3.0 classes it's very clear at times that the class exists to represent one specific npc in one of the designers' home games. This was textually revealed at least once, I believe in eye of xanathar a few rounds ago, so it's not that the designer thinks that you want to be a [dwarf] who worships [chaos] is really good at [lockpicking] and drives a [forklift], but that he wanted to canonize the special abilities of one of his random throwaway bad guys from a campaign he ran.

3.0 classes will oftimes have crappy 1/day slas instead of class features too, which I do not like.

For master samurai, it was probably supposed to be a 5 lvl prc then at some point the editor said "we need one more 10 lvl prc" and they just did this to pad instead of coming up with something interesting.

Can't wait to see what the next ingredient is.
Korahir
2021-03-03, 02:50 AM
How foolish of me. I don't know how I could've forgotten since it was only 8 years ago.

Please no to dungeon delver. It's a boring class that doesn't do anything, requires like 80 skill points and only allows two possible methods of entry.

As to the whole deal with 3.0 design "philosophy," (assuming the designers had one for the sake of argument,) after moving from 2e to 3e they massively overvalued how useful multiclassing was and often used it as a synonym for powergaming. They thought a wizard10/fighter10 was equivalent to a wizard20, and designed a lot of terrible 3.0 prcs around these principles. Why would you want to be a straight wizard when you could burn a bunch of levels in rogue and be a magelord or whatever.

Also with 3.0 classes it's very clear at times that the class exists to represent one specific npc in one of the designers' home games. This was textually revealed at least once, I believe in eye of xanathar a few rounds ago, so it's not that the designer thinks that you want to be a [dwarf] who worships [chaos] is really good at [lockpicking] and drives a [forklift], but that he wanted to canonize the special abilities of one of his random throwaway bad guys from a campaign he ran.

3.0 classes will oftimes have crappy 1/day slas instead of class features too, which I do not like.

For master samurai, it was probably supposed to be a 5 lvl prc then at some point the editor said "we need one more 10 lvl prc" and they just did this to pad instead of coming up with something interesting.

Can't wait to see what the next ingredient is.

If I may ask: when looking over some of the old contests, I seem to always find an entry of yours, Venger. Did you in fact participate in every IC ever? Even participating in close to 80% or 90% of them seeams to me an incredible accomplishment.
Troacctid
2021-03-03, 03:17 AM
Please no to dungeon delver. It's a boring class that doesn't do anything, requires like 80 skill points and only allows two possible methods of entry.
How are you getting two? There are at least eleven different base classes with trapfinding as a class feature, by my count, plus several prestige classes.
Venger
2021-03-03, 03:20 AM
If I may ask: when looking over some of the old contests, I seem to always find an entry of yours, Venger. Did you in fact participate in every IC ever? Even participating in close to 80% or 90% of them seeams to me an incredible accomplishment.

You certainly may. As impressive as that would be, that is not the case. The first iron chef I participated in as a chef was shadowdancer back in round 26. I cooked for the next round, mindbender, took a break to judge for cryokineticist since I didn't have any interesting ideas for what to do with a dish myself, and then cooked straight for the next 17 rounds until cipher adept broke my streak with how unrelentingly terrible it was. I had no ideas, so abstained. I cooked again the next round for cold iron warrior and skipped the next round, shadow sun ninja, cooked again for thrall of orcus, sat out the next 10 rounds because I couldn't think of anything and was very busy with work, and then got back in with lasher. Since then, I've missed the occasional round, but I've been in more than I've sat out. The most recent ingredient to break my streak has been atavist. I've cooked in every round since I picked back up with primeval the month after it. Since shadowdancer, I've cooked at least one dish for 51 of the last 85 rounds, or 60% (there were two round 61s). I was able to check stats in Wolfem's spreadsheet, (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oyjVU5JmeCnC8YTMqDArDqE5PszHl0Ysadz630kuTGk/edit?ts=59a4835f#gid=0) which is extremely handy for stuff like this. I don't know if I've entered the most rounds or cooked the most dishes (I've made more than one dish many times,) but I'm probably up there.
Korahir
2021-03-03, 04:56 AM
You certainly may. As impressive as that would be, that is not the case. The first iron chef I participated in as a chef was shadowdancer back in round 26. I cooked for the next round, mindbender, took a break to judge for cryokineticist since I didn't have any interesting ideas for what to do with a dish myself, and then cooked straight for the next 17 rounds until cipher adept broke my streak with how unrelentingly terrible it was. I had no ideas, so abstained. I cooked again the next round for cold iron warrior and skipped the next round, shadow sun ninja, cooked again for thrall of orcus, sat out the next 10 rounds because I couldn't think of anything and was very busy with work, and then got back in with lasher. Since then, I've missed the occasional round, but I've been in more than I've sat out. The most recent ingredient to break my streak has been atavist. I've cooked in every round since I picked back up with primeval the month after it. Since shadowdancer, I've cooked at least one dish for 51 of the last 85 rounds, or 60% (there were two round 61s). I was able to check stats in Wolfem's spreadsheet, (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oyjVU5JmeCnC8YTMqDArDqE5PszHl0Ysadz630kuTGk/edit?ts=59a4835f#gid=0) which is extremely handy for stuff like this. I don't know if I've entered the most rounds or cooked the most dishes (I've made more than one dish many times,) but I'm probably up there.

I honestly think that participating in 60% of the rounds is absolutely astonishing. My outmost respect to you and anyone whose close to such a high number. I sometimes wonder how many people on these forums actually know or guess correctly how much time contestants spend on their dishes.

I think the first round I entered was Thrall of Tiamat and I entered very infrequent since then. Will check on Wolfem's spread sheet to see what my percentage is later.

To not derail the thread further: any word from our esteemed judge(s)?
Venger
2021-03-03, 05:12 AM
How are you getting two? There are at least eleven different base classes with trapfinding as a class feature, by my count, plus several prestige classes.
I was thinking of classes that had trapfinding and could keep the taxes you need maxed as class skills and got to two. Since there's the threat of it as an SI, I won't speculate more specifically.


I honestly think that participating in 60% of the rounds is absolutely astonishing. My outmost respect to you and anyone whose close to such a high number. I sometimes wonder how many people on these forums actually know or guess correctly how much time contestants spend on their dishes.

I think the first round I entered was Thrall of Tiamat and I entered very infrequent since then. Will check on Wolfem's spread sheet to see what my percentage is later.
Thanks. :smallsmile:
Troacctid
2021-03-03, 05:35 AM
I was thinking of classes that had trapfinding and could keep the taxes you need maxed as class skills and got to two. Since there's the threat of it as an SI, I won't speculate more specifically.
I'm counting at least seven base classes that meet these criteria on their own, plus countless multiclass combinations.
Thurbane
2021-03-03, 03:58 PM
Wow, never really taken a close look at Dungeon Delver skill reqs before. That's brutal. 60 skill ranks! Is that the record? Fochlucan Lyrist is only 48 (+ a language). Sublime Chord is also 48.
Venger
2021-03-03, 04:53 PM
As far as I know, it is. Even ardent dilettante, which requires you qualify 4 times, does not have as many taxes.
Empyreal Dragon
2021-03-04, 02:52 PM
Any chance of warhulk making an appearance soon?
The Viscount
2021-03-04, 02:57 PM
Any chance of warhulk making an appearance soon?

That would be telling.
Empyreal Dragon
2021-03-04, 06:46 PM
I await the day, so eagerly
Thurbane
2021-03-04, 07:46 PM
I await the day, so eagerly

I have a build stub in storage for Warhulk, but it needs a LOT of work to become a finished product.
Venger
2021-03-04, 08:18 PM
Man, that would be a trip of an ingredient. No idea what I'd do with it.
Empyreal Dragon
2021-03-04, 08:39 PM
I have no less than a dozen builds for it.
Gruftzwerg
2021-03-07, 01:55 AM
Seems my suggestion for Ring of Telekinesis as SI doesn't get much interest..^^

What would you say to mounts as SI? Be it "ubermount build" or "I am the mount" or just the common "rider" build. Could be a very diverse round.
May I present the possible title: Iron Chef - Pimp my Ride - edition! ^^
WhamBamSam
2021-03-07, 03:09 AM
Theme rounds like that are really more of a side competitions thing. Ubermount especially seems like something for which the thing to do would be to resurrect Junkyard Wars, as you'd want to avoid everyone doing the classic Halfling Outrider/Devoted Tracker build.
Gruftzwerg
2021-03-07, 04:02 AM
Theme rounds like that are really more of a side competitions thing. Ubermount especially seems like something for which the thing to do would be to resurrect Junkyard Wars, as you'd want to avoid everyone doing the classic Halfling Outrider/Devoted Tracker build.

I meant "mount builds overall" and not a specific type of mount build as SI. I just mentioned 3 possible generic build paths. And then there are specific spells that can be seen as build path for their own. Imho there are plenty of build paths to choose from.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-07, 07:25 AM
Fair enough. I should have read your post more carefully. I stand by the position that theme rounds are and should remain a side-competition thing, though. Reviving either JW or VC would be better for what you're describing.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-07, 08:05 AM
Fair enough. I should have read your post more carefully. I stand by the position that theme rounds are and should remain a side-competition thing, though. Reviving either JW or VC would be better for what you're describing.

Assuming VC stands for villainous competition, I have to point out that it's alive and well.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-07, 11:06 AM
Assuming VC stands for villainous competition, I have to point out that it's alive and well.Oh, neat. I had thought the current round had been waiting for a while without a judge, but seems like it's been scored and close to wrapping up. EDIT: I also may have been thinking of the round before this one and not noticed that it closed out.
The Viscount
2021-03-07, 12:05 PM
Fair enough. I should have read your post more carefully. I stand by the position that theme rounds are and should remain a side-competition thing, though. Reviving either JW or VC would be better for what you're describing.

Sam has worded my thoughts very well. Iron Chef is for Prestige Classes. Alternat concepts like this are cool, and it's exactly how these alternate competitions sprung up. It's not just for tradition's sake. Not knocking VC, but abstract concepts can be harder to judge than classes where you can specifically point to and say "yes, you're using these class features."
H_H_F_F
2021-03-07, 01:42 PM
I also may have been thinking of the round before this one and not noticed that it closed out.

Probably. Last round stood without a judge for quite a while before AvatarVecna stepped in. I think lack of judgement is probably the most serious issue currently plaguing all of these competitions. Hopefully it'll get better over time.

Edit: I realize that I absent-mindedly used much stronger language than I intended. I'm not a native speaker, so this stuff happens. "Serious issue" and "plaguing" probably carry too much weight. I just meant that I think while everything but judgement is running very smoothly, we have place for improvement in that area.
WhamBamSam
2021-03-10, 01:44 PM
Any updates on judging?
Paragon
2021-03-13, 07:42 PM
Any updates on judging?

Idk how long it usually takes but I've read there is only one judge and many submissions this time around, might take him a while :smallbiggrin:
daremetoidareyo
2021-03-13, 09:42 PM
That unicorn tattoo, if it had been ruled to be able to stack with itself could be fun on a luckstealer luck domain build. What do you think it would be fun to have 8-10 rerolls per day if any 20 sided die roll?
Korahir
2021-03-15, 03:25 AM
That unicorn tattoo, if it had been ruled to be able to stack with itself could be fun on a luckstealer luck domain build. What do you think it would be fun to have 8-10 rerolls per day if any 20 sided die roll?

The only thing I can think of, is some form extreme critfisher build? Something that needs to role 15 or higher to do damage?
H_H_F_F
2021-03-15, 04:29 AM
Any updates on judgement, AV?
AvatarVecna
2021-03-15, 01:35 PM
Any updates on judgement, AV?

Working on them today, probably will be ready tomorrow. Today's when I've had time for serious forum stuff. >.<
AvatarVecna
2021-03-15, 07:17 PM
A quick note before I begin: this is a monk round, so monk sets the power standard. It doesn't take that much optimization to perform better than expected - quite frankly I doubt anybody is going to poorly in power.

Another quick note about OA Spider tattoo, since I feel it's gonna be common and I have something to say even if I don't feel like penalizing for it: OA spider makes nonviolent physical interactions a hassle. If the tattoo triggered only when you wanted it to, that wouldn't be a huge deal, but instead you can only shut it off in hour-long intervals. This means that shutting it off to shake somebody's hand without killing them means maybe not having that tattoo available if a fight breaks out shortly afterwards. But the short duration of the shut-off also means you can't (for example) cuddle somebody through the night unless you're staying awake the whole time. This isn't really a mechanical issue (not even really an SI issue), it's just something I feel is worth mentioning as a downside to taking this tattoo, even if I'm not penalizing anybody for it in any category.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Vhaerath
+0.25: Deepwyrm Half-Drow
-0.50: Monk
+0.25: Henshin Mystic
+0.00: Feat choices
+0.50: Skill choices
+0.25: Overall concept

Most of this build is a mix of out-of-nowhere elements (the race, primarily) and bog-standard "make monk worthwhile" options. I will admit that I'm more than a bit biased: when I look for monk homebrew for actual games, I like monks as an alternate to rogue, skillmonkeys that can still contribute in combat. Making a first party monk take a good stab at a skillmonkey without homebrew is something I like. How well you did...well, this isn't the power section.

I like the backstory, and how it sets up a fairly consistent characterization...and justifies being a living Inkblot taking a tattoo class. It's cheeky in a way that I'm very much here for.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

I originally went a lot more in-depth on my mechanical thoughts on this build but it was just getting really long so I'll save it for if you wanna pick a fight on these scores. I'll summarize:

1) I love that you tried to make a monk skillmonkey, but the reason that I usually go homebrew for those is that it doesn't generally work well in practice. You're stealthy for the purposes of "not ruining things for your team when there's group stealth happening" and "getting a very slight combat advantage over an enemy". You're not a scout, or a trapfinder, or a pickpocket, or an assassin. You're just a sneaky guy who can punch real good. Face has different issues: you've got some good feat and feature support, but for face skills bonuses really matter, and you've got +29 at lvl 20 where a more dedicated face can be busting out that kinda bonus at lvl 4. Both of these are acceptable for a monk solo character, who has to do everything themself, but on a team, they're wasted resources most of the time. If I were rebuilding, I'd drop Cha lower for an attribute boost elsewhere, drop the face skills entirely, and invest them into perception skills instead, so you can function as a scout, and as a lookout who can accompany the trapfinder when they would otherwise go up ahead alone to deal with a trap (and potentially get ambushed if they didnt' have you there for backup).

2) One of the results of the above and how it works in this build is, at levels 1-4 you are essentially "a monk who thinks they can be a good skillmonkey". Your Int/Cha and your skill investments are dragging down your performance in other areas until your build's feats and features start picking up the slack. In those early levels, you're just a worse monk than normal in most respects, and your skill roles aren't good enough to make up the lost potential.

3) My opinion (and, FWIW, the opinion of my local grognard) is that while the RAW for Henshin Mystic only works for BAB gained from Monk and HM levels, monk-specific PrCs would also be allowed to stack (with them specifying that if it grants full BAB, it probably shouldn't be allowed to stack even if it's an obvious monk PrC). This is obviously a houserule that isn't even really RAI, but it feels pretty reasonable to me so it's boosting your high-level power. I expect complaints about this, but not from you. :smalltongue:

Ultimately, though, this is a loooooot of whining about little stuff that could've been done better. Ultimately, this is a phenomenal display of how well a monk can function solo if built correctly, and how useful such a monk can be even with a team. It's just not as good as if the monk had been built to be more of a team player in the first place.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.00: One template
+0.50: One base class
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
+0.25: No dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

Beyond the obvious stuff already covered in my standard rubric, I will say: the Deepwyrm Half-Drow is technically a legal race, but it's the kind of thing that looks more like a template than a subrace and would catch flak at the tables I've been at similar to how a template would. I've not penalized it that way here, I'm just mentioning it. I also want to say that I greatly appreciate both how the skills are laid out in your table, and the entirety of the adaption section for how it showcases the builds ability to dodge around arguments with alternatives.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Starts SI late
-0.25: One level not taken
+1.50: 6/6 features used

Yeah I expect a lot of people are going to have Tattooed Monk 9. Anyway:

Monk abilities gets a proper highlight since you've got a good monk base that it adds to. And while I don't think you're doing too great at your skill roles for a group game, I can't deny that you're making solid use of your tattoos: two for social role, one for stealth role, one for combat role, and one for overland mobility. Easy to see how they're all supporting you in a solo game, and how they're benefitting the team in a normal game.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Dragonborn Of Bahamut
-0.50: Feral
+0.00: Muckdweller
+0.50: Binder
+0.50: Knight Of The Sacred Seal
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.00: Skill choices
+0.00: Overall concept

Leaning on the fourth wall is cheeky but the character just isn't really grabbing me. Binding is neat enough but that's about it of interest here.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.00: Low Level Power
+0.25: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.00: High Level Power

Low: decent Str and tiny size offset BAB loss for the most part, and you've got some decent flexibility via binding. However, claws and unarmed strikes are separate attacks, so whatever synergy you seemed to think they had, I'm not really sure they do. The damage doesn't stack, and you can't flurry with your claws (you'd need Unorthodox Flurry for that). Ultimately what's hurting you the most at low levels is the missing HD, where the HP loss hurts the most for how few of them you have. At higher levels, this isn't as much of an issue.

At higher levels, your versatility works out pretty well for you, and the given tattoos support your fighting style. However, even with the effort put in, grappling isn't going to be working out very well for you - particularly when getting into the double-digit levels, Large size with some good BAB and Str and feat support just isn't cutting it. Even with monk as our point of comparison, the higher level you get, the less I think you're really going to contribute to a standard party in terms of how problems get handled. Spending 9 levels on tattoos instead of binding is weakening the one thing you've got going for you early on, and it hurts on the back half of your build. Gaining flight and (the way I'm doing things) not losing all those natural attacks and grapple boosts from Feral is holding off power loss in Mid-High, but even that doesn't save the high levels.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Two templates
+0.50: One base class
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
+0.25: No dips
+0.25: No multiclassing penalties
+0.25: List Of Sources
-1.00: Template stacking issue

I didn't penalize for this, but Con/Cha post-race should be 16/6, not 14/8, based on Feral+Muckdweller, AFAICT. Small presentation issue that doesn't change mechanics too much, just thought it was worth mentioning.

The "Template Stacking Issue" penalty is because I think you've misapplied dragonborn of bahamut: you've gotten rid of your muckdweller features appropriately, but you kept all the feral features, and that's not how templates work. An inherited template like Feral is part of your race through and through, the features it gives you are your racial features...and dragonborn gets rid of those. Your race isn't "Muckdweller" with Feral tacked on, your race is "Feral Muckdweller". Yes, this means Dragonborn Of Bahamut is really bad to combine with other templates. I haven't penalized you for this in power (that would be two penalties for one issue), so I'll just your mechanics as if you were supposed to have them that way. But because Feral is a pretty hefty power boost, you're getting a pretty hefty Elegance penalty here.

I appreciate how you use binding to keep your prereqs intact your whole career. It's a careful dance, but it works out.

Another small issue I didn't penalize you for, because it's technically not wrong but...you can't speak common until lvl 8. That's fine for the solo story you've presented, but any attempt to use this build in a party is going to run into issues.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Starts SI late
-0.25: 1 level not taken
-0.25: 3/6 SI features used

The dragon tattoo, in your own words, is useless save for fluff support, and the chameleon tattoo is far less useful than normal (it's neat, but not mechanically very useful). The tiger tattoo is less useful for somebody who lost all those natural attacks as a result of the dragonborn template, but I'm addressing that under Elegance, so no double-dipping. Finally, you aren't a monk so you're not benefitting very much from monk features being advanced - unarmed damage doesn't stack with claws, the AC boost is just okay since you're not pumping Wis high for other reasons, and the speed boost is nice but not amazing - and none of it is really taken advantage of the way some of your tattoos are.

Ultimately, this isn't a tattooed monk build, this is a binder build with a side-gimmick.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Azurin
-0.25: Warblade
+0.25: Feat Choices
+0.00: Skill Choices
+0.75: Overall Concept


Unfortunately for you, I am aware of the "basically exactly like human, but not used as ubiquitously as human" azurin, so it's far more expected from me than I think you were hoping. That said, the concept is pretty great, and the feats are an interesting mismatch and I'm looking forward to seeing how well they work together.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

ToB classes are powerful, and non-initiator levels continue advancing them, so you're not losing as much from going Tattooed Monk as those using other subsystems might be. I think you're falling a little bit behind in the last half of Tattooed Monk, but maneuvers carry you through and you finish out strong again. The focus on grappling isn't great, but you don't need it to be successful and it's a nice backup style in the circumstances when it doesn't suck. Full marks.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.50: One base class
+0.25: No non-SI PrCs
+0.25: No dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

A perfectly elegant build. No notes, full marks.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Started SI on time
+0.25: Finished SI
+0.25: 4/6 SI features used
+0.25: Swift action tattoos late-game

Pheonix/Lion tattoos don't really get a highlight the way the others do, and I can see why: they make sense for a superhero, but they're not really contributing to the character's capabilities very much. SR 22 at lvl 12 isn't awful but it's not great either, and it falls behind once you finish the SI. Lion's smiting just...isn't great, but it's such a heroic tattoo that it's hard to pass up. Wis +2 to AC is okay but not great, but unlike the littlest dragon you're actually getting to use unarmed instead of claws so I'm willing to give it to you. The other three are phenomenal, and I'm even giving a slight upgrade for the late-game synergy where you can use a tattoo as a swift action. That's really solid.

Ultimately this is a warblade build with some nice tattoos, instead of a Tattooed Monk build, but they do work pretty well together.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Human
-0.50: Monk
-0.25: Cloistered Cleric
+0.00: Ranger
+0.00: Chameleon
+0.50: Feat Choices
+0.25: Skill Choices
+0.25: Overall Concept


The story isn't particularly grabbing me, and human monk is a pointkiller in this category. It's nice seeing a ranged skillmonkey, though.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.00: Low Level Power
+0.25: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid Level Power
+0.00: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

Low levels, your saves and skills are phenomenal but your build is...confused. Chameleon tattoo drags everything up in low-mid, but the confusion is still bad and the only dependable part is "sneaking" with everything else secondary or tertiary. Some weird choices in mid-high are dragging you back down, but Chameleon drags you right back up with enough versatility that the rest doesn't matter. Skills are your bread and butter but this build just can't maintain them or do enough extra to really be a proper skillmonkey, and the sacrifices made elsewhere aren't great. Still, doing way better than a monk?

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
-0.25: Three base classes
+0.00: One non-SI PrCs
-1.00: Two 1-level dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

I fully understand that you had to make some very difficult choices when making this character to be what you wanted him to be. I've been there. And it's hard for me to say that the monk dip or the cleric dip isn't giving you nice things to make up for their dippiness. But if you had just one instead of both, you'd be a full point higher in this category. It sucks that good builds are almost always really complicated.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Started SI on time
-0.75: Three levels not taken
+0.25: 4/6 SI features used

Chameleon is doing heavy lifting as usual. Tortoise on a skillmonkey just makes sense. White Mask is okay for you because you're filling that skill role...well enough. Scorpion is fine. But you don't have enough levels to get good benefits out of monk abilities, and since you had monk pre-TM, it's not even giving you Wis to AC (not that you're getting too much out of that anyway). And of course, you're just plain missing a tattoo.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Hellbred
-0.50: Monk
+0.00: Totemist
+0.50: Feat choices
+0.00: Skill choices
+0.50: Overall concept

That monk dip is holding you back in more ways than one, but you probably knew that going into things. Overall I tend to give other subsystems more slack than they maybe deserve, but this looks pretty solid.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

Early on, totemist with a monk dip is doing wonders. Later one, when you get the ability damage train rolling, it remains solid for most of your career, easily outperforming most any monks you would've been competing with, both in power and sheer versatility. Full marks, by far.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.25: Two base classes
+0.25: No non-SI PrCs
-0.50: One 1-level Dip
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.00: One minor qualification issue
+0.25: List Of Sources

I ascribe to a particular view on the Exalted rules, where the RAW requirements for remaining Exalted (and thus, keeping your Exalted status) are much more stringent than is standard for alignment requirements. I am generally of the opinion that there can be extenuating circumstances under which a Good character can use evil mechanics, even ones that are inherently [Evil] per the physical morality laws of the universe they reside in...and I am generally of the opinion that these extenuating circumstances are not enough to justify using [Evil] or even just "evil" abilities for an Exalted Good character. This is a higher level of morality, and "ends justify the means"/"doing the wrong things for the right reasons" is a good deal more morally grey than I think Exalted is supposed to be by RAW. However, I know that not everybody reads those rules the way that I do, and to your credit you make a good argument that Hellbred has more leeway in using the tools of evil for good purposes in general, and that these particular [Evil] mechanics aren't quite as mechanically [Evil] as some others are. It's still a small penalty for me personally, but I can easily see other judges having absolutely no qualification issues with you mixing this particular [Evil] mechanic with an Exalted mechanic.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Starts SI late
-0.25: One level not taken
+1.50: 6/6 SI features used

Monk 1/Tattooed Monk 9 isn't getting any more out of monk features than a Monk 0/Tattooed Monk 10 is, because of the chair's ruling. That said, your decent Wisdom and your focus on unarmed/claws (in a way that actually uses claws in a flurry) is enough for me to give you that one.

OA Spider tattoo is the key to the build and comes online earlier than most. I've said my piece about it further up. Moving on.

You're getting surprisingly good value out of Turtle, and Wasp is particularly good on you given your one big trick. Scorpion comes online really late, but it synergizes well with your fighting style and is a useful tattoo besides, so I'm willing to give you credit for it. Crab Tattoo seems to have been taken because of the idea that having DR/magic makes your natural attacks count as magic for the purposes of bypassing DR. If that is true, you're getting good value out of this tattoo, but also I've literally never heard of that rule before. I'm not giving you the points for it right now, but if you can provide a rules quote with book and page number, that's an easy 0.50 points you could earn here.

EDIT: The quotation has been provided.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Human
-0.50: Monk
-0.25: Shaman
-0.50: Sacred Fist
-0.25: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
-0.25: Overall concept

Casting is the subsystem I'm mostly familiar with so it's one I don't give as much credit for finding ways to use and abuse it. Sucks for you. I typically don't give a penalty for character concept because what kind of character is interesting is mostly a matter of opinion. However, you have basically no characterization besides "tattoo artist", only mechanics, and skimping so heavily on characterization gets a ding from me. Your skills are a little neat, but not enough to salvage anything here.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

Operating from the assumption that you are correct in how all these things work (to avoid double-jeopardy penalties), your build is doing pretty well for itself, given the kind of contest this is. The shaman list lends itself well to buffing, your domain choices are solid...overall, a fairly typical Persistomancer with a monk chassis slapped on for extra attacks. The OA rules are a useful find, to a degree, but even 5th lvl spells on a decent gish is enough for full marks here, AFAIC. The bar isn't super-high for this contest.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.25: Two base classes
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
-0.50: One 1-level dip
+0.25: No multiclassing penalties
+0.25: No qualification issues
+0.25: List Of Sources
-0.50: Fundamental RAW issue

First off, something that you might be able to have undone pretty easily: AFAICT, Combat Reflexes is not a legal choice for the Shaman 4 bonus feat. It makes sense that it could be an option, but it doesn't appear to be on the list of viable feats to choose from in the book the class was presented in. If this was added as an option by errata, though, that's an easy 0.50 points that could be earned.

More problematic, though, is everything to do with that table: the 3.0 OA book overrode the 3.0 PHB in regards to how the monk works, which is totally fine and allowed, but the 3.5 PHB then gets to set how monks work going forward - and it doesn't reference that table at all. Speaking from a "rules as intended" point of view, it's clear that the current "iteratives plus flurry" setup was supposed to be a replacement for this table in its entirety, but even if we're going by pure RAW, this table is obsolete because it overwrites a small part of 3.0 Monk...and 3.5 monk overwrites everything about 3.0 monk. The RAW exception, in my eyes, is if you use a 3.0 PrC that specifically references the table. One of the other builds in this competition is doing that, using Henshin Mystic (and thus, referencing the table). This works even better than intended for them, because it would at least be allowed to stack with 3.5 flurry and the like, and a broad enough reading would even allow it to stack with 3.5 iterative attacks. But as is, you aren't using a 3.0 Monk PrC, you're using two 3.5 ones, neither of which directly reference this table, so you don't get to use it at all.

Thankfully, you are at least correct about how the table would continue for BAB beyond 15. If it simply said "use your BAB to find the extra attacks you get based on this table", then it wouldn't be kosher to extend the table beyond BAB +15 even if there was an obvious pattern. But the text directly relating to the table indicates that this is a change to how iterative attacks work for 3.0 monk/monk PrCs, in that it's iteratives per -3 instead of per -5, making your table extension an accurate representation of how this would work for BAB above 15. Thankfully, while an important part of your build, it wasn't so crucial to your fighting style or to your prereqs that you couldn't deal with it working the way it should actually work, so it's a (relatively) small penalty compared to (for example) a build focused around abusing a particular reading of a dumb tattoo where nobody reasonable would allow it to function in that manner.

Final small issue that isn't worth a penalty but is worth mentioning: some DMs get cagey about using the aging rules, and in particular assuming that various levels are years or even decades apart. Being conveniently the next category older at a certain point in your build isn't something you can count on having in an actual game, where the pace of levels is more dictated by the group than the character.

EDIT: Combat Reflexes is legal, my bad.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Started SI on time
+0.25: Finished SI
+1.00: 5/6 features used

Monk features are clearly getting a highlight in this build, so full marks for that one. Chameleon is a gimme and is hard to not get significant advantage out of. OA Spider, Wasp, and Tiger all lend themselves to your fighting style too. Crescent Moon feels tacked on, like you took more because it feels monk-ish than because you actually wanted it, and in your write-up it seems to be almost exlusively for fluff. Overall, your build would be better served if the TM levels were something else, but it's undeniable that you're still making excellent use of the class.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Human
-0.50: Monk
-0.25: Psychic Warrior
-0.50: Shiba Protector
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
-0.25: Overall concept

Psionics in general would get a better scoring from me, but Psychic Warrior specifically plays into Tashalatora, a common monk thing, so it gets a slight penalty. Overall, it's the same issue as the last build had: this is just a pile of really common things used for making monks way better than usual, and it's accompanied by very sparse characterization. Still, you're doing slightly better for going typical psionic feats instead of typical caster feats. idk my bias showing I guess.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.25: High Level Power

Your first 8 levels are very straightforward Tashalotora schlock, no complaints there. Shiba Protector dip carries you through mid, but tattooed monk just isn't doing as much for you, and your powers are starting to fall behind in useful ness. You still end up with full marks because of the specific way I do things, but this build is definitely suffering for power in the back half compared to the previous one.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.25: Two base classes
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
-1.00: Two 1-level dips
+0.25: No multiclassing penalties
+0.00: One minor qualification issue
+0.25: List Of Sources
-0.75: Fundamental RAW issue

Qualifying for Shiba Protector via your Psicrystal Affinity means risking the loss of those class features if the psicrystal gets out of reach or gets destroyed. It's only one level, but it's doing a lot for you. I know not everybody shares my opinion on temporarily-possessed mechanics not granting continuous prerequisite requirements, but at my table and many of those I've played at, this would be a hard line: you only have the feat when you have the crystal, so when you don't have the crystal you don't have the feat and thus don't have the class. But it's not the SI, so it's not as big of a penalty as it could be.

Given the "prepare for awesomeness" line, I'm going to guess that the previous build is also yours, and thus you already know my issue with you using. I did say an exception could be made for a class that specifically mentions the table, but Shiba Protector is not one of those. More to the point, Shiba Protector (and for that matter, Psychic Warrior) are not Monk PrCs and thus their BAB shouldn't count towards the table even if you were otherwise allowed to use it. Tashalatora does not make Psychic Warrior into Monk+, and not only is Shiba Protector missing the hallmarks of a Monk PrC (able to be entered by a monk at lvl 6, all good saves, continues monk features, can multiclass freely with monk), it's even explicitly a PrC intended for samurai. "Has Wis synergy" does not a monk PrC make. This is why this penalty is hurting you worse here than one the other one.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Starts SI late
+0.25: Finishes SI
+1.00: 5/6 SI features used

Once more, monk features are highlighted so definitely getting points for that feature. Wasp and Scorpion are fairly standard choices, but starting the SI late means that your Phoenix SR is lagging behind where it'd otherwise be, and Mountain is never going to be particularly impressive for me without some serious effort spent optimizing it in particular. You're the second person using crab to get magic attacks, and while I'm not giving you points for it currently, this is an easy 0.75 points you could earn by giving me a book quote (although that would boost everybody who's using it this way, so...up to you if it's worth quoting).

I do appreciate that you're taking the SI to 10th level on a build that's otherwise putting a good deal of effort into optimizing. A lot of people are slacking on that front.

EDIT: The quotation has been provided.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Warforged
+0.25: Barbarian
-0.25: Swordsage
-0.50: Monk
+0.25: Shadowdancer
-0.25: Drunken Master
+0.00: Shadow Sun Ninja
+0.00: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
+0.50: Overall concept


There's a lot going on here mechanically, but it's all building towards a fairly cohesive and well-rounded character. Looking forward to seeing how the mechanics come together.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.25: High Level Power

Flurry-pounce is great. HiPS is great. Chameleon shenanigans are great. Touch Of The Shadow Sun is great. The final four levels are pretty meh, but still full marks!



+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
-0.25: Three base classes
-0.75: Three non-SI PrCs
-0.75: Three 2-level dips
-1.00: Two 1-level dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources
-0.25: Minor RAI issue


Most of this is pretty inarguable and expected, just based on the kind of build you put together. It's a beautiful mess, but it's still a mess. The RAI issue is about alignment shenanigans and Ferocity: it's not technically Rage, so it's not RAW unavailable after changing to Lawful, but realistically it's a rage-replacement and will be treated as rage in terms of you being allowed to use it or not.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Starts SI on time
-0.25: One level not taken
-0.25: 3/6 SI features used

You're keeping your monk levels pretty close to maxed out, so that's some easy points. Chrysanthemum is okay at the start of things, but once you pick up Touch Of The Shadow Sun it ceases to matter. Chameleon is doing a lot for you mechanically. But Phoenix is giving you SR 20 at lvl 16. Tortoise is never giving you a significant number of ranks to do well in anything, just to do less awful. Falcon is theoretically useful, but fear immunity at lvl 20 when you're a Wis-focused character with base Will save +19 is...it's not useless, but it's definitely use-impaired. And without significant item bumps, your Cha modifier is negative so you're not even giving a benefit to allies. And those last three come online so late that a lot of games just won't see them ever even have a chance to come up.

Overall, this build is doing a ton of interesting things, but if you were building this to be its own build rather than to be an Iron Chef dish, you'd find some other method of getting Alter Self and have 9 levels and a couple feats to work with instead.

EDIT: Chrysanthemum is carrying your healing from level 6 to 15, so I wasn't giving it nearly as much credit as it deserved. It's still not great healing, and becomes far too niche post-Touch, but I can't deny you're getting your money's worth out of this tattoo.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.00: Elan
+0.00: Totemist
+0.50: Thief-Acrobat
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
+1.00: Overall concept

The story hooked me in, nothing further to say about that. Full marks.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.25: High Level Power

Totemist is pretty sweet for versatility, and while the back half of the build is suffering a bit from the focus on noncombat abilities, it's not enough to take away from incarnum awesomeness.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.50: One base class
+0.00: One non-IS PrC
+0.25: No dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

But for the additional PrC, nothing to complain about here. A fairly straightforward build. As with another build, you're not getting penalized for this, but age category shenanigans are going to have trouble depending on one table vs another.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.25: Started SI late
-0.25: One level not taken
+1.00: 5/6 features used

Monk features aren't doing a great deal for you. The aging immunity of crane tattoo is doing a good deal to help offset the penalties of age categories, so it's working well for you but might be less useful depending on the given table's willingness to tolerate such things. Chameleon is an eternal gateway to shapeshifting shenanigans, so that's a plus. Monkey is fitting with the skills you're focusing in the back half of the build, and wasp is useful to most any combatant. I don't think you're particularly getting much out of White Mask - you're just not really a face, and the immunities are okay but not great for non-face characters.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Human
+0.50: Binder
+0.50: Knight Of The Sacred Seal
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
+0.25: Overall concept


Some bare classical philosophy does not a character make, but it ties in well enough with the idea of binders and tattoos, and I love seeing binding played with every time.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

Natural attacks and unarmed attacks don't mix well in a flurry, but you don't have flurry so that's not a problem you need to grapple with. Leaning hard on Chameleon is nothing new, but I'm happy to see people leaning on Humanoid and showing off just how much it can really give you. Full marks.



+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.50: One base class
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
+0.25: No dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

You didn't note your race, although it wasn't difficult to suss out. Still, make sure to make a note about it in the future? In any case, you're a fairly straightforward build, at least until one gets down into the details of all your options.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Starts SI on time
-0.75: Three levels not taken
+0.25: 4/6 features used

Monk unarmed strike is serving you well enough, although the speed bonus and Wis-to-AC isn't doing as much for you as for others. Still I'll give credit there. Chameleon is stealing the show, as usual. Tiger and Wasp are staples for builds like these, with the former being particularly effective on a build like this that gets so many attacks. Chrysanthemum is not particularly impressive, though, and of course there's one tattoo you just never get the opportunity to take. Overall you'd be far better served spending those 7 levels on something else and using different methods to acquire the desired mechanics, and you're only taking those 7 because it's for a contest.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Synad
-0.50: Monk
+0.00: Ranger
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.25: Skill choices
+0.75: Overall concept

This looks very different from what I've been expecting, both in mechanics and story. Looking forward to seeing if it can bring the pain without playing on subsystems as much, though.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.25: High Level Power

The build only really takes off with Chameleon Tattoo and Ascetic Hunter, and it starts suffering in the back third, but you're still doing so much better than standard monks that it's barely worth saying anything about.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.25: Two base classes
+0.25: No non-SI PrCs
-0.25: One 2-level dip
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

A mostly straightforward build. If it could work with Ranger 10/Tattooed Monk 10, it'd be perfect here.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Starts SI on time
+0.25: Finishes SI
-0.25: 3/6 SI features used
+0.50: Various little synergies

Monk features are kept up with TM and Ascetic Hunter, so marks there. Chameleon is carrying, as usual. Scorpion is a typical pick, and with good reason. Lion, Crescent Moon, and CW Spider just feel too circumstantial for me to think you're getting a ton out of them, even with the synergy you've found - uses/day are just too low. Synad and Decisive Strike are definitely helping though, so I'll add a small bonus for all the little synergies.

+3.00: Starting Position
-0.50: Human
-0.50: Monk
+0.00: Psychic Warrior
+0.25: Legacy Champion
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.00: Skill choices
+0.25: Overall concept

Psychic Warrior with Tashalatora was expected. Psychic Warrior without it...was not. This is the reason for that discrepancy. The fighting style is neat enough that you even get a pass for basically having nonexistent fluff.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.50: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.25: Mid-High Level Power
+0.25: High Level Power

You're making solid use of those tattoos, upgrading them and making a cohesive fighting style. Really, the only problem that's dragging you down is that it's fairly poison-based (a common immunity). But while that makes the back half of the build suffer a little bit, you're doing so well for most of it that it's forgivable. Full marks.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
+0.25: Two base classes
+0.25: No non-SI PrCs
-0.50: One 1-level dip
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources
-0.75: Fundamental RAW Issues

Legacy Champion doesn't work like that, no ifs ands or buts. Regardless of the order in which the levels are taken, you effectively have 13 levels in Tattooed Monk, and that means you only have 7 tattoos. You don't get the lvl 7 benefits twice. Additionally, while I agree that the technical language of the Tattoos ability doesn't specifically say that nonmagic tattoos don't improve your Tattoos ability, you're not going to find a DM that allows you to turn a handful of gp into extra uses of a dozen different special class features.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Starts SI on time
+0.25: Finishes SI
+1.50: 6/6 SI features used

I count LC as finishing the PrC, sure. You're not Tashalatora, so your monk stuff isn't going as far as it could, but you're doing well enough with Wis to make up for that loss. Deadly Spittle making Dragon Tattoo not complete garbage is an excellent find. Spider Tattoo working with Ancestral Relic and Spit Venom is making the garbage Spider tattoo not so garbage. Bamboo Tattoo has good synergy with your various poisons, so that's fine. Butterfly is always solid on Monk/PsyWar, even a nonTash one. Tortoise still isn't great on you, but it's less garbage than it usually is due to your improved effective level. Mountain Tattoo is less garbage on you, for upping Con/Wis and you having the range for the movement-penalty to not suck as hard. Scorpion is always solid, as is Bat even though barely anybody has taken it.

Overall, even if I were removing any given two tattoos for the LC nonsense, you still get 7 instead of 5, and there's only one of them where I don't think you're really making good use of it. You are without a doubt the most Tattooed Monk in the competition, full marks.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Changeling
+0.25: Rogue
-0.50: Monk
+0.00: Chameleon
+0.25: Marshal
+0.25: Warlock
+0.25: Feat choices
+0.50: Skill choices
+0.75: Overall concept

This is going in wildly different directions than I expected to see this competition. Full marks...at least for this category.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Low Level Power
+0.50: Low-Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid Level Power
+0.50: Mid-High Level Power
+0.50: High Level Power

Low levels are a bit middling, although rogue is still definitely better than monk. Levels 5 and 6 are where you take off, though, and while your personal combat potential is never anything to write home about against foes close to your level, your face role is so phenomenal that it's almost never going to matter again.

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: No templates
-0.75: Four base classes
+0.00: One non-SI PrC
-0.25: One 2-level dip
-1.00: Two 1-level dips
+0.25: No multiclass penalties
+0.25: Qualifies for everything
+0.25: List Of Sources

Let's be frank: you knew this was coming when you built the way you did. This is the category where you're making hard sacrifices for the sake of everything else. No more needs to be said on that. There is a slight presentation issue: you've got a really bad problem with line breaks, and it's making everything into walls of text. No penalty for that, just...try and work on it, okay?

+3.00: Starting Position
+0.25: Starts SI on time
+0.25: Finishes SI
+1.00: 5/6 SI features used

It isn't until lvl 12 that the AC bonus is doing anything for you, but the rest is helpful before then, and 12-20 is still a big portion of your career. I'm not enamored with Crescent Moon in general but especially on you: you've got multiple escape routes you can use besides this one. The rest can't even be argued, of course: Monkey and Tortoise are great on a skillmonkey, White Mask and Bellflower are great on a face. Overall it's just fantastic, even if it's far better solo than in a party.
AvatarVecna
2021-03-15, 07:23 PM
Build
AvatarVecna
Place


The Inkblot
17.00
5th


The One-Foot Wyrmling
12.50
11th


Captain O
17.25
3rd


Tedmiliun Tissopebillis
12.25
12th


Corentin
16.50
8th


Cole Sear
13.75
9th


Shiba Bajiquan
12.75
10th


G.R.8
12.25
12th


Kilroy
18.25
1st


Glaucon
16.75
6th


Mori Kumo
17.25
3rd


Juan T.
17.50
2nd


The Illustrated Woman
16.50
7th
H_H_F_F
2021-03-15, 08:16 PM
Thank you for judging, AvatarVecna! As always, I appreciate your fairness and clearness (is that a word?)

I have my gripes, but nothing I want to make a fuss over. No disputes from me.
The Viscount
2021-03-15, 08:27 PM
Thank you for judging, Avatar Vecna!
And thanks for the table.

Chefs, in the interests of keeping things moving I'll give 72 hours for disputes. (If people need more time, I can extend it).
daremetoidareyo
2021-03-15, 09:20 PM
No disputes here.
Korahir
2021-03-16, 01:41 AM
No disputes here. Thanks for judging.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-16, 04:04 AM
Snip

We sumbit disputes anonymously through a message to the chair if we want our score adjusted. If not, we wait until the reveal to discuss. Please edit your comment accordingly.
Paragon
2021-03-16, 06:42 AM
We sumbit disputes anonymously through a message to the chair if we want our score adjusted. If not, we wait until the reveal to discuss. Please edit your comment accordingly.

I deleted it, sry
Zaq
2021-03-16, 12:01 PM
I disagree with one aspect of the judgment of my dish, but it wouldn't affect the rankings, so I won't waste our time with it right now and I'll save it until after the final reveal.
Troacctid
2021-03-16, 01:54 PM
Doesn't it also compromise anonymity to say you have no disputes?
Thurbane
2021-03-16, 03:02 PM
Doesn't it also compromise anonymity to say you have no disputes?

To a small degree. It does help the chair get a sense of if it might be OK to bring the reveal time forward, though.
The Viscount
2021-03-16, 05:12 PM
What would a dispute period be without disputes?


In the interest of setting the record straight on the monk prestige class rules from OA—they were updated to 3.5 in Dragon #318 (page 35) and are now more in line with the mechanics of the revised monk. The Inkblot's table is based on the updated version.

I also have the references you asked about in your judgings for Corentin and Cole Sear. The Monster Manual glossary entry on damage reduction (page 307) has the rule about DR/magic. It was revised slightly in Rules Compendium (page 41) for clarity, with no functional changes. And the 3.5 update for the shaman (Dragon #318 again, page 34) does indeed include Combat Reflexes on their bonus feat list. (Neither of them is my build, but, you know, in case they don't get the chance to dispute it themselves, mise.)

Anyway, thanks for the praise!



Hi AvatarVecna, thank you for your judging. One very minor dispute and one question - you mentioned in UotSI that Crescent Moon is a bit redundant as an escape option, did you take into account my note about using it to get into places as well as out of them? I guess you probably did, but it felt worth raising.

Also a question, what did you mean about line breaks? Would you just prefer an extra line between paragraphs, like,

Her skin was a canvas of animated figures, each one moving on its own, and her eyes, her voice, everything was perfect.

Now this astonishing beautiful woman, a living work of art, was in his coach, pressed up against him, her voice washing over him as she showed him yet another of her tattoos and told him a story.
sort of thing? I... think I had that in the original document and it may have gotten stripped in transferring things to PMs. I'll keep an eye out for that, thanks.



Hey there,

Thank you for judging ! I'm amazed at how I never would have found such a discrepancy among the builds, this really broadens my horizons.

In the Cole Sear build, I check DrM 318 p34 does list Combat Reflexes as a bonus Shaman feat (in fact it takes away good feats for this one ^^)

I really appreciate how your judging is precise and don't bother changing the score since the difference between 9th and 8th place is 3 points, + 0.5 or +0.75 would not make a dent ;-)

I'm starting to love this competition !



In the Shiba Bajiquan build, I found the quote you were asking for :

If a creature has this kind of damage reduction,
such as DR 5/magic, it also has the magic strike ability (see
page 101)
and that page 101 goes :

Magic Strike
Natural weapon attacks made by a creature that has this
supernatural special attack are treated as magic for the
purpose of overcoming damage reduction
Kelb_Panthera
2021-03-16, 05:45 PM
Doesn't it also compromise anonymity to say you have no disputes?

Not really. If anyone says they have no disputes and then a dispute comes in, all you know is which one(s) -aren't- theirs. It doesn't give you any useful info on which one -is- anyone's build unless all but one contestant says "no dispute" and then one comes in. The potential is there but it's not a given by a fair shot.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-16, 06:12 PM
Not really. If anyone says they have no disputes and then a dispute comes in, all you know is which one(s) -aren't- theirs. It doesn't give you any useful info on which one -is- anyone's build unless all but one contestant says "no dispute" and then one comes in. The potential is there but it's not a given by a fair shot.

That can still happen, of course, especially in small rounds. However, a judge usually doesn't know/check who cooked for any given round, so 9/10 could say "no diputes" and the judge could still miss the disputer.

All that being said, I did have the same question as Troaccid when I first joined the competition, so I get her PoV.
The Viscount
2021-03-16, 10:49 PM
Finally finished up the build I was rolling around in my head.



The Hero with a Thousand Faces
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/sites/default/files/styles/the_breaking_news_image_style/public/wall-of-face-moulds-diversity.jpg

LN Changeling Rogue 2/Factotum 3/Master of Masks 6/Tattooed Monk 9

Stats
Str 14
Dex 14
Con 12
Int 16
Wis 10
Cha 12 (Increases here)

Backstory
In the blighted wastes of the Sea of Sands, there was a tyrant who reached for all that he could clutch, lording over access to the only oasis within a hundred miles. If you believe the talk coming from the region, a stranger with emerald eyes and raven hair, bearing the prophesied mark of the falcon appeared and wielded the serpent bow lain to rest a thousand years ago. They say he led the people to victory over the tyrant and then disappeared as soon as he came.

An oddly similar tale is coming from the Pearl Coasts, though of course their hero was dark-eyed and tawny haired, bearing the mark of the crab across his broad back, wielding the harpoon once said to belong to the great Diver of Depths himself.

I’m sure you’ve heard all these and more, being so well-traveled. You’ve surely heard of the prophecy the folk tell here of a dark wanderer with eyes of deepest blue, emblazoned with the mark of the phoenix, who will retrieve the long lost two-bladed sword of the king. The people of the Skybreak Mountains are not so optimistic, and they say this legendary hero will either usher in a new age or plunge the mountains into darkness. Funny little story, isn’t it?

Opposite the table a hooded figure drew back a black hood and removed a blank mask. For the briefest moment the face behind almost seemed a copy of the mask, before resolving into strong features and piercing blue eyes.
“I’m listening.”

Build


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


1st
Changeling Rogue 1
+0
+0
+2
+0
Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Disguise 4, Gather Information 4, Hide 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Intimidate 4, Jump 4, Move Silently 4, Perform (Act) 4, Sense Motive 4, Tumble 4, Use Magic Device 4 (Languages: Common, Elven, Dwarven, Orc)
Able Learner
Sneak Attack +1d6, Social Intuition


2nd
Rogue 2
+1
+0
+3
+0
Bluff 5, Diplomacy 5, Disguise 5, Gather Information 5, Knowledge (Religion) 5, Intimidate 5, Jump 5, Perform (Act) 5, Sense Motive 5, Tumble 5, Use Magic Device 5

Evasion


3rd
Factotum 1
+1
+0
+5
+0
Balance 2, Bluff 6, Diplomacy 6, Disguise 6, Knowledge (Religion) 6, Perform (Act) 6, Tumble 6, Use Magic Device 6
Improved Unarmed Strike
Inspiration, Cunning Insight, Cunning Knowledge, Trapfinding


4th
Factotum 2
+2
+0
+6
+0
Balance 4, Bluff 7, Diplomacy 7, Disguise 7, Knowledge (Religion) 7, Perform (Act) 7, Tumble 7, Use Magic Device 7

Arcane Dilettante (1 spell)


5th
Factotum 3
+3
+1
+6
+1
Balance 5, Bluff 8, Diplomacy 8, Disguise 8, Knowledge (Religion) 8, Perform (Act), 8, Tumble 8, Use Magic Device 8

Brains over Brawn, Cunning Defense


6th
Master of Masks 1
+3
+1
+8
+3
Bluff 9, Diplomacy 9, Disguise 9, Gather Information 6, Sense Motive 6, Tumble 9, Use Magic Device 9
Improved Grapple
Persona Masks (Faceless, Gladiator)


7th
Master of Masks 2
+4
+1
+9
+4
Bluff 10, Diplomacy 10, Disguise 10, Gather Information 7, Sense Motive 7, Tumble 10, Use Magic Device 10

Persona Masks (Assassin)


8th
Master of Masks 3
+4
+2
+9
+4
Bluff 11, Diplomacy 11, Disguise 11, Gather Information 8, Sense Motive 8, Tumble 11, Use Magic Device 11

Mask Specialist, Persona Masks (Savage)


9th
Master of Masks 4
+5
+2
+10
+5
Bluff 12, Diplomacy 12, Disguise 12, Gather Information 9, Sense Motive 9, Tumble 12, Use Magic Device 12
Endurance



10th
Master of Masks 5
+5
+2
+10
+5
Bluff 13, Diplomacy 13, Disguise 13, Gather Information 10, Sense Motive 10, Tumble 13, Use Magic Device 13

Many Faces (2, move), Persona Masks (Angel)


11th
Master of Masks 6
+6/+1
+3
+11
+6
Bluff 14, Diplomacy 14, Disguise 14, Gather Information 11, Sense Motive 11, Tumble 14, Use Magic Device 14

Hidden Mask


12th
Tattooed Monk 1
+6/+1
+5
+13
+8
Bluff 15, Diplomacy 15, Disguise 15, Gather Information 12, Sense Motive 12, Tumble 15, Use Magic Device 15
Racial Emulation
Monk Abilities, Tattoo (White Mask)


13th
Tattooed Monk 2
+7/+2
+6
+14
+9
Bluff 16, Diplomacy 16, Disguise 16, Gather Information 13, Sense Motive 13, Tumble 16, Use Magic Device 16




14th
Tattooed Monk 3
+8/+3
+6
+14
+9
Bluff 17, Diplomacy 17, Disguise 17, Gather Information 14, Sense Motive 14, Tumble 17, Use Magic Device 17

Tattoo (Falcon)


15th
Tattooed Monk 4
+9/+4
+7
+15
+10
Bluff 18, Diplomacy 18, Disguise 18, Gather Information 15, Sense Motive 15, Tumble 18, Use Magic Device 18
Staggering Strike



16th
Tattooed Monk 5
+9/+4
+7
+15
+10
Bluff 19, Diplomacy 19, Disguise 19, Gather Information 16, Sense Motive 17, Tumble 19

Tattoo (Ocean)


17th
Tattooed Monk 6
+10/+5
+8
+16
+11
Bluff 20, Diplomacy 20, Disguise 20, Gather Information 18, Sense Motive 19




18th
Tattooed Monk 7
+11/+6/+1
+8
+16
+11
Bluff 21, Diplomacy 21, Disguise 21, Gather Information 20, Sense Motive 21
Martial Study (Wall of Blades)
Tattoo (Crab)


19th
Tattooed Monk 8
+12/+7/+2
+9
+17
+12
Bluff 22, Diplomacy 22, Disguise 22, Gather Information 22, Sense Motive 22, Speak Language (Undercommon)




20th
Tattooed Monk 9
+12/+7/+2
+9
+17
+12
Bluff 23, Diplomacy 23, Disguise 23, Gather Information 23, Sense Motive 23, Speak Language (Goblin, Draconic)

Tattoo (Phoenix)



Level 5
The overall concept for the build sprang from how fantasy heroes are often signified with their specific birthmarks, and how manifesting a bunch of tattoos might allow you to fulfill a similar sort of role, though perhaps with somewhat less lofty intentions. I had fun with it.

If you’re a Changeling and you have levels in Rogue, you must take the racial substitution level at 1. You gotta. Able Learner plus factotum means all skills as class skills forever, so you’re flexible to pick stuff you want. I focused on social skills. Three levels of factotum is enough to boost skills with Brains over Brawn. It would certainly make sense to boost Int instead of Cha for this character for better Factotum returns, I just decided to lean on the face aspect more. Arcane Dilettante can cover many things to taste. Hard to go wrong with true strike for that dramatic decisive blow.

Level 10
Playing with the concept some more, I decided to revisit an old SI in master of masks. It provides some flexibility in class features allowing you to fit multiple roles. Gladiator’s proficiency with all weapons means that no matter the weird prophesied weapon it will always be something you can easily wield. Faceless helps preserve your mystique as a stranger wandering into town and protection against those who would try to learn about you. Assassin boosts sneak attacking, savage provides additional attacks, especially useful if unarmed, and angel protects against those dramatic falls heroes are always getting into.

Level 15
Yeah, I went one level over, but you’re going to look like a clown if you can’t make your masks invisible. No point in being this good at disguise if people can’t see your face. The vibe I went for with tattoos is the kind of things the fabled hero of legend might do. White mask provides an even stronger anti-divination so you can be a mysterious stranger that nobody knows about when you walk into town. It also means persona immersion isn’t necessary. Falcon means you have a hero’s heart, and can rally the common folk if it’s that kind of story. Racial Emulation makes it easier for you to use prophesied weapons that would only respond to the chosen one, and negate the irritating penalty for disguising as a different race that would otherwise always follow a Changeling. Staggering strike turns sneak attack from damage to damage with a debuff rider. Around now we hit the point where you can reliably hit tumble and UMD DCs, so you can stop investing points.

Level 20
Ocean cuts down on physical needs to enable that long tireless travel across inhospitable lands that seems so common. Crab provides moderate DR to emulate that general heroic grit, but equally importantly, this means your attacks also overcome DR/magic. Phoenix puts a nice cherry on top with spell resistance, which I also thought a nice way to represent a hero’s resilience. Wall of Blades is a way to parry stuff, because the most important ability of a hero is their ability to deflect laser beams.

Sources
Changeling Rogue ACF, Racial Emulation: Races of Eberron
Factotum: Dungeonscape
Master of Masks: Complete Scoundrel
Racial Emulation: Races of Eberron
Staggering strike: Complete Adventurer
Martial Study: Tome of Battle
Rogue, Endurance, Improved Grapple, Improved Unarmed Strike: srd
H_H_F_F
2021-03-17, 04:48 AM
Finally finished up the build I was rolling around in my head.

I like this a lot. Has a very cool and unique vibe, and good thematic reasons to use uncommon tattoos. I will say, though, that it doesn't really scream "lawful" to me.
Zaq
2021-03-17, 10:00 AM
Yeah, fun stuff, Viscount! That's a neat way to optimize around a specific theme. I had briefly toyed with the idea of a changeling rogue with the white mask tattoo, but I couldn't think of a proper hook to make it really click beyond "me lie good." (Nor could I think of a reason to stay in tattooed monk on that character.) I like where you went with it!
Thurbane
2021-03-17, 02:43 PM
I will likely be using a Tattooed Monk dip for an NPC at some stage, purely for White Mask. It's a great ability for a spy/infiltrator/deceiver build...
H_H_F_F
2021-03-17, 02:52 PM
I will likely be using a Tattooed Monk dip for an NPC at some stage, purely for White Mask. It's a great ability for a spy/infiltrator/deceiver build...

I've done that on a PC build!

Then again, I spent years with CW being one of the 4 splatbooks available to me.
The Viscount
2021-03-17, 03:28 PM
I like this a lot. Has a very cool and unique vibe, and good thematic reasons to use uncommon tattoos. I will say, though, that it doesn't really scream "lawful" to me.

Oh I agree it's not screaming lawful, but the SI dictates that aspect of alignment. I had pondered about incorporating something about fulfilling the prophecies being part of the world, more Mercedes Lackey's 500 Kingdoms and less 3 Amigos. I couldn't think of a good way to really integrate it, so I went for brevity instead.
AvatarVecna
2021-03-17, 03:35 PM
I'll check out the revised OA table update in Dragon.


One very minor dispute and one question - you mentioned in UotSI that Crescent Moon is a bit redundant as an escape option, did you take into account my note about using it to get into places as well as out of them? I guess you probably did, but it felt worth raising.

Getting in before something bad has happened is easier than getting out once something bad has happened. You are pretty great at social infiltration, and fairly good at physical infiltration (particularly with your on-call invisibility). The 1/day ability to walk through walls isn't particularly impressive to me, which kinda reflects in basically every single build that uses it. It's a solid defensive-tactic for escaping a fight without getting hurt, but the use limitation and the inability to affect others while ethereal means it's exclusively for running away, rather than gaining a tactical edge in a fight. And you in particular already have plenty of "running away options" (as well as "breaking in" options, for that matter).

I believe you have the right of it regarding line breaks: idk where exactly the problem came from, but the version of your character in-thread has all the paragraphs pushed together and it makes my eyes swim.

To the others, I will adjust your scoring to reflect my new understanding of DR/magic. Thanks! :smallsmile:
The Viscount
2021-03-17, 09:19 PM
Thank you for your speedy response, AvatarVecna.

Reminder, everyone. Deadline is in ~23 hours for disputes.
The Viscount
2021-03-17, 11:10 PM
One more for you, AvatarVecna.



@ Ferocity & Alignment change
First I would argue if RAI (designer intention) really supports your claims. While Ferocity has many of the limitation that normal rage does, it is still not the same. The ACF comes from Cityscape, which represents uncommon Barbarians in an unnatural environment. They have to live under civilized rules (or at least pretend to be lawful) and can't live by the natural law of the strongest/fittest. As such it would be totally fitting the fluff (design intention) to let it also work without the alignment restrictions. Imho this leaves us in a state where we can argue about design intentions, but have a clear RAW situation here.
Further the alignment change is something to be expected for most warforged if you play em by the book. It's mentioned that many start as neutral living constructs and later can start to develop believes/concepts about law, chaos, good and evil. It is in line with with fluff and the rules. I don't see any reason to treat it as alignment shenanigan and penalize it. It just a nice coincidence that it fits together with the fluff and the mechanics.
Finally, we are talking about a small imho insignificant part of the build (1/day that doesn't get any further progress and synergy). Even if a/the DM would rule against it, it is not what the build defines and makes it strong. I don't see it justified to penalize such a insignificant part of the build. It is not part of the main selling point of the build, nor is it rule/game breaking.

@ Chrysanthemum and Touch of the Shadow Sun
Chrysanthenum still remains relevant for those chases where the character drops below 0 HP. Since his shadow can drag him into safety, this remains a useful and reliable backup plan. Chrysanthemum is still one of the earliest accessible heals for this build. Touch of the Shadow Sun + Shadow companion would come online at a minimum lvl of 9. And as warforged you need some form of constant healing to make up for the missing natural healing (besides from the option to "repair" with the craft skill). Having access to Chrysanthemum so early is important and it remains usefulness even with access to Touch of the Shadow Sun.

@ Phoenix
It may not be the highest SR achievable for that lvl, but it's still another defensive layer against spells. Why would it be bad to add it? It's like saying: adding a second 20% mischance to somebody already having 50% mischances (if they stack) would be a bad thing. It's still a second layer of defense. People with medicore saves still rely on them when their SR (if the have any) fails. Just because this build has overall good saves doesn't mean that a medicore SR value is useless. It's another layer of defense to be the pain in the ass of any caster.

@ Falcon
Reread the tattoo description pls. The aura provides "number of tattoos + CHA bonus (if any: note that penalties aren't bonuses and thus don't apply). While it is not as high at it could be, it is still a +5 moral bonus for your allies. And +5 is a high value for this (other sources I know are capped at +4 most of the time).

@Tortoise
I don't get what you are criticizing here? Do you want to talk bad about the ability itself? Or is 9 from a possible 10 bonus to much of a difference (since I didn't take the last TM level)? Sure I didn't build anything that has any synergy with the ability, but it is still a great Jack Of All Trades ability. Be it situational physical activity skill checks (balance, escape artist, swim, jump..) or some fundamental basic knowledge in all topics and locations. I don't get what you are complaining here about?

@ Alternative Options for Alter Self
Your statement ain't true imho. The Tattooed Monk is the sole option I am aware of that has a Alter Self duration measured in hours/prc lvl. Having up to 9hours (in my chase) uptime for each form change is a build defining aspect. And Urban Shaping into Animated Objects comes online at lvl 16! No, this build can't be that easily replicated without the Tattooed Monk. TM is build defining and not replaceable here.

@Knowledge Religion
I feel that I didn't get any credit for bumping Knowledge Religion and basing the entire fluff of almost all the abilities on it (even those not from Tattooed Monk). Something that most of the other builds have ignored. I was hoping for some some extra credits for UotSI due to this.
AvatarVecna
2021-03-18, 01:01 AM
First I would argue if RAI (designer intention) really supports your claims. While Ferocity has many of the limitation that normal rage does, it is still not the same. The ACF comes from Cityscape, which represents uncommon Barbarians in an unnatural environment. They have to live under civilized rules (or at least pretend to be lawful) and can't live by the natural law of the strongest/fittest. As such it would be totally fitting the fluff (design intention) to let it also work without the alignment restrictions. Imho this leaves us in a state where we can argue about design intentions, but have a clear RAW situation here.

Elegance, or at least the way I judge Elegance, is a measure of how problematic a build would be to bring to the table - not a specific table, but tables in general. The tables I've played at online have tended to allow a ridiculous array of various nonsense from nothing to everything, so I tend to use my IRL experience with gaming groups to get a gauge on what would be problematic and what wouldn't be. At the tables I've played at, dips get weird looks, and excessive dipping results in arguments about what constitutes munchkinry. Despite it being something that nobody online seems to care about, every 3.5 game I've ever gotten to actually play in person took multiclass penalties very seriously, so I give a slight penalty if somebody breaks them. And when there's little rules quibbles to be made, questionable interpretations, or obviously-legal-but-clearly-cheesy tactics occurring, those tend to be punished by me because IME those things tend to inevitably start an argument.

RAI can be Rules As Intended or Rules As Interpreted. You are correct that Ferocity is very similar to, but not identical to, Rage. You can make an argument that it's designer intention that Ferocity and other rage-replacement abilities are intended to be available to Lawful Ex-Barbarians. But at the tables I've played at, if you showed up with a Lawful build that dipped barbarian and used the rage-replacement, that's gonna start an argument. And when you bust out the "technically the rules say--" you're gonna get cut off and the law will be laid down. This isn't going to happen at all tables - in fact, I'd wager that this wouldn't happen at most tables. But it will happen at some, and because it's getting into tricky territory, you get a small ding for it.


Further the alignment change is something to be expected for most warforged if you play em by the book. It's mentioned that many start as neutral living constructs and later can start to develop believes/concepts about law, chaos, good and evil. It is in line with with fluff and the rules. I don't see any reason to treat it as alignment shenanigan and penalize it. It just a nice coincidence that it fits together with the fluff and the mechanics.

Warforged played by the book are neutral at the point of birth, as literally all creatures are. They develop personalities over time, as all creatures do. Actions that take place during play can very well change their outlook on life, their ideology, and even their metaphysical alignment...as it can for all creatures. That they change over time isn't the issue - the issue is that it's occurring during play, and what happens in play and how events influence characters isn't entirely within your control. Generally these kinds of changes will have occurred prior to game start, and either don't affect mechanics (because they all happened before lvl 1), or they require DM permission (if they're post-lvl 1, and particularly if they are relevant to the mechanics). The fact that it is mechanically convenient to change alignments is half the issue. There might just be no justification for an alignment change in a given game, and while it makes sense for the story you've set out here, that makes it a build that's only useful if you're playing through a rather particular character arc. Because it essentially adds fluff prereqs to the build as a whole in order for it to legally function, or it requires a DM who's a bit less stringent on alignment stuff in general - because anybody trying to build like this is going to need a convenient reason to change alignments - it gets a small ding. These two small dings, being connected, are built up into a whole quarter point penalty. Oooooooh so bad.


Finally, we are talking about a small imho insignificant part of the build (1/day that doesn't get any further progress and synergy). Even if a/the DM would rule against it, it is not what the build defines and makes it strong. I don't see it justified to penalize such a insignificant part of the build. It is not part of the main selling point of the build, nor is it rule/game breaking.

If it's so insignificant, why bother pitching a paragraphs-long fit about it?


@ Chrysanthemum and Touch of the Shadow Sun
Chrysanthenum still remains relevant for those chases where the character drops below 0 HP. Since his shadow can drag him into safety, this remains a useful and reliable backup plan. Chrysanthemum is still one of the earliest accessible heals for this build. Touch of the Shadow Sun + Shadow companion would come online at a minimum lvl of 9. And as warforged you need some form of constant healing to make up for the missing natural healing (besides from the option to "repair" with the craft skill). Having access to Chrysanthemum so early is important and it remains usefulness even with access to Touch of the Shadow Sun.

I don't deny that Chrysanthemum is useful to you early on. The difficulty in healing warforged, and the necessity for it, means that any source is going to be pretty valuable, the earlier the better. I fully understand why you took this one first instead of Chameleon despite the latter doing so much more for you. And I'm not saying it becomes useless post-Touch, as much as niche or use-impaired. That being said, I went back to check, and at least the way this build is shaking out, the tattoo comes online at lvl 6, and the unlimited healing shenanigans kick in at lvl 15. That's a wide swath in your career where Chrysanthemum is carrying your heals, so I'm not giving it enough credit (even if I still think it's going to come up very infrequently in the late-game). This will result in a score change.


@ Phoenix
It may not be the highest SR achievable for that lvl, but it's still another defensive layer against spells. Why would it be bad to add it? It's like saying: adding a second 20% mischance to somebody already having 50% mischances (if they stack) would be a bad thing. It's still a second layer of defense. People with medicore saves still rely on them when their SR (if the have any) fails. Just because this build has overall good saves doesn't mean that a medicore SR value is useless. It's another layer of defense to be the pain in the ass of any caster.

I never said it was "useless", or "bad to add it". But it's significantly worse than you could be getting out of it, and as a consequence of your level delays, it's just not going to be useful as frequently as more fitting tattoos. It's not that SR 20 is bad, it's that it's not going to make a hell of a lot of impact at lvl 16. If it was coming online at lvl 10, that'd be a much different story, but it's not.


@ Falcon
Reread the tattoo description pls. The aura provides "number of tattoos + CHA bonus (if any: note that penalties aren't bonuses and thus don't apply). While it is not as high at it could be, it is still a +5 moral bonus for your allies. And +5 is a high value for this (other sources I know are capped at +4 most of the time).

I will grant you that I misread the ability. I still think the Falcon tattoo is very lame despite that. Immunity to fear is useful-ish on characters who are otherwise vulnerable to it, but a monk isn't generally going to be one of those people anyway (and especially not one as multiclassed as you are). The range also isn't particularly helpful - unless the party is grouped up already, people are likely going to have to go without the bonus. I can't say it's useless exactly, because I can imagine plenty of cases where it's useful (if you are grouped up, Frightening Presence poses a much lesser threat). A big part of the issue is that it comes online too late to be useful - where most characters would be getting this tattoo at lvl 14, you're getting it at lvl 20 - and quite frankly, effects like this have been around since level 3 via paladins, and even as early as lvl 6 via Tattooed Monk. You could play a hundred games with this character and you'd maybe see this ability come up in one of them if you were lucky.

If you could absolutely count on an ally always remaining constantly within that zone of fear-resistance, I could maybe give you a bit of a pass with this. And to your credit, you do have a rider who's coming along with you all the time, by the time you get the Falcon tattoo. Unfortunately, that rider is a shadow, who is already immune to fear by virtue of undead immunity to mind-affecting. So there's nothing gained there.


@Tortoise
I don't get what you are criticizing here? Do you want to talk bad about the ability itself? Or is 9 from a possible 10 bonus to much of a difference (since I didn't take the last TM level)? Sure I didn't build anything that has any synergy with the ability, but it is still a great Jack Of All Trades ability. Be it situational physical activity skill checks (balance, escape artist, swim, jump..) or some fundamental basic knowledge in all topics and locations. I don't get what you are complaining here about?

On its own, it is a terrible JOAT ability. Low use-per-day, and admittedly a decent number of ranks, but it lasts for the duration of a single check. Monkey gives half as much bonus, but can only be applied to 9 skills, and doesn't stack with magic items for those same skills, but it works all day on every check made with those nine skills. Tortoise gets worth using when you build around giving it synergy with other versatile JOAT abilities to have them all collectively add up to a proper skillmonkey character. And you don't. You're just slightly less bad at 4 or 5 checks per day, starting at lvl 18.


@ Alternative Options for Alter Self
Your statement ain't true imho. The Tattooed Monk is the sole option I am aware of that has a Alter Self duration measured in hours/prc lvl. Having up to 9hours (in my chase) uptime for each form change is a build defining aspect. And Urban Shaping into Animated Objects comes online at lvl 16! No, this build can't be that easily replicated without the Tattooed Monk. TM is build defining and not replaceable here.

A custom item will do the trick, but that's true of most builds using Chameleon. What's different with your build is how little use you're actually getting out of the rest of your abilities. You don't actually care about having the Phoenix Tattoo for slight resistance against some spells on a build that already has great Touch AC and saves - you just need to fill the slot with something, anything so you can keep getting that Chameleon Tattoo upgraded. Who cares if Tortoise comes up 5 times a day at best and just lets me attempt things I'm not good at? It gives me another form change per day!

You're not a tattoos guy. You're a tattoo guy. If you could take Chameleon 5 times you would have. If you could get what you wanted out of Chameleon 1, you would've just dipped this class too.


@Knowledge Religion
I feel that I didn't get any credit for bumping Knowledge Religion and basing the entire fluff of almost all the abilities on it (even those not from Tattooed Monk). Something that most of the other builds have ignored. I was hoping for some some extra credits for UotSI due to this.

Playing into the fluff of a PrCs prereqs isn't something I generally do (I didn't do this for the grapplers either). Sometimes, if I feel that the fluff implied by the class and the prereq commonly go ignored, and that it's particularly important and only gets ignored because people are cheese-weasels who don't care about the fluff very much, I might give a slight bonus for leaning into things you didn't have to. But this is rare, because most PrCs prereqs aren't particularly important in and of themselves - they're almost always skills and core feats that nobody likes and they only reason you have to take them is so that a tax must be paid for the PrC because otherwise anybody could become a [Whatever Example Prestige Class].

And we've discussed the meaninglessness of this particular PrCs prereqs in this very thread: it doesn't require Improved Grapple or Knowledge Religion because the fluff of tattooed monks are bound at the hip to "pious wrestler" aesthetic, it's the designers taking pains to make sure that only monks will bother to enter this class.

Prereqs rarely matter to me, but this time around they extra didn't matter.
The Viscount
2021-03-18, 08:44 PM
It's that time! Here's the reveal.



Build
Chef
AvatarVecna
Place


The Inkblot
Troacctid
17.00
5th


The One-Foot Wyrmling
H_H_F_F
12.50
11th


Captain O
H_H_F_F_
17.25
3rd


Tedmiliun Tissopebillis
Korahir
12.25
12th


Corentin
Zaq
16.50
8th


Cole Sear
Paragon
13.75
9th


Shiba Bajiquan
Paragon
12.75
10th


G.R.8
12.25
Gruftzwerg
12th


Kilroy
Venger
18.25
1st


Glaucon
WhamBamSam
16.75
6th


Mori Kumo
WhamBamSam
17.25
3rd


Juan T.
daremetoidareyou
17.50
2nd


The Illustrated Woman
NotInventedHere
16.50
7th



Congratulations to everyone for a fun round with great turnout! Next round up shortly.
Zaq
2021-03-18, 08:47 PM
Woo, HM! Did not expect that, but I'm very happy for it.

This was a heck of a round! Remarkably wide variety of builds for an ingredient I generally found uninspiring through the building process. I was very impressed by most if not all of the other builds on display here!
WhamBamSam
2021-03-18, 09:15 PM
Good round all. Congrats to Venger, dare, H_H_F_F, and Zaq. I was hoping Glaucon's Sun Devotion+Tenebrous+Chrysanthemum trick would go over better, but glad to see Kumo get on the podium.

Here are two more stubs that I didn't submit aside from the one I posted earlier in the thread. All told, I had five stubs for five different creature types, and was reasonably happy with all of them.

LE Dragonwrought Jungle Kobold Monk 2/Binder 1/Totemist 2/Tattooed Monk 10/Hidecarved Dragon 5
1. Monk 1 – Dragonwrought, IUS, Improved Grapple
2. Monk 2 – Combat Reflexes
3. Totemist 1 – Kobold Endurance
4. Totemist 2
5. Binder 1
6. Tattooed Monk 1 (Chameleon) – Improved Binding
7. Tattooed Monk 2
8. Tattooed Monk 3 (Crab)
9. Tattooed Monk 4 – Bonus Essentia
10. Tattooed Monk 5 (Bamboo)
11. Tattooed Monk 6
12. Tattooed Monk 7 (Phoenix) – Defensive Shell
13. Tattooed Monk 8
14. Tattooed Monk 9 (Mountain)
15. Tattooed Monk 10 – Iron Will*
16. Hidecarved Dragon 1
17. Hidecarved Dragon 2
18. Hidecarved Dragon 3 – Metamorphic Transfer
19. Hidecarved Dragon 4
20. Hidecarved Dragon 5
*If you can get Iron Will from the Otyugh Hole, take Flyby Attack instead.

18 Base Con+3 (stat boosts)+5 (Bamboo Tattoo)+4 (Mountain Tattoo)=30, giving a +5 natural armor from Dahlver-Nar. Add that to +8 from assuming the form of a Bozzak Draconian, 6 from the Wormtail Belt with 4 essentia invested (bound to Totem to increase capacity) and 1 from BoVD self-mutilation to scrape the +20 natural armor necessary to enter Hidecarved Dragon via temporary qualification. Hidecarved Dragon maintains scaling for the Phoenix Tattoo's SR, and improves the Crab Tattoo's DR both numerically and by making it DR/magic and chaotic which is much harder to get through. Defensive Shell is a host feat, granting a ML for Metamorphic Transfer to pick up Breath Weapons and whatnot.

LE Necropolitan Strongheart Halfling PsyWar 5/Tattooed Monk 8/Legacy Champion 7
1. PsyWar 1 – Improved Unarmed Strike, Endurance, Psicrystal Affinity
2. PsyWar 2 – Linked Power
3. PsyWar 3 – Improved Grapple
4. PsyWar 4
5. PsyWar 5 – Metapower (Linked Hustle)
6. Tattooed Monk 1 (Dragon) – Deadly Spittle
7. Tattoeed Monk 2
8. Tattooed Monk 3 (Chameleon)
9. Tattooed Monk 4 – Metamorphic Transfer
10. Tattooed Monk 5 (Scorpion)
11. Tattooed Monk 6
12. Tattooed Monk 7 (Phoenix) – Psicrystal Containment
13. Tattooed Monk 8
14. Legacy Champ 1
15. Legacy Champ 2 (Crescent Moon) – Metamorphic Transfer
16. Legacy Champ 3
17. Legacy Champ 4 (Tortoise)
18. Legacy Champ 5 – Improved Spit
19. Legacy Champ 6 (Centipede)
20. Legacy Champ 7

Undead forms including Tomb Mote for Quickness, Vampire Spawn for Gaseous Form, a bunch of things including Vampire Spawn with the full suite of abilities necessary to Create Spawn thanks to Metamorphic Transfer x2. Can spit with the Dragon Tattoo a bunch of times per day thanks to extended Legacy Champ progression with Deadly Spittle/Improved Spit making it a 30 ft cone, and the ability to Hustle out a bunch in a given turn. Also had some Tortoise Tattoo weirdness around making Bluff/Diplomacy checks as if I had ranks in Speak Language, and then memorizing vocabulary/grammar rules with Autohypnosis.
Troacctid
2021-03-18, 10:14 PM
Well, I'm glad I entered, because if I hadn't, there wouldn't have been a single proper monk-based build in the contest! Someone had to do it.
The Viscount
2021-03-18, 10:34 PM
Well, I'm glad I entered, because if I hadn't, there wouldn't have been a single proper monk-based build in the contest! Someone had to do it.

We respect your sacrifice.
Troacctid
2021-03-18, 10:46 PM
We respect your sacrifice.
Sacrifice nothing! Monk is the best entry class.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-18, 10:56 PM
Congrats, medalists! And thanks again for judging, AV - and as always, huge thanks to our chairman! Your work is, as always, very appreciated.

I have some thoughts I'll share later.

See you all next round!
Korahir
2021-03-18, 11:11 PM
Finally managed to place last :)
Congrats to everybody. Great round.
NotInventedHere
2021-03-19, 07:22 AM
Congrats to everyone! And thank you so much to AvatarVecna for judging.

This was my first time cooking for Iron Chef and I'm really glad that the flavour and ideas I put in were appreciated. :) Looking back I'm pretty sure I unnecessarily screwed myself over with those two last-minute dips of Marshal 1 and Warlock 1; I assumed they'd be necessary to keep my power curve up, but I think they really only hurt my score. Live and learn.

There was a real great set of entries and I'm proud to have been beaten by them. I'll get you next time!
H_H_F_F
2021-03-19, 11:22 AM
So, thoughts on this round and explaining my process with my entries, and I guess thoughts on the competition in general. This got long and slightly ranty, unfortunately, but I don't have the energy to edit it right now. Feel free to ignore this post.

First thing first, congrats to all the chefs. This was in many ways a hard SI to work with, and the results are spectacular. Well done. Venger 100% deserved the win with Kilroy, IMO - awesome fluff, and mechanically creative. My favorite submission (who would have gotten my vote for HM if not for winning a medal) is definitely Mori Kumo. Cool feel, innovative mechanics, utilizing suboptimal feats - "ranger monk" is kind of an obvious entry, but Whambamsam went about it in a very clever way.

Other than that, I'm very surprised we haven't seen any frostblood orcs or half orcs this round. I had a stub for a frostblood orc monk/totemist, but I just couldn't make it interesting.

Now, for what I actually did:

I spent a lot of time on Chi-Pokkena. A LOT. The idea of her morphed and changed as I worked, but at the heart was always a tiny muckdweller wanting to be a dragon, going for unusual tattoos and for grappling. The tattooed monk kind of sucks, and I wanted to take some of its suckiest properties and make them viable, on a base that was never meant to accomplish such things. That developed into the idea of "Use the worst options you have at almost every intersection and still come out on top".

Getting that to work was very, very hard. You wouldn't have guessed it, but managing to get a decent grappling bonus/tactic while being a 6-inch centipede is not something the game is really built for doing. I'm very proud of making that work, and I'm very proud of Chi-Pokkena in general.

But while working, I was having a hard time motivating myself - both because I had a hard time getting the fluff exactly how I wanted it, and because I knew the one foot wyrmling was going to get a terrible score. It's hard to put so much effort and creativity into something while all along feeling that it won't at all be appreciated.

While I certainly expected her to score terribly, I was NOT expecting this distribution. I would have never given Chi-Pokkena a 3.75 on power. She's fantastic at what she does compared to how bad she should have been, but despite having the unarmed damage of a monk 19, she doesn't have the damage output to make enough of a difference. I think she deserves around 2.25, and I expected her to be underappreciated and score closer to 1. Maybe AV just gave her a base power score suited for a binder/KoSS, ignoring the fact that she's hard-locked into both of her vestiges, and that one of them is utter trash?

On the other hand, I certainly didn't expect her to take only 3.5 in originality. I made what I think were very unexpected tattoo choices (granted, something AV didn't care about across the field). I played a muckdweller - which I was very surprised to see treated as a pretty expected race. Wolfem's spreadsheet, for example, lists only 4 muckdwellers in the history of the competition up to DoM round, and I'd be shocked if even one of them was Str based. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if no one on these forums has ever seen in play or in theory either a muckdweller dedicated grappler or a Knight of the Sacred Seal (or any mid level binder, really) dedicated to Ronove - not to mention both in the same entry.

To finish up the discussion of AV's judgement of her (which I didn't dispute and am not angry with, just disagree) I'll address a few points: The claws+Unarmed strike synergy I mentioned regarded to the fact that you can't use claws with any held weapon, you need unarmed strike to get advantage of both BaB and claws. She hits with her claws and with her unarmed strikes for multiple attacks every turn, which is why the tiger tattoo is important to her. Also, she can't flurry anyway, so not sure what the unorthodox flurry comment was about.
The Dragon tattoo is not anywhere near useless IMO - I specifically said it would have been completely useless without the feat support. As is, it's a 10 by 10 entangling barrier exhaled as a move action, a few times per day. Not supremely powerful, but far from useless when applied cleverly.
Finally, I don't know whether or not the ruling on the feral-DoB interaction is RAW or RAI, but either way it's not how I understood the template and I understand the penalty. I wasn't trying to be sneaky, it's just how I understood the template and the term "race" to work.

Though I didn't anticipate such a low originality score, I did as I said expect to end up last or nearly last. I felt bitter about that, which is where my "protest" entry came into being. I decided I'll do an entry that would have no investment, no creativity, no real effort. Coldly doing the bare minimum to not score too low in originality, and just going for power and simplicity in order to get the maximal score without actually devoting any effort. As his fluff suggests, he was meant to be a soulless entry, completely devoid of passion or authenticity on my side.

I decided the go-to would be a human unarmed swordsage 10/ SI 10, so I went for Azurin Warblade instead (btw, I'm glad AvatarVecna didn't fall for that part and fully penalized my racial choice.) I would do some grappling, instead of just maneuvers, and would take a few incarnum feats to appear as if I actually gave a **** about being Azurin. I'd take one or two boring and less powerful tattoos, and go for straight power without any interesting synergies with the rest. I debated whether to call the entry "Captain Obvious" or "EZ Bronze", which is where I (correctly) guessed I'd end up. From the moment of deciding to make an obvious entry to the moment I had exact level layout, ability scores, skills, feats, and end-game maneuvers, less than an hour went by. It took another hour or so to format everything into the tables, do the exact maneuver progression over the levels, deciding on the fluff idea and finding a picture. I did devote my usual amount of energy to writing engaging, fun fluff though.

I'm happy to have gotten a medal, of course, but there was certainly a big part of me that really wished Captain O would be bashed as the soulless hack he is and end up very far from any medals. I devoted so much energy into making an absolutely bonkers build that also had a good mechanical reason to take the ocean tattoo, managed to make the dragon tattoo useful, got so much more out of mountain than the average Str build would while managing to cleverly negate its downsides... but the "Just go initiator 10 and take the strongest tattoos lol" entry was the one to bring home a medal.

What exactly was my protest build protesting? To be frank, I don't know. I know I'm sad that the system incentivizes entries like Captain O, but I don't know how to change that. Maybe I just need to learn to completely ignore the medals and the criteria, and just cook what I wanna cook.

Thank you to everyone who stuck through this with me, I appreciate you reading. Thanks again to all the chefs, our judge, and our Chairman. Despite the somewhat grim tone of this post, I'm very glad to have found this competition, and participating in it has given me much joy. See you all in RAGE MAGE
WhamBamSam
2021-03-19, 05:10 PM
First thing first, congrats to all the chefs. This was in many ways a hard SI to work with, and the results are spectacular. Well done. Venger 100% deserved the win with Kilroy, IMO - awesome fluff, and mechanically creative. My favorite submission (who would have gotten my vote for HM if not for winning a medal) is definitely Mori Kumo. Cool feel, innovative mechanics, utilizing suboptimal feats - "ranger monk" is kind of an obvious entry, but Whambamsam went about it in a very clever way.I'm glad you liked him. In retrospect, I probably should have asked Viscount if I could take both Spider Tattoos to lean into the multiplied Con damage idea a bit harder, but I didn't look at the OA Spider Tattoo until I saw after the reveal how many people had used it.


On the other hand, I certainly didn't expect her to take only 3.5 in originality. I made what I think were very unexpected tattoo choices (granted, something AV didn't care about across the field). I played a muckdweller - which I was very surprised to see treated as a pretty expected race. Wolfem's spreadsheet, for example, lists only 4 muckdwellers in the history of the competition up to DoM round, and I'd be shocked if even one of them was Str based. In fact, I wouldn't be shocked if no one on these forums has ever seen in play or in theory either a muckdweller dedicated grappler or a Knight of the Sacred Seal (or any mid level binder, really) dedicated to Ronove - not to mention both in the same entry.Muckdwellers are somewhat common as a LA+0 Tiny race, though it looks like what you were actually penalized for is Feral, which is common/known cheese on melee builds.

I don't want to speak for AvatarVecna, whose rubric is quite different from mine, but if I had been judging, Chi-Pokkena probably would have fared poorly in Originality, because she came off to me as a "omg so random" entry, as it were, taking what I refer to in my rubric as "shameless originality grabs," where the unusual elements didn't really seem to jive together in a way that made taking them together unique except for uniqueness' sake. Like, I looked at it and thought, "Feral. Hmm, okay. Maybe they're doing something with Monstrous Humanoid typing, or the Rend or Fast Healing? No wait, they're already a Muckdweller and they're changing type to Outsider via KoSS, and they lose those features by going Dragonborn, so I guess it's just for the statline. But then why be a Muckdweller in the first place on a class whose best feature is Alter Self, unless there's a weird diminutive outsider form or something? Nope. Seems like they're just trying to score points in Originality." Which is something of a let-down after reading a list of ingredients that promises such a wild ride.

I have actually played around with tiny Zagan grapplers, though they were Tibbits rather than Muckdwellers due to the weird wording on Feline Transformation allowing for the retaining of a not-terrible Str score by way of the CE Soulborn Incarnum Defense, and/or the Fabulous Cats (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/fools/20030401c) April Fools web article including the Weight Focus feat which gives them another virtual size category to effectively count as Huge.


What exactly was my protest build protesting? To be frank, I don't know. I know I'm sad that the system incentivizes entries like Captain O, but I don't know how to change that. Maybe I just need to learn to completely ignore the medals and the criteria, and just cook what I wanna cook.As someone who often submits two entries, I've found that the one I like better ends up doing worse about half the time (that was the case this round in fact), and I've on multiple occasions realized that a build I didn't muster the enthusiasm to submit would have probably done well. But while there are builds that I've been really attached to and wish had done a bit better (like my poor, precious Ivarr (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=20650043&postcount=78) who came up just a quarter-point shy of gold), I feel like when I've really caught lightning in a bottle and submitted a Gold-calibur build, I was rewarded for it by the judging.
AvatarVecna
2021-03-19, 05:22 PM
Originality, at least the way I do it, is a weird mix of "how often I see something come up in online discussions" and "how often I see something come up in actual games", with both getting slightly thrown off by "how often I would expect to see this particular thing come up in the context of [whatever the contest is focused around]". On this point, at least, you are very unfortunate, because while Muckdweller is very not-fitting for a grapple build, it's decent enough for a monk for a few reasons, and is a staple race for the "if you want to be Tiny at LA +0" reason. It's not super-obvious for TM, and it's not super-weird either, just middling.
H_H_F_F
2021-03-19, 06:02 PM
Thanks for your insight, Whambamsam!


...it looks like what you were actually penalized for is Feral, which is common/known cheese on melee builds.

No disagreements with that penalty, it was something I expected. I felt that I couldn't start with such a low Str, that I really wanted natural weapons, and didn't have the feats to get scorpion's grasp. I really wish I would have found another suitable +Str template, but I didn't. I also misunderstood the interaction between feral and DoB...


I don't want to speak for AvatarVecna, whose rubric is quite different from mine, but if I had been judging, Chi-Pokkena probably would have fared poorly in Originality, because she came off to me as a "omg so random" entry, as it were, taking what I refer to in my rubric as "shameless originality grabs," where the unusual elements didn't really seem to jive together in a way that made taking them together unique except for uniqueness' sake.

Interesting. I completely get how it could seem that way. As I mentioned, I wanted to make a muckdweller wanna-be dragon grappler, because I thought that was interesting and surprising, and I liked the challenge. I also thought it could pull a lot from the mountain tattoo - which was actually the tattoo that started me on that path to begin with. I don't have the system mastery of others here, so maybe I missed some more obvious avenue to pursue that. I tried to make it as smooth as I could.

It's not like I thought I could pull off a 5 in originality, but in the end I was happy with the entry, and was surprised to see it score only 0.25 better than my other entry, which was completely bland IMO.


As someone who often submits two entries, I've found that the one I like better ends up doing worse about half the time (that was the case this round in fact), and I've on multiple occasions realized that a build I didn't muster the enthusiasm to submit would have probably done well. But while there are builds that I've been really attached to and wish had done a bit better (like my poor, precious Ivarr (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=20650043&postcount=78) who came up just a quarter-point shy of gold), I feel like when I've really caught lightning in a bottle and submitted a Gold-calibur build, I was rewarded for it by the judging.

Oh, I'm sure that's the case. I don't know if I could ever compare to some of the things I've seen some of you guys pull off here. I just feel like the best way for me to get even close to winning is to go "soulless" and hope no one catches lightning in a bottle, and that feela hollow. Again, I don't really know how/if things should change. Captain O is more the result of frustration than of any coherent arguement for change.


Originality, at least the way I do it, is a weird mix of "how often I see something come up in online discussions" and "how often I see something come up in actual games", with both getting slightly thrown off by "how often I would expect to see this particular thing come up in the context of [whatever the contest is focused around]". On this point, at least, you are very unfortunate, because while Muckdweller is very not-fitting for a grapple build, it's decent enough for a monk for a few reasons, and is a staple race for the "if you want to be Tiny at LA +0" reason. It's not super-obvious for TM, and it's not super-weird either, just middling.

Thanks for explaining that, AV. Makes a lot of sense.