Making Darth Vader

[ChudoJogurt]

Hi all

We're runnung a high-level evil campain, and Im making a Darth Vader expy.
Im not too concerned about power, because most of the party is Tier 4.

What I currently I have a gishy sort of guy in a fullplate armor, and I kinda want to make him really dependent on that armour, so that he's significantly impaired, or maybe even almost non-functional without it, as a sort of both mechanical flaw, and a roleplaying thing. Cause Vader, right?

Anyway, not sure how to do that mechanically. All I have now is that the armour has Amulet of Health built into it, bumpung his 8 Con to more decent 12 as needed for a tanky fighter, but I feel more can be done there. Ideas?

I have around 10-15k of starting gold allotted for it, and DM is generally open to most books and even reasonable Dragon stuff, unless it includes really arcane sub-systems like Incarnum or Taint.

[Aharon]

Hi all

We're runnung a high-level evil campain, and Im making a Darth Vader expy.
Im not too concerned about power, because most of the party is Tier 4.

What I currently I have a gishy sort of guy in a fullplate armor, and I kinda want to make him really dependent on that armour, so that he's significantly impaired, or maybe even almost non-functional without it, as a sort of both mechanical flaw, and a roleplaying thing. Cause Vader, right?

Anyway, not sure how to do that mechanically. All I have now is that the armour has Amulet of Health built into it, bumpung his 8 Con to more decent 12 as needed for a tanky fighter, but I feel more can be done there. Ideas?

I have around 10-15k of starting gold allotted for it, and DM is generally open to most books and even reasonable Dragon stuff, unless it includes really arcane sub-systems like Incarnum or Taint.

Warforged Psychic Warrior with Adamantine Body?
You could fluff it as him having been given that body by [insert fluff] - he literally can't live without it, destroying it also kills him.

[remetagross]

I'd rather actually go Warforged Warlock with Eldritch Glaive. A sparkling ray of energy you can wield as a sword and that needs only contact to hurt? Check. At-will powers you can silently conjure to make stuff explode ? Check (Baleful Utterance). Make people your friend/cower before you ? Check (Beguiling Appearance, Charm). Make impossibly acrobatic jumps ? Check (Leaps and Bounds). Stop arrows dead in their track with a classy gesture of the hand ? Check (Entropic Warding).

At higher levels, shoot out lightning bolts that ripple through ennemies ? Check (Eldritch Chain). Make people suddenly claw for their throat as an invisible force strangles them? Sort of (Dread Seizure). Make crazy Faustian pacts with good NPCs while their rebel fleet is being crushed before their eyes, since your secret weapon was in fact fully operational since the very beginning? Check (Devil's Whispers). Send messages through the Force to people at the other end of the galaxy to slowly torment them ? Check (Warlock's Call). Have an uncanny intuition that your son is on that spaceship/some killer insects are on the verge of biting the princess you're protecting/your secret sister is Leia/this young Padawan will cause great trouble to the Force? Check (Dark Foresight).

So, yeah. Neat stuff. You'll need to find a way to handle Invocations requiring somatic components, but apart from that, a lightsaber-wielding Jedi can be modeled pretty well by a Warlock with the right invocations.

[ShurikVch]

For the armor - check the Remade template (Dragon #352): Armored Integument and Spring-loaded Jumper enhancements, Hideous Deformity and Slow Healing defects
For a sword - check the Lightning Blade spell (Complete Arcane) - may be better as a device
For a class - Zhentarim Soldier, then - Warblade
Telepathy feat from Call of Cthulhu d20
Race: Athasian Human with Telekinetic Force, Telekinetic Maneuver, and Telekinetic Thrust as their racial psionics

[Maat Mons]

The Bone Knight PrC is gishy, and at 8th level you fuse with your armor such that it cannot be removed without killing you.

The Renegade Mastermaker PrC could work for a gish, and at 10th level you can give yourself Adamantine Body or whatever in spite of having started as a humanoid.

[ChudoJogurt]

I am considering the clockwork armor as well, (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/cw/20070212a) but I am not sure what its ASF is. It says that if its jammed with a cold spell, then its 90%", but otherwise - is it 0 or is it 35% as with a normal Full Plate?

And what does" frozen solid" mean, mechanically? Paralyzed?
How does this interact with spells that dont give saving throws?
Or Cold Resistance?
Is there just a better written version of this?

[Gnaeus]

Swordsage. Shadow Hand for force chokes. Desert Wind for fire sword. When the Wis to AC prevents an attack, fluff it as him deflecting blaster fire with his hand.

[Calthropstu]

Monk with at will telekinesis and 3x per day commune.
Explains every ability vader uses in the movies.

[Nifft]

Monk with at will telekinesis and 3x per day commune.
Explains every ability vader uses in the movies.

Telekinesis can emulate Force Choke?

Could you explain that part?



There are psionic powers which model basically every movie feat Darth Vader performs, and of course the Soulknife is effectively a lightsaber in class form -- make your NPC a gestalt Soulknife || Psion and you can hit all the notes.

[Calthropstu]

Telekinesis can emulate Force Choke?

Could you explain that part?



There are psionic powers which model basically every movie feat Darth Vader performs, and of course the Soulknife is effectively a lightsaber in class form -- make your NPC a gestalt Soulknife || Psion and you can hit all the notes.

Ah yes. Forgot force choke. Crisis of Breath does emulate force choke. That and telekinesis emulate all the force abilities. Add monk abilities and commune for the force visions and you cover just about everything.

[JNAProductions]

Ah yes. Forgot force choke. Crisis of Breath does emulate force choke. That and telekinesis emulate all the force abilities. Add monk abilities and commune for the force visions and you cover just about everything.

Not a terrible idea, but the OP is not (as far as I can tell) the DM. So it'd be best to stick to what players can do.

[Calthropstu]

Not a terrible idea, but the OP is not (as far as I can tell) the DM. So it'd be best to stick to what players can do.

Well, there is always ""Hey gm, I wanna be darth vader. Check out this sith lord prestige class I wrote up."
Snowball, hell etc.

But, using that as a baseline, we can figure it out from there. Is there a prestige class that combines monk and soulknife? Use that and some feats and items to get telekinesis and crisis of breath should do most of it.

[Nifft]

DM is generally open to most books and even reasonable Dragon stuff, unless it includes really arcane sub-systems like Incarnum or Taint.


Not a terrible idea, but the OP is not (as far as I can tell) the DM. So it'd be best to stick to what players can do. OP said what the DM tends to allow.

What's excluded about Psionics?



Ah yes. Forgot force choke. Crisis of Breath does emulate force choke. That and telekinesis emulate all the force abilities. Add monk abilities and commune for the force visions and you cover just about everything.

Yeah, exactly, psionics does Force powers really well.

There are even TK sub-powers which give you tricks like Telekinetic Maneuver (e.g. disarm some nerd's blaster and pull it to yourself).

Monk / Psion is a well-supported mix with stuff like the Tashalatora feat (from Secrets of Sarlona, appropriate in a high-tier game) or the SRD's Psionic Fist (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/psionicFist.htm) PrC (for much lower-tier games).

-- -- --

However, OP was interested in heavy armor, so for that combo -- in a t4 party -- I'd suggest a build like:

Fighter 2 / Psion 4 / Slayer (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/slayer.htm) 10

You'll have to spend a feat on Track, and the feat will be basically wasted for 6 levels unless you pick Nomad as your psion subtype. (Slayer gets Survival as a class skill so you've got that going for you at level 7+). Nomad is the mobility-themed psion so it's not bad for a Sith Lord, and even compensates for the heavy armor a bit.

Telepath is another appropriate subtype, since it's the easiest way to get Psi Suggestion (a necessary power for a Force user to bend weak minds), Crisis of Breath ("force choke"), and Read Thoughts.

[Calthropstu]

OP said what the DM tends to allow.

What's excluded about Psionics?




Yeah, exactly, psionics does Force powers really well.

There are even TK sub-powers which give you tricks like Telekinetic Maneuver (e.g. disarm some nerd's blaster and pull it to yourself).

Monk / Psion is a well-supported mix with stuff like the Tashalatora feat (from Secrets of Sarlona, appropriate in a high-tier game) or the SRD's Psionic Fist (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/psionicFist.htm) PrC (for much lower-tier games).

-- -- --

However, OP was interested in heavy armor, so for that combo -- in a t4 party -- I'd suggest a build like:

Fighter 2 / Psion 4 / Slayer (https://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/prestigeClasses/slayer.htm) 10

You'll have to spend a feat on Track, and the feat will be basically wasted for 6 levels unless you pick Nomad as your psion subtype. (Slayer gets Survival as a class skill so you've got that going for you at level 7+). Nomad is the mobility-themed psion so it's not bad for a Sith Lord, and even compensates for the heavy armor a bit.

Telepath is another appropriate subtype, since it's the easiest way to get Psi Suggestion (a necessary power for a Force user to bend weak minds), Crisis of Breath ("force choke"), and Read Thoughts.

I siggested monk to replicate the jumping ability. But good point about vader's armor. To be fair though, we don't really see vader jumping around. In fact, he seems to not really use the powers he had as Anakin... which could be explained by a monk donning heavy armor.

[hamishspence]

To be fair though, we don't really see vader jumping around.

In TESB after knocking Luke down the steps to the carbon freezer, he jumps down after Luke instead of just walking down.

[Calthropstu]

In TESB after knocking Luke down the steps to the carbon freezer, he jumps down after Luke instead of just walking down.

Something anyone could do with a successful acrobatics roll. Hell, I've jumped from a similar height and been fine. It was only about 6 feet.

[vasilidor]

Spheres of power?

[Berenger]

What I currently I have a gishy sort of guy in a fullplate armor, and I kinda want to make him really dependent on that armour, so that he's significantly impaired, or maybe even almost non-functional without it, as a sort of both mechanical flaw, and a roleplaying thing. Cause Vader, right?

Check if your DM will accept reflavored mutations from d20 Future for this.

If you take Cybernetic Dependency (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/cybernetic.dependency.php) and Poisonous Blood (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/poisonous.blood.php), you can't heal naturally without a cybernetic implant and start to lose constitution without an antitoxin injector. Now comes the tricky part: as there is no direct conversion table for prices you will have to haggle with your DM over the value of armor upgrades that count as implants integrated into the armor instead of your body. Warning: these things can be sundered if specifically targeted by an enemy.

On the bright side... dark side... bright side of the dark side (?) ... you have 12 Mutation Points to spend on your pick of Force Barrier (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/force.barrier.php), Ultra Immune System (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/ultra.immune.system.php), Telepathy (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/telepathy.php), Telekinetic Mind (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/telekinetic.mind.php), Leaper (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/leaper.php) and Energy Absorption (http://www.d20resources.com/future.d20.srd/mutations/energy.absorption.php) (fire and electricity) to emulate force powers.

[ChudoJogurt]

That's actually a pretty clever idea, I like it. But it's not very likely DM would agree, unfortunately.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Is there a prestige class that combines monk and soulknife? Use that and some feats and items to get telekinesis and crisis of breath should do most of it.

Actually, yes... kind of. Atavist progresses both Unarmed Strike and Mindblade damage.

On the subject of Soulknife, ask your DM if you can use the original 3.0 version or the Dark Sun version instead. Both are prestige classes instead of base classes. The 3.0 version has some actually interesting/useful mechanics, with Sneak Attack and the ability to charge your Mindblade with a psionic power that triggers when you hit someone, as well as its own (weak) psionic progression. There is also ample precedent for prestige versions of base classes in the SRD. The Athas version is 3rd party, but wouldn't require conversion to 3.5 psionics, and half-progresses a psionic class you already had.

Whether you're using base Soulknife or one of the above variants, the Soulbow prestige class is well-worth considering. It also makes a great representation of using the force to throw objects around.



Telekinesis can emulate Force Choke?

Could you explain that part?


Ah yes. Forgot force choke. Crisis of Breath does emulate force choke. That and telekinesis emulate all the force abilities. Add monk abilities and commune for the force visions and you cover just about everything.

There's also Master of the Unseen Hand. That PrC gives you all sorts of things to do with telekinesis, including the ability to grapple with it. You could do a lot worse than using MotUH to emulate the Force.



Actually, just had a crazy idea. Darth Vader nearly died, was saved by Palpatine putting him in life-support armor, and becomes a Force-ghost after dying for real. How would you represent that in D&D mechanics? Well, what if you removed the "nearly" from "nearly died"? He died, came back as a (Force)-ghost, and Palpatine (mid-to-high level caster that he is) cast haunt shift (Heroes of Horror) on him to turn him into a haunting presence instead of an ordinary ghost, forcing him into, say, a suit of Ghost Touch armor in order to make him easier to control.1

This leaves you animating a suit of armor (either by manifesting inside of it and wearing it like normal, or poultergeisting it to use it as an animated object) that you are dependent on for continued survival. As a ghost, you have telekinesis at-will while manifesting (the WotC archive page is down right now, but IIRC taking that until you got telekinesis and then stopping would leave you with a much lower effective LA; I want to say 2 levels?). You also then qualify for Master of the Unseen Hand as soon as you have 8 ranks in concentration, if you want to go that route. You might even become a (Force) ghost if the armor is destroyed (but I think you're just destroyed; ask your DM).

It also has the advantage of starting at any level you want, even as low as ECL 2 (1 level of base class, 1 level in the Ghost savage progression). That'd limit your available tricks by a lot, but you could do it, and you'd still get all those tricks eventually.


1. Actually, you wouldn't even need it to be Ghost Touch. You could use your poltergeist ability to animate it for moving around. You wouldn't be able to manifest (and thus couldn't use telekinesis or your other force powers) until you reached 5HD, but after that you could stop animating the armor to manifest inside it, giving you access to all your ghost abilities, which would look like you had to stand still concentrating to use them, like the Force users often do in the movies.

[Telonius]

Another crazy idea - model him as a Shadar-Kai. The armor serves as his gal-ralan.

The Forgotten Realms wiki's description (https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Shadar-kai) of them just screams out "Sith" to me.

[Asmotherion]

1) Sybmiotant: Mind Leech (If you want to build him as a Non-Psionic and Non-Caster)

2) Construct Grafts:
-Adamantine Skin
-Heart of Steel
-Heavy Legs
-Mighty Arms

3) Make him a Human Soulknife or Warlock. Both can emulate his more Iconic Abilities. Flavor Wise, I'd favor the Soul Knife, but both work well.

If Warlock, focus on an Eldritch Glaive Build, and take Sickening Blast and Repeling Blast to emulate Force Choke.

If Soulblade, there's really no way to go wrong with the build.

[Nifft]

1) Sybmiotant: Mind Leech (If you want to build him as a Non-Psionic and Non-Caster)


Mind Leech is non-psionic?

[Gnaeus]

On the subject of Soulknife, ask your DM if you can use the original 3.0 version or the Dark Sun version instead. Both are prestige classes instead of base classes. The 3.0 version has some actually interesting/useful mechanics, with Sneak Attack and the ability to charge your Mindblade with a psionic power that triggers when you hit someone, as well as its own (weak) psionic progression. There is also ample precedent for prestige versions of base classes in the SRD. The Athas version is 3rd party, but wouldn't require conversion to 3.5 psionics, and half-progresses a psionic class you already had.

If you are asking your DM for 3rd party soulknives, ask them for the Pathfinder soulknife from DSP. They rock.

[ChudoJogurt]

Gal-ralan is an awesome idea. It's thematic, and helps to properly no-sell attacking spells in true Vader fashion.

[Asmotherion]

Mind Leech is non-psionic?
No, I meant like, his class being non-psionic. Like, if you want to build a fighter or TOB class, and still get to keep his psionic theme.