Elves
2021-04-29, 06:50 PM
There are a lot of ways to add your Charisma bonus to your saving throws or Armor Class, and this is a look at how to stack as many as possible, inspired by Biffoniacus_Furiou’s Knight of the Unseelie Court (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=17324416&postcount=6). Mettle and Evasion are build requirements, since a sky-high save bonus is no use if you still lose on a successful save. Evasion can be gained with a ring.
Reality Check: Defense has diminishing returns and isn’t a winning strategy. Does that mean these builds are useless? No -- they should be seen as a baseline template you can modify to taste, replacing defense you don’t need with offensive options.
I just went through the X stat to Y thread (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=4369.0).
CHA TO AC
Deflection: Incorporeal subtype, sirine’s grace spell, astral stalker creature, nymph creature, wendigo template (+4 LA), unholy scion template (+5 LA), dragon warrior 2 w/ Ascetic mage feat, risen martyr 2
Dodge: Mantis mercenary 5 w/ Ascetic Mage feat, Dread pirate 9 (2 encounters per day)
Insight: saint template w/ Ascetic Mage feat, Battle Dance epic feat
Morale: War mage PRC (Dragonlance Age of Mortals)
Sacred/Profane: mystic wanderer 1
Untyped:
Apparent defense (arcane duelist 2)
AC bonus (battle dancer 1)
AC bonus (monk 1, ninja 1, huntsman ACF 1, swordsage 2 w/ Ascetic Mage feat)
Armor of the senses (moon-warded ranger 2 w/ Ascetic Mage feat)
Unearthly grace (gloura creature)
Unholy grace (grimweird creature)
CHA TO SAVES
Insight: Battle Dance epic feat (Reflex only)
Luck: Persisted ruin delver’s fortune spell (only 1 save type per casting)
Untyped:
Ancestral favor (Akodo champion 2)
Dark blessing (blackguard 2)
Divine grace (multiple) or grim resolve (corrupt avenger)
Evil’s Blessing feat
Forest’s grace (master of the yuirwood 9)
Kami’s grace (witch hunter 1)
Spirits’ favor (OA shaman 5)
Unholy grace (grimweird creature)
Unearthly grace (nymph creature, gloura creature, astral stalker creature)
Unearthly grace (Eldeen ranger 3, may or may not stack with above)
Arcane resistance (hexblade 2; spells only)
Elude touch (wilder 2; touch AC only, up to normal AC)
Sustaining presence (exemplar 4; Fort only)
Divine Shield feat (costs turn attempts)
Ability Bonus Stacking ✅
If two class features let you add the same ability score bonus to the same thing, do they stack? Ability bonuses are excluded from the explicitly “comprehensive” list of bonus types that don’t stack in the Rules Compendium, and from similar lists in the DMG & PHB, so the answer is yes.
AC Bonus Stacking ✅
Does battledancer's AC bonus stack with monk's AC bonus? It's based on Cha, not Wis, and offers a scaling dodge bonus instead of a scaling untyped bonus. Is that enough to qualify them as different features? The fact that they have the same name isn’t decisive: if two features had the same name but different effects, they wouldn’t be redundant.
Here’s the FAQ on why swordsage and monk AC bonus don't stack: "The swordsage’s AC bonus, allowing the swordsage to apply her Wisdom bonus to her armor class, mimics the ability of the monk’s AC bonus. Since these abilities share the same name and have the same effect, they will not stack."
This ruling bases itself on the feature letting the character apply “her Wisdom bonus”. If it were a different ability it wouldn’t “have the same effect”.
In addition, the Fist of Forest PrC grants a Con-based AC bonus feature, and the sample NPC for that class shows it stacking with the monk’s.
Unearthly Grace
Gloura’s unearthly grace SQ is indicated as deflection in statblock but is untyped in the text of the ability, which takes precedence. Thus, it’s an untyped AC bonus. ✅
Eldeen ranger also has an unearthly grace ability but it isn’t identical to the gloura’s, so it should technically stack. But because it replicates a portion of the gloura’s ability, maybe it doesn't. In that case, you can skip Eldeen ranger, freeing up 3 levels. :smallconfused:
Alignment Conflict
Some PRCs that grant Cha to AC/saves have conflicting alignment reqs: blackguard requires evil, witch hunter requires nonevil, Eldeen ranger requires chaotic, mystic wanderer requires nonlawful, Akodo requires LG.
There’s debate over whether ceasing to meet PRC entry requirements after entry causes you to lose PRC class features. I think it doesn’t (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24953372&postcount=130), so the first build shown includes all of those classes. The other builds use the incorrect but common assumption that PRC disqualification does occur, which splits them between blackguard/Eldeen/mystic wanderer (CE), witch hunter/Akodo (LG), and mystic wanderer/Eldeen/witch hunter (CG).
ACFs/Sub Levels/Variant Classes
Paladin of slaughter/freedom (CE/CG builds)
Wildshape ranger variant (gain wild shape & bbn fast movement, lose combat style)
Huntsman ACF (trade wild shape for monk AC bonus)
Trap Expert ACF (trade redundant Track feat for trapfinding)
Moon-warded ranger 2 sub level
Does wildshape ranger preclude you from taking moon-warded ranger? No, because a substitution level doesn’t work like an ACF does. It replaces the entire level, rather than being exchanged for a particular class feature (Races of Stone 145).
Deflection Bonus to AC
Deflection bonus to AC can be gained through the sirine’s grace spell (easily UMDable from a wand with your high Cha) or incorporeality effects such as ghostform.
If such effects aren’t available, take 1 level of the ghost savage progression, replacing the draconic template in your LA allotment.
Deflection bonus to AC through one of these means is assumed in the totaling of +x.
Meeting Spellcasting Requirements
These builds need 2nd-level spontaneous arcane casting (for Ascetic Mage feat; IUS is gained from battledancer) and most also need 2nd-level divine casting (to enter mystic wanderer).
The glouras achieve this at no feat cost. They either meet the requirements naturally with blackguard 3, or take Alternative Source Spell to enter mystic wanderer, use mystic wanderer 1 to advance their pious templar or blackguard casting, then retrain away Alternative Source Spell.
The non-glouras have to spend feats. They gain their casting from blackguard or pious templar, take Sanctum Spell to qualify for mystic wanderer, use mystic wanderer to advance their pious templar or blackguard casting, then retrain away Sanctum Spell. They then take Spontaneous Healer or Wounder and Southern Magician for spontaneous 2nd-level arcane casting.
- Builds that take blackguard to 3rd don’t have to bother with taking and retraining Sanctum Spell.
- But non-gloura builds that take war mage 1 have to keep Sanctum Spell, unless they have an additional level that advances divine casting.
Pumping Charisma: All these builds have Cha 46 or 44 (base 18 + 12 or 10 racial + 5 lvl + 5 inh + 6 enh) and are constantly high on mertoran leaf (UA 203, 10gp, lasts 1 hr) for +2 alchemical. Another +3 can be gained through venerable age, another +1 from a Faustian pact. Spell items can be used for additional bonuses: righteous aura (+4 sacred, good only), snowsong (+4 morale), transfusion (+3-+5), greater visage of the deity (+4). Tattooed monk doubles your Cha mod, but only for 1 round per class level per day, so it’s not practical, but it would pump your highscore.
60 charisma with the baseline omni build means +200 to AC and +150 to saving throws (+175 vs. spells). The latter is excessive. For practical play you don’t need more than 2x or at most 3x Cha to saves.
Feat Choices: Many feats are tied up in prereqs. Evil’s Blessing is a must-have if you’re evil. Extend Spell>Persist Spell would let you use metamagic wand grips of Persist with spells like sirine’s grace, ruin delver's fortune, thunderlance and the +Cha buffs mentioned above.
Gear: Gauntlets of heartfelt blows, slippers of battledancing, hexbands if hexblade, nightstick if you take blackguard 3.
Hexblade: Some of these builds use hexblade to get mettle. This class is assumed to use Mike Mearls' unofficial errata, boosting hexblade’s curse to 1 + chamod uses per day, which becomes potent in combination with hexbands (MIC 112) and unseelie fey - winter aspect.
Here are the three races used.
Gloura (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e): magic-blooded draconic unseelie gloura (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Dex, +12 Cha, +4 Con).
By default, the glouras use level drain to reduce their 7 Racial Hit Dice to 1.
Human: magic-blooded draconic unseelie half-fey complacent human (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Cha, +2 Dex, -2 Con).
Human to qualify for Akodo champion PRC.
Any +Cha Race: magic-blooded draconic unseelie half-fey +cha race (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Cha, varies).
0 LA +Cha races: lesser aasimar, lesser celadrin, lesser cansin, lesser d’hin’ni, gruwaar, spellscale, complacent human, hellbred, star elf.
Ghost Savage Progression: If sirine's grace or incorporeality by other means isn't realistic for you, replace the draconic template with the first level of the ghost savage progression. Changes to racial stats: -2 Cha, -2 Str, -2 Con.
Unseelie Fey Template. Most builds will take winter caress, which is potent given your high Cha score -- stand next to someone and the wizard will never miss a SOD. But the LG builds and non-gloura omni builds have to take summer caress to qualify for witch hunter. (CArc 71 says entry requirements for a specific spell “measures whether the creature in question is capable of producing the necessary effect”, which should extend to supernatural effects. The unseelie fey template’s (su) summer caress “functions much like a magic circle against evil,” and while casually called a magic circle of nature, that name isn’t italicized as an independent effect, so the base effect is indeed MCAE.)
---
Technically, a gloura drained to 1 HD still has 7th-level bard casting. But IMO it’s more reasonable for their casting to be reduced to their RHD. Under this ruling, you have to jump through the same spellcasting qualification hoops as the non-glouras, but instead of Spontaneous Healing > Alternative Source Spell, keep Sanctum Spell, choosing a spell you can cast as both arcane and divine (secret weapon - Cityscape for evil chars, CLW for good chars). That’s still 2 prereq feats, but one can be a metamagic feat of your choice.
Stub Templates
These are stubs you can use as a basis for a Cha to Defense character. The next post has some examples of builds based on these stubs.
- Levels aren't given in order.
- Hexblade 3 can always be replaced with pious templar 1/full BAB 2.
- Divine Shield feat and ruin delver's fortune aren't included, so those can raise these numbers.
If you don't lose PRC features for ceasing to fulfill the entry reqs after entering, alignment is a nonissue.
Gloura version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x5 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Human version: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/wilder 2/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/Akodo champion 2/pious templar 1/blackguard 2/war mage 1
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7 (+ up to 1x to touch AC); Cha to saves: x5 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
- Recommended: replace wilder 2 with blackguard 3rd (turning for Divine Might/Divine Shield) and arcane duelist 3rd (dextrous attack for big attack bonus).
Human version 2: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/Akodo champion 2/blackguard 2/war mage 1/hexblade 3
BAB 17; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x5 (+1x Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Acquired Glouradom: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 2/war mage 1/pious templar 1/Akodo champion 2/any full BAB 1 (typically blackguard 3rd)
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x6 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
- Starts as a human (without the half-fey template) and takes Akodo champion, then uses wish or the rituals from Savage Species to become a gloura, then drains their gloura RHD.
- This is the maximum I could get from a 20 HD build.
Epic Build (theoretical max): add shaman 5 (+1x Cha to saves), Mantis mercenary 5 (+1x Cha to AC), wilder 2 (up to +1x Cha to touch AC), master of the Yuirwood 9 (+1x Cha to saves), iaijutsu master 2 and swiftblade 4 (+2x Cha to init), additional +Cha templates, Battle Dance epic feat.
Witch hunter/Eldeen ranger/mystic wanderer (CG).
Gloura Version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/full BAB 3
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
0 LA Cha race (if no RHD drain allowed): wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/any 4, with 1 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Blackguard/Eldeen ranger/mystic wanderer (CE).
Gloura version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/full BAB 1
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
0 LA Cha race (if no RHD drain allowed): wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/any 4, with 1 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Witch hunter/Akodo champion/iaijutsu master (LG).
Human version: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Akodo champion 2/pious templar 1/war mage 1/iaijutsu master 2/x6 with 2 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x6; Cha to saves: x3; Cha to init: x1; mettle, ring of evasion
- Has to be human for Akodo champion.
- Without mystic wanderer, to qualify for Ascetic Mage you either have to keep Sanctum Spell & its prereq, or one of your free levels needs to advance pious templar casting.
Without level drain, glouras are a less appealing choice.
No Disqualification Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/blackguard 2/war mage 1/pious templar 1
BAB 13; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
- 16 BAB version: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/witch hunter 1/blackguard 2/pious templar 1/full BAB 4 (16 BAB, Cha to AC x5, Cha to saves x4)
CG Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/war mage 1/x6 (mix of hexblade 3 or pious templar 1, plus war mage 1 and/or arcane duelist 2-3 and/or Eldeen ranger 3 provided it’s ruled to stack).
BAB <16; varies
CE Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/arcane duelist 2/blackguard 3/war mage 1/pious templar 1
BAB 13; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
(No LG build since glouras can’t take Akodo champion.)
Reality Check: Defense has diminishing returns and isn’t a winning strategy. Does that mean these builds are useless? No -- they should be seen as a baseline template you can modify to taste, replacing defense you don’t need with offensive options.
I just went through the X stat to Y thread (http://minmaxforum.com/index.php?topic=4369.0).
CHA TO AC
Deflection: Incorporeal subtype, sirine’s grace spell, astral stalker creature, nymph creature, wendigo template (+4 LA), unholy scion template (+5 LA), dragon warrior 2 w/ Ascetic mage feat, risen martyr 2
Dodge: Mantis mercenary 5 w/ Ascetic Mage feat, Dread pirate 9 (2 encounters per day)
Insight: saint template w/ Ascetic Mage feat, Battle Dance epic feat
Morale: War mage PRC (Dragonlance Age of Mortals)
Sacred/Profane: mystic wanderer 1
Untyped:
Apparent defense (arcane duelist 2)
AC bonus (battle dancer 1)
AC bonus (monk 1, ninja 1, huntsman ACF 1, swordsage 2 w/ Ascetic Mage feat)
Armor of the senses (moon-warded ranger 2 w/ Ascetic Mage feat)
Unearthly grace (gloura creature)
Unholy grace (grimweird creature)
CHA TO SAVES
Insight: Battle Dance epic feat (Reflex only)
Luck: Persisted ruin delver’s fortune spell (only 1 save type per casting)
Untyped:
Ancestral favor (Akodo champion 2)
Dark blessing (blackguard 2)
Divine grace (multiple) or grim resolve (corrupt avenger)
Evil’s Blessing feat
Forest’s grace (master of the yuirwood 9)
Kami’s grace (witch hunter 1)
Spirits’ favor (OA shaman 5)
Unholy grace (grimweird creature)
Unearthly grace (nymph creature, gloura creature, astral stalker creature)
Unearthly grace (Eldeen ranger 3, may or may not stack with above)
Arcane resistance (hexblade 2; spells only)
Elude touch (wilder 2; touch AC only, up to normal AC)
Sustaining presence (exemplar 4; Fort only)
Divine Shield feat (costs turn attempts)
Ability Bonus Stacking ✅
If two class features let you add the same ability score bonus to the same thing, do they stack? Ability bonuses are excluded from the explicitly “comprehensive” list of bonus types that don’t stack in the Rules Compendium, and from similar lists in the DMG & PHB, so the answer is yes.
AC Bonus Stacking ✅
Does battledancer's AC bonus stack with monk's AC bonus? It's based on Cha, not Wis, and offers a scaling dodge bonus instead of a scaling untyped bonus. Is that enough to qualify them as different features? The fact that they have the same name isn’t decisive: if two features had the same name but different effects, they wouldn’t be redundant.
Here’s the FAQ on why swordsage and monk AC bonus don't stack: "The swordsage’s AC bonus, allowing the swordsage to apply her Wisdom bonus to her armor class, mimics the ability of the monk’s AC bonus. Since these abilities share the same name and have the same effect, they will not stack."
This ruling bases itself on the feature letting the character apply “her Wisdom bonus”. If it were a different ability it wouldn’t “have the same effect”.
In addition, the Fist of Forest PrC grants a Con-based AC bonus feature, and the sample NPC for that class shows it stacking with the monk’s.
Unearthly Grace
Gloura’s unearthly grace SQ is indicated as deflection in statblock but is untyped in the text of the ability, which takes precedence. Thus, it’s an untyped AC bonus. ✅
Eldeen ranger also has an unearthly grace ability but it isn’t identical to the gloura’s, so it should technically stack. But because it replicates a portion of the gloura’s ability, maybe it doesn't. In that case, you can skip Eldeen ranger, freeing up 3 levels. :smallconfused:
Alignment Conflict
Some PRCs that grant Cha to AC/saves have conflicting alignment reqs: blackguard requires evil, witch hunter requires nonevil, Eldeen ranger requires chaotic, mystic wanderer requires nonlawful, Akodo requires LG.
There’s debate over whether ceasing to meet PRC entry requirements after entry causes you to lose PRC class features. I think it doesn’t (https://forums.giantitp.com/showsinglepost.php?p=24953372&postcount=130), so the first build shown includes all of those classes. The other builds use the incorrect but common assumption that PRC disqualification does occur, which splits them between blackguard/Eldeen/mystic wanderer (CE), witch hunter/Akodo (LG), and mystic wanderer/Eldeen/witch hunter (CG).
ACFs/Sub Levels/Variant Classes
Paladin of slaughter/freedom (CE/CG builds)
Wildshape ranger variant (gain wild shape & bbn fast movement, lose combat style)
Huntsman ACF (trade wild shape for monk AC bonus)
Trap Expert ACF (trade redundant Track feat for trapfinding)
Moon-warded ranger 2 sub level
Does wildshape ranger preclude you from taking moon-warded ranger? No, because a substitution level doesn’t work like an ACF does. It replaces the entire level, rather than being exchanged for a particular class feature (Races of Stone 145).
Deflection Bonus to AC
Deflection bonus to AC can be gained through the sirine’s grace spell (easily UMDable from a wand with your high Cha) or incorporeality effects such as ghostform.
If such effects aren’t available, take 1 level of the ghost savage progression, replacing the draconic template in your LA allotment.
Deflection bonus to AC through one of these means is assumed in the totaling of +x.
Meeting Spellcasting Requirements
These builds need 2nd-level spontaneous arcane casting (for Ascetic Mage feat; IUS is gained from battledancer) and most also need 2nd-level divine casting (to enter mystic wanderer).
The glouras achieve this at no feat cost. They either meet the requirements naturally with blackguard 3, or take Alternative Source Spell to enter mystic wanderer, use mystic wanderer 1 to advance their pious templar or blackguard casting, then retrain away Alternative Source Spell.
The non-glouras have to spend feats. They gain their casting from blackguard or pious templar, take Sanctum Spell to qualify for mystic wanderer, use mystic wanderer to advance their pious templar or blackguard casting, then retrain away Sanctum Spell. They then take Spontaneous Healer or Wounder and Southern Magician for spontaneous 2nd-level arcane casting.
- Builds that take blackguard to 3rd don’t have to bother with taking and retraining Sanctum Spell.
- But non-gloura builds that take war mage 1 have to keep Sanctum Spell, unless they have an additional level that advances divine casting.
Pumping Charisma: All these builds have Cha 46 or 44 (base 18 + 12 or 10 racial + 5 lvl + 5 inh + 6 enh) and are constantly high on mertoran leaf (UA 203, 10gp, lasts 1 hr) for +2 alchemical. Another +3 can be gained through venerable age, another +1 from a Faustian pact. Spell items can be used for additional bonuses: righteous aura (+4 sacred, good only), snowsong (+4 morale), transfusion (+3-+5), greater visage of the deity (+4). Tattooed monk doubles your Cha mod, but only for 1 round per class level per day, so it’s not practical, but it would pump your highscore.
60 charisma with the baseline omni build means +200 to AC and +150 to saving throws (+175 vs. spells). The latter is excessive. For practical play you don’t need more than 2x or at most 3x Cha to saves.
Feat Choices: Many feats are tied up in prereqs. Evil’s Blessing is a must-have if you’re evil. Extend Spell>Persist Spell would let you use metamagic wand grips of Persist with spells like sirine’s grace, ruin delver's fortune, thunderlance and the +Cha buffs mentioned above.
Gear: Gauntlets of heartfelt blows, slippers of battledancing, hexbands if hexblade, nightstick if you take blackguard 3.
Hexblade: Some of these builds use hexblade to get mettle. This class is assumed to use Mike Mearls' unofficial errata, boosting hexblade’s curse to 1 + chamod uses per day, which becomes potent in combination with hexbands (MIC 112) and unseelie fey - winter aspect.
Here are the three races used.
Gloura (http://archive.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20031003e): magic-blooded draconic unseelie gloura (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Dex, +12 Cha, +4 Con).
By default, the glouras use level drain to reduce their 7 Racial Hit Dice to 1.
Human: magic-blooded draconic unseelie half-fey complacent human (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Cha, +2 Dex, -2 Con).
Human to qualify for Akodo champion PRC.
Any +Cha Race: magic-blooded draconic unseelie half-fey +cha race (+3 LA, bought off; +12 Cha, varies).
0 LA +Cha races: lesser aasimar, lesser celadrin, lesser cansin, lesser d’hin’ni, gruwaar, spellscale, complacent human, hellbred, star elf.
Ghost Savage Progression: If sirine's grace or incorporeality by other means isn't realistic for you, replace the draconic template with the first level of the ghost savage progression. Changes to racial stats: -2 Cha, -2 Str, -2 Con.
Unseelie Fey Template. Most builds will take winter caress, which is potent given your high Cha score -- stand next to someone and the wizard will never miss a SOD. But the LG builds and non-gloura omni builds have to take summer caress to qualify for witch hunter. (CArc 71 says entry requirements for a specific spell “measures whether the creature in question is capable of producing the necessary effect”, which should extend to supernatural effects. The unseelie fey template’s (su) summer caress “functions much like a magic circle against evil,” and while casually called a magic circle of nature, that name isn’t italicized as an independent effect, so the base effect is indeed MCAE.)
---
Technically, a gloura drained to 1 HD still has 7th-level bard casting. But IMO it’s more reasonable for their casting to be reduced to their RHD. Under this ruling, you have to jump through the same spellcasting qualification hoops as the non-glouras, but instead of Spontaneous Healing > Alternative Source Spell, keep Sanctum Spell, choosing a spell you can cast as both arcane and divine (secret weapon - Cityscape for evil chars, CLW for good chars). That’s still 2 prereq feats, but one can be a metamagic feat of your choice.
Stub Templates
These are stubs you can use as a basis for a Cha to Defense character. The next post has some examples of builds based on these stubs.
- Levels aren't given in order.
- Hexblade 3 can always be replaced with pious templar 1/full BAB 2.
- Divine Shield feat and ruin delver's fortune aren't included, so those can raise these numbers.
If you don't lose PRC features for ceasing to fulfill the entry reqs after entering, alignment is a nonissue.
Gloura version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x5 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Human version: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/wilder 2/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/Akodo champion 2/pious templar 1/blackguard 2/war mage 1
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7 (+ up to 1x to touch AC); Cha to saves: x5 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
- Recommended: replace wilder 2 with blackguard 3rd (turning for Divine Might/Divine Shield) and arcane duelist 3rd (dextrous attack for big attack bonus).
Human version 2: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/Akodo champion 2/blackguard 2/war mage 1/hexblade 3
BAB 17; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x5 (+1x Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Acquired Glouradom: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 2/war mage 1/pious templar 1/Akodo champion 2/any full BAB 1 (typically blackguard 3rd)
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x6 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
- Starts as a human (without the half-fey template) and takes Akodo champion, then uses wish or the rituals from Savage Species to become a gloura, then drains their gloura RHD.
- This is the maximum I could get from a 20 HD build.
Epic Build (theoretical max): add shaman 5 (+1x Cha to saves), Mantis mercenary 5 (+1x Cha to AC), wilder 2 (up to +1x Cha to touch AC), master of the Yuirwood 9 (+1x Cha to saves), iaijutsu master 2 and swiftblade 4 (+2x Cha to init), additional +Cha templates, Battle Dance epic feat.
Witch hunter/Eldeen ranger/mystic wanderer (CG).
Gloura Version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/full BAB 3
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
0 LA Cha race (if no RHD drain allowed): wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/any 4, with 1 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Blackguard/Eldeen ranger/mystic wanderer (CE).
Gloura version: fey 1/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/blackguard 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/full BAB 1
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing, +1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
0 LA Cha race (if no RHD drain allowed): wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Eldeen ranger 3/war mage 1/hexblade 3/any 4, with 1 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x7; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x vs. spells); mettle, ring of evasion
Witch hunter/Akodo champion/iaijutsu master (LG).
Human version: wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/Akodo champion 2/pious templar 1/war mage 1/iaijutsu master 2/x6 with 2 BAB to spare
BAB 16; Cha to AC: x6; Cha to saves: x3; Cha to init: x1; mettle, ring of evasion
- Has to be human for Akodo champion.
- Without mystic wanderer, to qualify for Ascetic Mage you either have to keep Sanctum Spell & its prereq, or one of your free levels needs to advance pious templar casting.
Without level drain, glouras are a less appealing choice.
No Disqualification Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/arcane duelist 2/blackguard 2/war mage 1/pious templar 1
BAB 13; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x4 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
- 16 BAB version: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/witch hunter 1/blackguard 2/pious templar 1/full BAB 4 (16 BAB, Cha to AC x5, Cha to saves x4)
CG Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/witch hunter 1/war mage 1/x6 (mix of hexblade 3 or pious templar 1, plus war mage 1 and/or arcane duelist 2-3 and/or Eldeen ranger 3 provided it’s ruled to stack).
BAB <16; varies
CE Full RHD Gloura: fey 7/wildshape ranger 2/paladin 2/battle dancer 1/mystic wanderer 1/arcane duelist 2/blackguard 3/war mage 1/pious templar 1
BAB 13; Cha to AC: x8; Cha to saves: x3 (+1x w/ Evil’s Blessing); mettle, ring of evasion
(No LG build since glouras can’t take Akodo champion.)