Making A Stupid Concept Just Slightly Less Stupid

[NerdHut]

A Spellwarped Chicken. That's the base of the stupid concept. If you don't already love it, we can't help each other.

For the most part, this is all straightforward. Using the Raven statblock with minimal changes, and applying the Spellwarped template, I have the idea to add this chicken to a future game. I'm thinking with the increased INT, it should have some class levels too. But that 1d2-3 attack damage is pitiful. On the one hand, always doing 1 damage is hilarious. On the other hand, I think it would be a different shade of hilarious if it did at least 1-2 damage so that rolling matters.

Without taking several feats or buying powerful magical items, is there an easy way to bring that damage up to something surprising? Because I'm pulling a blank on it this evening.

[RandomPeasant]

You could always have the chicken take ToB levels and use things like mountain hammer that add flat damage to your attacks. If you assume the chicken was awakened before getting Spellwarped, it could plausibly have a high enough INT to become a Duskblade and use Arcane Channel to the same effect. If I'm remembering the rules correctly, you get spell slots even if your stat isn't high enough, so a Chicken Sorcerer 8 could use Arcane Strike to do meaningful damage, even though it probably can't cast anything.

[Gruftzwerg]

A Spellwarped Chicken.
...
..it should have some class levels too. But that 1d2-3 attack damage is pitiful.
..

Be a spellwarped chicken warlock ! ^^

Eldritch Blast/Glaive doesn't care for your STR modifier. Or just pick Summon Swarm and go nuts. (note that the swarm invocation sole has 1 standard action as casting time. Thus you can easily recast it every turn; don't need to concentrate and don't need to be afraid that they move to your allies.)

Spiderclimb all day would also be nice imho for the chicken.

[pabelfly]

What level range are we shooting for here?

Easiest way would be with Tome of Battle strikes. Maybe Unarmed Swordsage. Give you 1d6 on your unarmed attacks, plus various strikes to boost damage. That leaves most of your feats to yourself.

[Thurbane]

Just use an Axebeak or Terror Bird as the base, and call it a Spellwarped Dire Chicken :smallbiggrin:

[NerdHut]

I'm loving these suggestions


What level range are we shooting for here?

Easiest way would be with Tome of Battle strikes. Maybe Unarmed Swordsage. Give you 1d6 on your unarmed attacks, plus various strikes to boost damage. That leaves most of your feats to yourself.

I was thinking something low level, but haven't really gotten that specific beyond that. So up to 6ish? I'll take a look at that option, but it's in one of the sources I prefer to skip over on a matter of personal/stylistic taste.


Just use an Axebeak or Terror Bird as the base, and call it a Spellwarped Dire Chicken :smallbiggrin:

I love the energy here, but it's important to the stupidity of it all that it remain a typically nearly-harmless bird. That said... just gonna write down those names in m'notes here to come back to later.

[pabelfly]

I was thinking something low level, but haven't really gotten that specific beyond that. So up to 6ish? I'll take a look at that option, but it's in one of the sources I prefer to skip over on a matter of personal/stylistic taste.

If you don't like ToB classes (fair enough) I'd look at a Swift Hunter build (since skirmish damage stays the same regardless of your size). Alternatively, Power Attack also works with natural weapon attacks, so you could work towards a Shock Trooper build.

The Shadow Blade feat would work good with your dex-focused chicken too since you get Weapon Finesse as a bonus feat.

[Telok]

If you don't like ToB (fair enough) I'd look at a Swift Hunter build (since skirmish damage stays the same regardless of your size). Alternatively, Power Attack also works with natural weapon attacks, so you could work towards a Shock Trooper build.

Ok, ok, that triggered a memory... So we have the -3 from strength... enough levels to up the strength to a -2 andcrage takes care of the rest... then combo power attack... no, we don't qualify normally... ok.

1. Take at least one barbarian level for rage.
2. Get power attack, probably through a monk acf or variant.
3. Get, if I recall correctly, reckless rage and whatever else to offset the power attack penalty into an ac penalty.

Um, can we inflict lycanthropy on the chicken somehow? Were-chicken chicken is pretty stupidly hilarious.

Edit: oh, yeah, the memory. One campaign there was a podunk little town terrorized by a gane with a level... 5? 6? barbarian leader. He had a good attack but it tanked his ac (wearing spiked studded leather I think for the looks) down to 5 or something. Its especially memorable because someone rolled an attack on him and said they missed without actually telling me the to-hit roll. Took a minute of convincing but yeah, 2+8 hit the guy. I think the player still never quite believed me.

[pabelfly]

Ok, ok, that triggered a memory... So we have the -3 from strength... enough levels to up the strength to a -2 andcrage takes care of the rest... then combo power attack... no, we don't qualify normally... ok.

1. Take at least one barbarian level for rage.
2. Get power attack, probably through a monk acf or variant.
3. Get, if I recall correctly, reckless rage and whatever else to offset the power attack penalty into an ac penalty.

Um, can we inflict lycanthropy on the chicken somehow? Were-chicken chicken is pretty stupidly hilarious.

Shock Trooper is the offset to AC feat. Reckless Rage just gives you an extra +2 to your accuracy from charging at an enemy.

Ranger actually has some dragon magazine combat styles that gives out Power Attack too. There might be other ways to pick up Power Attack without having the required STR, now that I think about it.

[Biggus]

1. Take at least one barbarian level for rage.


I love it. A spellwarped chicken is funny, but a raging spellwarped chicken is pure Monty Python.

If you want to keep it simple, just Improved Natural Attack and one level of Barbarian will get its damage in rage up to 1d4-1.

[pabelfly]

I love it. A spellwarped chicken is funny, but a raging spellwarped chicken is pure Monty Python.

If you want to keep it simple, just Improved Natural Attack and one level of Barbarian will get its damage in rage up to 1d4-1.

That's not a bad idea. I'd probably go with Swift Hunter after that for Skirmish damage and some free TWF feats.

[Thurbane]

If it could take levels in Stoneblessed (Goliath), it could actually grow large while raging, but unfortunately Aberrations cannot enter the Stoneblessed PrC.

I was going to suggest levels in the Primeval so it it transform into an Axebeak or Terror Bird, but the alternate form must be no bigger than one size category larger.

Druid 8 could let you assume those forms, but then the primary focus of the build is more casting than being an angry chicken...

[Khatoblepas]

If it could take levels in Stoneblessed (Goliath), it could actually grow large while raging, but unfortunately Aberrations cannot enter the Stoneblessed PrC.

If you pluck the chicken, it could take the Human Heritage feat and then take Stoneblessed.

[Berenger]

Give that chicken one level of Rogue for a 1d2-3+1d6 Beak Attack.

[NerdHut]

If you pluck the chicken, it could take the Human Heritage feat and then take Stoneblessed.

I was wondering when Diogenes would show up on one of my posts.

Anyway, this is all great. The barbarian suggestions are probably the most likely option, but some of these more creative ones do seem tempting. I hadn't even thought about the STR bonus from rage. Guess I've been building too many fighters.

[Curbludgeon]

It doesn't follow the chicken stat line, but I could see something incorporating a rooster's spurs and just folding it into the beak attack as a general angry chicken freak out. I'd want to not be too suggestive of illegal animal fighting. Perhaps a variant on a Dragon Compendium poison ring?