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View Full Version : Makin' a party, need some help.



Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 12:16 AM
Okay, guys, he's the deal: I'm the only guy for several miles who likes to play D&D. Or, the only one I've seen. Or heard of. Whatever. Point is. I do have a DM, but basically, I have to control an entire party if I want to get any gaming done. Point is, I'm drawing up a party of characters for a new session. I've got Player's Handbook, the online SRD, Player's Handbook II, Races of Eberron, and Races of Stone. I can use anything in those books to make my characters. Starting ECL is three.

So far I've made a changeling monk 1/ rogue 2. The monk level is so I'm never unarmed and get that handy bonus to AC when unarmored, which is what she's going to spend a lot of time as. The rogue levels are self-explanatory.

The rest of the party is where I'm having issues. I'm out of ideas! At least, new and interesting ones. I need a tank, a caster, and something else, probably. Any nifty, interesting builds you can think of to make my party solid?

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 12:47 AM
I had an interesting idea for a warlock halfling on a dinosaur, but I don't have warlock rules.

Valiena
2008-01-06, 12:56 AM
Go all sneaky. Druid as your healer, take natural spell at 6th level, and just wildshape into small things. Make a Dwarf Ranger that dual weilds light Hammers. Max out hide and ms. A caster would be helpful, but you do have a druid... I would either make a Bard or Barbarian either way, max hide and MS. Most powerful? nope. But different.

Or, go all halfings/gnomes all on riding dogs. Halfling pally on a doggie would be fun.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 01:35 AM
I just made a warforged shapeshifter-variant druid with ironwood body. I must be utterly mad. Would silver tracery disqualify me for druid-dom? And would it apply to damage in my shapeshifted form?

ZeroNumerous
2008-01-06, 01:46 AM
I just made a warforged shapeshifter-variant druid with ironwood body. I must be utterly mad. Would silver tracery disqualify me for druid-dom? And would it apply to damage in my shapeshifted form?

By the RAW, no. It's not metal armor, it's Ironwood Armor.

By common sense, yes. You've got metal in your armor, you lose druid casting/shifting.

And whether it applies or not is entirely up to your DM.

Changeling Rogue: You could pick up Improved Unarmed Strike as a feat and never be without a weapon. Much better than throwing away a perfectly good level, in my opinion.

If you have Warforged, then you might wanna make an Artificer for repairing them. Alternatively, a Rogue with high ranks in Craft(Blacksmithing) does just as well if you like to wait around for several days.

FlyMolo
2008-01-06, 01:46 AM
I had an interesting idea for a warlock halfling on a dinosaur, but I don't have warlock rules.

This is amazing. I don't know how you'd get that to work, but that is amazing.

Warlocks are in complete Arcane, and they rock. Shatter at will? Fun. Darkness at will? Fun. Spiderclimb at will? Fun. All three? A LOT OF FUN.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 01:52 AM
If you have Warforged, then you might wanna make an Artificer for repairing them. Alternatively, a Rogue with high ranks in Craft(Blacksmithing) does just as well if you like to wait around for several days.
Wouldn't repairing ironwood armor be craft (woodcarving)?

On the rogue, the monk damage is better than a dagger at first level, plus stunning fist, plus a +3 to AC when not wearing armor.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 02:02 AM
Do drow use the same stats in their eberron incarnations? I'm thinking drow barbarian. That'd be fun.

Inyssius Tor
2008-01-06, 02:37 AM
Yeah, they do (unless you can talk your DM into a LA-less version). Also, Eberron drow are really cool. You know most Eberron drow are different (scorpion (http://www.wizards.com/dnd/images/NB_Gallery/Clawborn_Scorrow.jpg)-revering Xen'drik jungle-dwellers), right?

Yami
2008-01-06, 02:44 AM
I do beleive races of stone and the PHII should allow you do build a Goliath Dungeon Crasher (Fighter Variant.)

That'd be my suggestion for a tank.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 03:59 AM
Goliath has some nice possibilities. I've always wanted to see a goliath riding a bulette in full plate. But I don't see Dungeon Crasher anywhere. Can you get weapon focus (boulder)? How about Weapon Focus (portable ram)?

Oh, sweet jesus, this just occurred to me. Goliath + battle plate + two great crossbows + tyrannosaurus mount = WIN.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 04:38 AM
Brilliant idea: Two casters, instead of one. Gnome sorcerers on Thrum Worms.No need for melee weapons, they've got a tank, a gish, their spells and their mounts between them and combat.

Here's a question. if you use flesh to stone, then shape stone, and stone to flesh, in that order, does that let you give them extra limbs or change their physiology in any way?

Inyssius Tor
2008-01-06, 05:01 AM
Judgment call. My take?

You could do it. But flesh to stone statues are awfully complex inside--if, for example, you cast stone to flesh on a well-made granite frog, you'd end up with a frog carved, with painstaking detail, out of meat. I'd give you a Spellcraft check, or a Craft check if you use a chisel, to carve the morphic structure of a functioning organism into a block of stone.

EDIT: We're talking pretty freaking high DCs here. I would let your alterations be fragile but functional if you didn't fail too badly, though.

But that's just me. Your mileage may definitely vary here.

Kristoss
2008-01-06, 05:02 AM
Have you considered going gestault.

Basically Gestault means choosing two classes per level and taking the best BAB, best HD, best amount of Skill points and best saves. Additionally you combine the class abilities from both the classes.

Using gestault rules you would only need one character.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 05:13 AM
Have you considered going gestault.

Basically Gestault means choosing two classes per level and taking the best BAB, best HD, best amount of Skill points and best saves. Additionally you combine the class abilities from both the classes.

Using gestault rules you would only need one character.

I had not heard of that. Would that give me twice the casting power, too? Twice the spell list and spells/day? Honestly, if it does, it seems overpowered. But with two casters, not only do I get the range, but I also get two spells/turn, effectively. It also opens some interesting roleplaying options.

Wordmiser
2008-01-06, 05:24 AM
I had not heard of that. Would that give me twice the casting power, too? Twice the spell list and spells/day? Honestly, if it does, it seems overpowered. But with two casters, not only do I get the range, but I also get two spells/turn, effectively. It also opens some interesting roleplaying options. (Emphasis mine)

"Overpowered" is relative. Depending on the rest of your group, a Sorcerer could be drastically underpowered or a Soulknife could be horribly overpowered. The term is basically meaningless.

Beside, how can anything possibly be overpowered if you're the only player? Who is going to care if you can cast spells, use skills and sneak attack (or whatever it is you want to do) at the same time with a single character?

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 05:31 AM
While I am the only player, I'm also a writer. I love titanic battles between good and evil, unexpected twists and turns, and roleplaying is the top of the list. If one wizard is suddenly twice as powerful as everyone else, then there's not really much point to the other characters, except support, and that's no existence for a well-made character. However, two equally powerful characters can do the same job quite nicely, and still have a viable power level for the rest of the group. Plus, if one of them dies, that opens up even more interesting options for RPed grieving, apathy, the loss of innocence, all sort of things.

Wordmiser
2008-01-06, 05:48 AM
While I am the only player, I'm also a writer. I love titanic battles between good and evil, unexpected twists and turns, and roleplaying is the top of the list. If one wizard is suddenly twice as powerful as everyone else, then there's not really much point to the other characters, except support, and that's no existence for a well-made character. However, two equally powerful characters can do the same job quite nicely, and still have a viable power level for the rest of the group. Plus, if one of them dies, that opens up even more interesting options for RPed grieving, apathy, the loss of innocence, all sort of things. I don't think I understand the problem. There is no wizard "suddenly [becoming] twice as powerful as everyone else" because there is no "everyone else."

The reason to use Gestalt is to reduce the number of characters necessary for a group's survival. A Rogue//Favored Soul, for instance, would function as a one-man party. He wouldn't be able to stand up to four level-appropriate encounters per day by any means, but he would be able to fill all party functions when dealing with a difficult situation.

So you'd only deal with one character so there wouldn't be any "rest of the group" beside the DM (who probably wouldn't be taking a dominant role anyway--what's the fun in solving your own puzzles or resolving your own conflicts?)

Ne0
2008-01-06, 05:48 AM
Therefore, the point in gestalt campaigns is generally that the entire party is gestalt. :smallbiggrin:

ZeroNumerous
2008-01-06, 05:53 AM
Wouldn't repairing ironwood armor be craft (woodcarving)?

You'd think that. RAW, it's still blacksmithing.


On the rogue, the monk damage is better than a dagger at first level, plus stunning fist, plus a +3 to AC when not wearing armor.

Use a shortsword.

Stunning Fist isn't great at first level. (DC 13) It requires throwing more good levels after bad to get it up to anything worthwhile later on.

Hey, I can get +4 to AC while wearing armor. Chain Shirt.

Lolzords
2008-01-06, 05:57 AM
I had an interesting idea for a warlock halfling on a dinosaur, but I don't have warlock rules.

My contribution to this thread consists of a link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0786934352/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-7942067-3311816#reader-link

Flip a couple pages in you'll find what you need.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 05:58 AM
You'd think that. RAW, it's still blacksmithing.



Use a shortsword.

Stunning Fist isn't great at first level. (DC 13) It requires throwing more good levels after bad to get it up to anything worthwhile later on.

Hey, I can get +4 to AC while wearing armor. Chain Shirt.

Ahh, but it's hard to disguise a chain shirt when you're masquerading as a noble or adviser. This way, there's no need to hide a weapon, no need to hide armor, and you can sneak attack twice in a row if you stun him the first time.

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 06:02 AM
My contribution to this thread consists of a link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0786934352/ref=sib_dp_pt/103-7942067-3311816#reader-link

Flip a couple pages in you'll find what you need.

Sorry, I have to have an account that's made a prior purchase to do so. Good idea, your heart's in the right place, but no cigar.

Lolzords
2008-01-06, 10:15 AM
Sorry, I have to have an account that's made a prior purchase to do so. Good idea, your heart's in the right place, but no cigar.

That's odd, I've never bought anything off amazon.com (not off this computer anyway) and it allows me to do it. :smallconfused:

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 12:46 PM
That's odd, I've never bought anything off amazon.com (not off this computer anyway) and it allows me to do it. :smallconfused:

That means you use the account to buy something, right? I don't think it cares which computer you bought it on, as long as you used that account.

mabriss lethe
2008-01-06, 02:26 PM
well, warlocks are fun. that's a fact. spellthieves and hexblades are also oodles of joy. You coud look up the Bloodline variant in the SRD. Some of them are pretty nifty. I've been toying around with a shifter with a lycanthrope bloodline...since it's y'know... what it would have....

Admiral Squish
2008-01-06, 02:31 PM
So, I've rounded out the party.
Changeling rogue
Warforged druid
Gnome sorcerer X2
Goliath Fighter

However, if anyone has better ideas, I'd be perfectly willing to swap out any one of the last three. They just kinda feel... uninspired.