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Nepsta
2008-10-27, 06:23 PM
So my idea is that the character (level 4-6) broke out of prison, and joins the party for safety. His shackels are cursed, they can't be removed until the curse is broken, and is unable to touch a weapon or anything that was made for combat. This means that his primary weapon will be the non-spiked chains that are attached to the shackels on his arms. I think this will be incredibly fun to play, but being unable to use weapons will make it hard to keep up and stay useful to the group, does anybody have any ideas about how I can still have a relatively powerful character?

Glyde
2008-10-27, 06:28 PM
**** I can't post here anymore. FLEE!



I'm still going to have to go with being able to have the chains enchanted over and over by someone really powerful. Course, there'd be a lot of threatening / paying of this really powerful person in order to enchant something for an escaped convict.

FMArthur
2008-10-27, 06:29 PM
Can't you just handle it like a spiked chain that deals less damage? The truly savage spiked chain builds don't really rely on the weapon's damage, do they? It's more about the reach and the bonuses to trip and disarm.

Eldariel
2008-10-27, 06:29 PM
What are the stats of the chains? That's the primary question. If they're like Spiked Chain's, you're blessed, not cursed - that's one of the very few worthwhile Exotic Weapons (of course, out of combat it'll probably still be very much of an issue, but in combat, they'll work great). Really, stats are important.

Got reach? Become a Tripper with Combat Reflexes et al.

Two-Handed? Power Attack + Shock Trooper for massive damage.

High base damage? Standstill called.

Are you Large? Knockdown Dungeon Crasher would be awesome (besides, for a jailbreaker, Dungeon Crasher seems exactly right).

Disarm-capable? Might just pick it up if it's a Humanoid-heavy campaign.


Oh yeah, don't forget that existing weapons can be further enchanted by NPC or party casters with Craft Magic Arms and Armor, so staying competitive in that sense shouldn't be least bit difficult. Mayhap even head in the Artificer-direction yourself to perform those functions without outside help (or pick up Item Familiar [Unearthed Arcana] and make your Shackles your Familiar, or Ancestral Relic [Book of Exalted Deeds] and make your Shackles your Relic).

Glyde
2008-10-27, 06:37 PM
A note about the ancestral weapon thing from BoED, I thought of this myself and it's an evil campaign, so sadly the BoED is out of the question XD

monty
2008-10-27, 06:38 PM
make your Shackles your Relic

:smallconfused:
I'd be interested to see the justification for prison shackles being an ancestral relic.

Eldariel
2008-10-27, 06:39 PM
Item Familiar has similar effects and it's not limited by alignment, so go for that instead then.

EDIT:


:smallconfused:
I'd be interested to see the justification for prison shackles being an ancestral relic.

Just a matter of reflavouring :smallbiggrin: Or maybe you were born in that prison and those are the same shackles your grandpa wore? Or heck, maybe your lineage just has a history of getting imprisoned and you've reserved the same cell with those specific shackles.

Ascension
2008-10-27, 07:02 PM
I say go the Regal Bryant (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_characters_in_Tales_of_Symphonia#Regal_Bry ant) route and forget using your arms entirely. Build the character as an unarmed swordsage with enchanted footwear. I guess greaves wouldn't work, since they'd be made for combat, but boots would. Just treat them like gauntlets for the feet. Your DM should agree. I think. I would.

JeminiZero
2008-10-27, 08:02 PM
Aside from unarmed swordsage as mentioned above, Psychic Warriors are also effective unarmed combatants. You might also consider one of those builds that don't use weapons at all (Dragonfire Adept).

Or else, there are the various odd ways of trying to make this character effective (Drunken Master improvised weapon proficiency lets you bash your enemy skull in with branch you picked up, VoP lets you treat that branch as a magical weapon and waht not, Warlock Hideous blows applied to the chains lets it deal more damage).

monty
2008-10-27, 08:06 PM
Warlock Hideous blows applied to the chains lets it deal more damage.

And provokes an AoO, and restricts you to a standard-action attack. There are far better options for increasing damage.

Sstoopidtallkid
2008-10-27, 08:16 PM
I'd make them 1-handed light bludgeoning weapons with stats otherwise identical to a Spiked Chain. For optimization, be a character with bonus damage somehow and go TWF.