Coach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcvou0SAxZI
Spoiler: Racial stuff
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Flaw: Incomprehensible Accent
Effect: No one can understand what you are saying. Your Thick accent even baffles comprehend languages and similar magical effects.
Simple Weapon: Light Xbow
NG Forest Gnome Bard 3/Commoner 2/Expert 1
HP: 4d6+2d4+6
Race: Forest Gnome
+2 CON, -2 STR, Small (+1 AC, +1 BAB, +4 Hide/+8 in wooded area, -4 Grapple), Speed 20, Lowlight, +2 saves vs illusions, +1 DC for illusions cast by gnome, +1 attack vs kobolds, goblinoids and reptilian humanoids, +4 dodge bonus to AC vs Giants, +2 Listen/Craft (alchemy), SLA’s 1/day speak w/ animals (burrowing only, for 1min), if CHA is at least 10, 1/day dancing lights/ghost sound/prestidigitation at CL 1, DC 10+CHA+spell lvl. (Su) Pass w/o Trace as an innate ability. Automatic languages: Gnome, Elven, Sylvan. (and a simple language that allows basic communication with forest animals) Bonus: common*, draconic*, dwarven*, giant, goblin, orc
PT BUY:
STR 10 DEX 10 CON 10 INT 16 WIS 11 CHA 17
RACIAL
STR 8 DEX 10 CON 12 INT 16 WIS 11 CHA 17
Point into CHA
Spoiler: Build
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| Level |
Class |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Skills |
Feats |
Class Features |
|---|
| 1st |
Commoner |
+0 |
+0 |
+0 |
+0 |
Craft-Composing 4, Craft-Wordsmith 4, Profession-Coach 4, cc-Knowledge-Local 2 (Western Heartlands), cc-Perform 2 |
Hidden Talent-Psionic Minor Creation, (B) Artist |
Flaw: Incomprehensible Accent |
| 2nd |
Gnome Bard |
+0 |
+0 |
+2 |
+2 |
Spellcraft 4, Perform 4, Know-Arcane/History/Nature 1 |
- |
Bardic Music, Bardic Knowledge, Counter Fear, Fascinate, Gnome Cantrips, Inspire Courage +1, Spells |
| 3rd |
Bard 2 |
+1 |
+0 |
+3 |
+3 |
Craft-Compose/Wordsmith 5, Perform 6, Profession 5, Know-Dungeoneer/Engineer/Planes/Religion 1 |
Melodic Casting |
- |
| 4th |
Bard 3 |
+2 |
+1 |
+3 |
+3 |
Craft-Compose/Wordsmith 7, Diplomacy 2, Perform 7, Profession 7, Know-Nobility 1 |
- |
Inspire Competence |
| 5th |
Commoner 2 |
+3 |
+1 |
+3 |
+3 |
Craft-Compose/Wordsmith 8, Profession 8, cc-Perform 8 |
- |
- |
| 6th |
Expert |
+3 |
+1 |
+3 |
+5 |
Craft-Compose/Wordsmith 9, Diplomacy 7, Perform 9, Profession 9 |
Trivial Knowledge |
- |
Spoiler: Feats
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1-Hidden Talent –PMC: gain 2 pp and 1st level power, Psionic subtype
1- Artist, Regional Feat: +2 on perform checks, +2 on one craft skill involving art (Composer, or wordsmith if you think music isn’t a form of art), 3 extra uses of Bardic Music/day
3-Melodic Casting: Perform check instead of Concentration and can cast as part of Perform
6- Trivial Knowledge: whenever you make a knowledge or bardic knowledge check, roll twice and select the better of the two rolls
Epic Feats:
1: Obscure Lore: +4 insight bonus to bardic knowledge checks
2: Extra Music: 4 extra uses of Bardic Music
3: Epic of the Lost King: expend 1 music to remove fatigue from 3 allies, expend 3 music to remove exhaustion
4: Song of the Heart: Music is improved: Inspire line bonus by +1, fascinate dc increases by 1
5: Music of Making: expend 1 music to double conjuration durations (Psionic Minor Creation..), as well as grant a +4 sacred bonus to Craft (improved to +6 from Song/Heart)
6: Extra Music: 4 extra uses of Bardic Music
7: Skill Focus – Perform: +3 to skill check
8: Resourceful Buyer: communities are considered 1 size larger, see table 5-2 in DMG p137
9: Extra Music: 4 extra uses of Bardic Music (total 18 uses)
10: Disguise Spell: Perform check vs Spot to detect casting
Spoiler: Spells per day/known
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Bonus spells: an extra 1st lvl spell
2- 0-2/5
3- 0-3/5, 1-1/2
4- 0-3/6, 1-2/3
(( the number of 0th’s known is a guess, the standard bard gets 4/5/6 respectively, the gnome bard gets 5 at 1st, so it’s either 5/5/6 or you increase each level to compensate for that first one to 5/6/7. Either way, we really only care about 4 0th’s regardless ))
Spells Known:
0- Ghost Sound, Mending, Prestidigitation, Summon Instrument
1- Charm Person, Hypnotism, Comprehend Languages
Racial SLA’s:
1/day speak w/ animals (burrowing only, for 1min), 1/day dancing lights/ghost sound/prestidigitation
Aside from the 9 bajillion uses for Prestidigitation, there are some less known uses in Tome and Blood, page 80.
The biggest challenge for this “ingredient” is how do you make it shine? Do you try to make the best commoner possible? They only have one “class ability” and that is their skill list, and perhaps the single simple weapon proficiency. The skill list is: Climb, Craft, Handle Animal, Jump, Listen, Profession, Ride, Spot, Swim, Use Rope.
OR
Do you try to make any other e6 build work while incorporating Commoner levels somehow?
I think we should be building an NPC, and essentially a non-combatant, as such, option 1.
Spoiler: Playtips/Background
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Coach is a Teacher at the local Education Hut #271. Just like teachers the worlds over, he has more than 1 job to make ends meet. His primary job at school is to coach the various sports teams, and he occasionally will fill in or take over for the music teacher as well.
Now, no one can understand a single thing he ever says, but that doesn’t stop him from being an amazing mentor to the next generation. Nor stop him from being the best coach in 15 districts. Anytime there’s a problem student, he pulls them aside and somehow they come to an understanding. The problem goes away, and even previously hostile students leave with a smile on their faces.
Whenever his team is getting beaten, he just sings a little ditty and they turn things around. Everyone runs faster, sees clearer, jumps farther, etc. Late in the game when both teams are beaten up pretty bad, his teams always manage to find a second wind and push through for the victory, and morale is never a problem either!! He always seems to know some hidden trivia about the visiting teams, their strengths and weaknesses, their playstyles. It doesn’t matter if it’s the Clockville Constructs, the Oozians, Drakeville Dragons, or even the Deep Town Dwarves. It’s uncanny.
Coach has a never ending stream of notebooks he uses to write instructions in, or in a pinch will create floating displays for game clinching plays to appear on, or instructions to the special teams.
The end of season banquet’s his catering company throws are always first rate affairs. The food is amazing, every flavor you could ever imagine, and then some you never even thought of. And all from the most mundane and normal of ingredients, Coach is truly a master chef as well.
Coach also acts as the neighborhood handyman, making minor repairs, cleaning the occasional house, and anything else that needs done. His little storefront either has everything you could want, or he can find it for you.
On top of all this, Coach is a world-famous rock star! He writes, performs, and sells some of the most moving musical pieces around. He also writes articles for the local paper, creates calligraphy for the visiting nobles, and is in the process of rewriting the entire school’s curriculum as well.
Coach is a recognized expert in many fields. He’s an example to all the good little Gnomes and Gnom-etts, that anyone can come from the most common of origins, and prosper.
Coach either writes instructions down, uses his bardic music to inspire, or uses prestidigitation to create floating chalkboards in order to communicate his wishes.
(( as an exercise in thought, would being ununderstandable mean that no one would know you were casting a spell with a verbal component as generally speaking you just spout gibberish the entire time? ))
Spoiler: if Coach were evil
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Ghost sound can be used to confuse the “enemy” quarterbacks. Charm/Hypnotism can be used to sway the referees, or to get a player to throw the game. Fascinate could be used to get an enemy player to miss a pass, not swing at that home run, miss a tackle, not block a kick, etc.
Spoiler: Misc
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Gnome Cantrips: add Dancing Lights, Ghost Sound, and Prestidigitation to known list, pick 2 others
Counter Fear: 3+ ranks in Perform, counter magical fear effects, any ally w/in 30ft can use perform check in place of saving throw, and gets a new save every round. Lasts 10 rounds
Expert: choose any 10 skills as class skills: Concentration, both Crafts, Diplomacy, Perform, Profession, any 4 Knowledges
Adaptation: Clearly our build is NPC focused, not PC w/ ranks in Commoner focused. Consider applying the “attack” bonus’s into morale bonuses for skills for the players on the field. Saves vs fear could be for rallying late in the game. The enemy is clearly the other team in whatever sportsing thing is going on.
Items:
Masterwork Tools, for a +2 bonus to crafting, perform, profession (a masterwork whistle, bullhorn, quill pens, etc)
Regional Feat grants us a single Potion of Lesser Restoration
Bardic Knowledge Check: +3 (class levels) +3 (INT) +4 (Obscure Lore) = +10, and can roll 2x and pick better roll. Using this to pick up some of that stray knowledge about the enemy team being faced.
Bardic Music uses: +3 (class levels) +3 (Artist) +12 (Extra Music 3x) = 18
-Perform Check: +9 (ranks) +2 (Artist) +3 (Skill Focus) = 14 + 4 (CHA) = 18
-Counter Fear: any ally w/in 30 ft can use my Perform check in place of their Will save against Fear effects, and for each consecutive round needed up to 10 rounds
-Fascinate: 1 creature within 90ft, Perform check+1, DC = target’s Will save, meaning likely auto success. Target sits quietly to listen to song and takes no other action up to 3 rounds, target gets -4 on skill checks as reactions such as listen/spot.
-Inspire Courage: +2 attack bonus/morale bonus on saves as long as allies hear, and for 5 rounds after
-Inspire Competence: +3 competence bonus to allies within 30ft on skill checks
Words of Creation (BoED 31, 48) could be taken as a feat, the creation aspect of it essentially mimics the Music of Making Feat (without the loss of a BM use), albeit w/o the synergy bonus from Songs of the Heart. The bonuses to Bardic Music could also be used, but at 3d4 and 6d4 non-lethal damage per use, it gets dicey pretty quick. Generally effects that double duration don’t stack, so the doubling of conjuration durations wouldn’t happen twice. The Inspire effects would double as well, but at this low level that’s only another +1 to the bonus for inspire courage, and another +2 to inspire competence at the cost of a pile of damage you can’t mitigate.
Other non-allowed material that would’ve been nice:
Craft Expertise Feat: Dragon 339 – generate 2x the normal value when crafting
War Chant Feat: Dragon 335 – chant for 3 rounds as a free action, gain +2 to initiative, grant +1 to allies
Chaos Music Feat: Dragon 326 – like practiced spellcaster for bardic music
Innate Magic Feat: Dragon 324: choose any 0th spell to cast 1/day as an SLA (for more prestidigitations)
Speak to the Masses Feat: Dragon 339: When using Fascinate you may affect 2x the creatures, +2 DC on fascinate and suggestion
Originally Posted by Coach
Coach.
Re: Game-Warper's Optimization Challenge #1: E6 Flawed Commoner
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