Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground XCIX

[Heliomance]

Entry number 9!

Spoiler: Maldred

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Maldred the Chaotic Evil Human Paladin of Slaughter 2/Hexblade 4/Abjurant Champion 5/Life Eater 9

Spoiler: Maldred

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Stat	Base	Level Up	Final
Strength	16		16
Dexterity	13	4, 8, 12	16
Constitution	14		14
Intelligence	13		13
Wisdom	8		8
Charisma	14	16, 20	16

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Paladin of Slaughter	+1	+2	+0	+0	Intimidate +4, Knowledge Religion +4, Hide +2, Move Silently +2	Combat Casting, Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Spiked Chain	Aura of Evil, Detect Good, Smite Good 1/day
2nd	Paladin of Slaughter	+2	+3	+0	+0	Intimidate +5, Knowledge Religion +5, Hide +2.5, Move Silently +2.5		Deadly Touch, Divine Grace
3rd	Hexblade	+3	+5	+0	+2	Intimidate +6, Knowledge Religion +5, Hide +3, Bluff +1, Move Silently +3	Combat Expertise	Arcane Attunement, Hexblade’s Curse 1/day
4th	Hexblade	+4	+6	+0	+3	Intimidate +7, Knowledge Religion +5, Hide +3.5, Bluff +2, Move Silently +3.5		Arcane Resistance
5th	Hexblade	+5	+6	+1	+3	Intimidate +7, Knowledge Religion +6, Hide +4, Bluff +2, Move Silently +4		Mettle
6th	Hexblade	+6	+7	+1	+4	Intimidate +7, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +4, Bluff +4, Move Silently +4	Improved Trip	Summon Familiar, CL 2, 1st level spells
7th	Abjurant Champion	+7	+7	+1	+6	Intimidate +7, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +4.5, Bluff +5, Move Silently +4.5		Abjurant Armor, Extended Abjuration, CL 3
8th	Abjurant Champion	+8	+7	+1	+7	Intimidate +7, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +5.5, Bluff +5, Move Silently +5		Swift Abjuration, CL 4, 2nd level spells
9th	Abjurant Champion	+9	+8	+2	+7	Intimidate +10, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +6, Bluff +5, Move Silently +5	Knockdown	CL 5
10th	Abjurant Champion	+10	+8	+2	+8	Intimidate +10, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +6.5, Bluff +5, Move Silently +6.5		Arcane Boost, CL 6, 3rd level spells
11th	Abjurant Champion	+11	+8	+2	+8	Intimidate +12, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +7, Bluff +5, Move Silently +7		Martial Arcanist, CL 11, 4th level spells
12th	Life Eater	+11	+10	+4	+10	Intimidate +14, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +8, Bluff +5, Move Silently +8, Spellcraft +2	Mage Slayer	Deathwatch, Poison Use
13th	Life Eater	+12	+11	+5	+11	Intimidate +16, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +9, Bluff +5, Move Silently +9, Spellcraft +4		Sneak Attack +1d6, Death Knell, CL 12
14th	Life Eater	+13	+11	+5	+11	Intimidate +17, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +11, Bluff +5, Move Silently +10, Spellcraft +6		Chill Touch, CL 13
15th	Life Eater	+14	+12	+6	+12	Intimidate +18, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +12, Bluff +5, Move Silently +12, Spellcraft +8	Arterial Strike	Hide in Plain Sight, CL 14
16th	Life Eater	+14	+12	+6	+12	Intimidate +19, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +14, Bluff +5, Move Silently +13, Spellcraft +10		Wounding Sneak Attack, Sneak Attack +2d6
17th	Life Eater	+15	+13	+7	+13	Intimidate +20, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +15, Bluff +5, Move Silently +15, Spellcraft +12		Fatiguing Touch, CL 15
18th	Life Eater	+16	+13	+7	+13	Intimidate +21, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +17, Bluff +5, Move Silently +16, Spellcraft +14	Improved Familiar	Enervation, CL 16
19th	Life Eater	+17	+14	+8	+14	Intimidate +22, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +18, Bluff +5, Move Silently +18, Spellcraft +16		Sneak Attack +3d6, Draining Sneak Attack, CL 17
20th	Life Eater	+17	+14	+8	+14	Intimidate +23, Knowledge Religion +8, Hide +20, Bluff +5, Move Silently +21, Spellcraft +17		Destruction

Spoiler: Spellcasting

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Spells per Day

Spoiler: Spellcasting

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Level	1st	2nd	3rd	4th
1st	-	-	-	-
2nd	-	-	-	-
3rd	-	-	-	-
4th	-	-	-	-
5th	-	-	-	-
6th	0	-	-	-
7th	1	-	-	-
8th	1	0	-	-
9th	1	1	-	-
10th	1	1	1	-
11th	2	1	1	0
12th	2	1	1	0
13th	2	1	1	0
14th	2	1	1	0
15th	2	1	1	0
16th	2	1	1	0
17th	2	1	1	0
18th	2	1	1	0
19th	2	1	1	0
20th	2	1	1	0

Spells Known
Level
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
1st
-
-
-
-
2nd
-
-
-
-
3rd
-
-
-
-
4th
-
-
-
-
5th
-
-
-
-
6th
2
-
-
-
7th
3
-
-
-
8th
4
2
-
-
9th
4
3
-
-
10th
4
4
3
-
11th
4
4
4
2
12th
4
4
4
2
13th
4
4
4
2
14th
4
4
4
2
15th
4
4
4
2
16th
4
4
4
2
17th
4
4
4
2
18th
4
4
4
2
19th
4
4
4
2
20th
4
4
4
2

How does this all work. It is a specific reading, and it is headache inducing. Blame half casters like Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spellthief, etc.
First a quote:

Spells: Beginning at 4th level, a hexblade gains the ability to cast a small number of arcane spells, which are drawn from the hexblade spell list (see Chapter 3). He can cast any spell he knows without preparing it ahead of time, just as a sorcerer can. To learn or cast a spell, a hexblade must have a Charisma score equal to at least 10 + the spell level (Cha 11 for 1st-level spells, Cha 12 for 2nd-level spells, and so forth). The Difficulty Class for a saving throw against a hexblade’s spell is 10 + the spell level + the hexblade’s Cha modifier. Like other spellcasters, a hexblade can cast only a certain number of spells of each spell level per day. His base daily spell allotment is given on Table 1–1. In addition, he receives bonus spells per day if he has a high Charisma score. When Table 1–1 indicates that the hexblade gets 0 spells per day of a given spell level (for instance, 1st-level spells for a 4th-level hexblade), he gains only the bonus spells he would be entitled to based on his Charisma score for that spell level. The hexblade’s selection of spells is extremely limited. A hexblade begins play knowing no spells, but gains one or more new spells at certain levels, as indicated on Table 1–2. (Unlike spells per day, his Charisma score does not affect the number of spells a hexblade knows; the numbers on Table 1–2 are fixed.)

Upon reaching 12th level, and at every third hexblade level after that (15th and 18th), a hexblade can choose to learn a new spell in place of one he already knows. In effect, the hexblade “loses” the old spell in exchange for the new one. The new spell’s level must be the same as that of the spell being exchanged, and it must be at least two levels lower than the highest-level hexblade spell the hexblade can cast. For instance, upon reaching 12th level, a hexblade could trade in a single 1stlevel spell (two spell levels below the highest-level hexblade spell he can cast, which is 3rd) for a different 1st-level spell. At 15th level, he could trade in a single 1st-level or 2nd-level spell (since he now can cast 4th-level hexblade spells) for a different spell of the same level. A hexblade may swap only a single spell at any given level, and must choose whether or not to swap the spell at the same time that he gains new spells known for the level.

Through 3rd level, a hexblade has no caster level. At 4th level and higher, his caster level is one-half his hexblade level.

So for each level that a half caster gains a level in their class, they gain half a caster level.

Spellcasting: At each level, you gain new spells per day and an increase in caster level (and spells known, if applicable) as if you had also gained a level in an arcane spellcasting class to which you belonged before adding the prestige class level. You do not, however, gain any other benefit a character of that class would have gained. If you had more than one arcane spellcasting class before becoming an abjurant champion, you must decide to which class to add each level for the purpose of determining spells per day, caster level, and spells known.

There are several ways to argue this point:
Option 1: You increase your caster level (in this case from CL 2 to CL 3), but only put yourself to level 5 on the Hexblade table (in which case you should only have CL 2). This means you gain no new spells known, no new spells per day, you just get a CL boost.
Option 2: You increase your caster level (again from CL 2 to CL 3), and since you are now CL 3 you put yourself on the Hexblade table where you would have CL 3 (level 6).
Option 3: You increase your “hexblade” level from 4 to 5, granting you nothing. No CL increase, no new spells per day, no new spells known, nothing.

To me the only fair way to treat the advancement from a prestige class on a half caster, is to increase their placement by 2 on the spells portion. This does not give them “early” access to spells. You need just as many caster levels to reach 4th level spells on a Hexblade in this manner as a wizard. You still get 4th level spells at CL 7. Same as Assassin and wizard.

Onto the why. Why have I gone through convoluted means to get access to hexblade’s crappy spell list? Cursed Blade.
Cursed Blade is a 4th level Assassin and Hexblade spell only. Lasting for 1 minute per caster level, any wounds dealt by your weapon can’t be healed until the recipient of the damage receives a remove curse. Combined with Wounding Sneak Attack and Arterial Strike, and you now deal an additional stacking 2 bleed damage per sneak attack continuing until the target receives a remove curse. You hit a guy 3 times, he starts taking 6 damage per round until he’s cured.

Oh and on the note of mage slayer, you apply effects on yourself in whichever order you choose iirc. So CL 7 - 4 = 3, 3 is less than 17, so your CL now equals your BAB of 17.

Spells Known:
1: Entropic Shield, Bloodletting, Augment Familiar, Detect Magic
2: Arcane Turmoil, Alter Self, Mirror Image, Suppress Magic
3: Hound of Doom, Dispel Magic, Vampiric Touch, Arcane Sight
4: Cursed Blade, Polymorph[/SPOILER]

Spoiler: Strategies

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You are a spiked chain tripping fighter. You have mage slayer. You're quite good at doing the CC job within 15 ft of yourself. In addition you bring unhealable wounds and negative levels whenever you can sneak attack. Your saves are absolutely phenomenal thanks to Divine Grace + Arcane Resistance + Good saves from Life Eater. Surprisingly you are fairly stealthy with Hide in Plain Sight and decent skill investment, add in the fact that you have some decent wand usage from your hexblade wands (for things like solid fog, greater invisibility, etc). You have a familiar which can do some fun things depending on which one you choose (I like getting flight via a hippogriff.) Your CL of 17 is fairly decent for dispelling using your quickened dispels. Get yourself a Runestaff of Abjuration or a Custom Runestaff of Shielding (Steel Shadows, Fire Shield, Repelling Shield, and Nightshield) to enjoy the benefits of Abjurant Armor.