Iron Chef Optimization Challenge XI

**Ozymandias9** · 2010-09-09, 02:07 AM (ISO 8601)

And Gnomish girls make me sing and shout
That Blingdenstone's always on my my my my my my my my my mind

Originally Posted by Sizok

Analysis of Secret Ingredient

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As I see it, the ideal Blade Bravo should be:

A light-armored, non-Strength-focused melee combatant. The flavor, the prerequisites, and a number of class features all make this abundantly clear.
Charismatic. The Blade Bravo's "social combat" class features are difficult to make really powerful, but at least as a start to doing so, they should be hard to resist, which means a high Charisma. In addition, to really fit the flavor of the class, I've chosen not only to make Charisma decently high, but to make it the build's primary ability and base as many things as possible off of Charisma.
Small! A couple of class features only work against larger foes, and Size Advantage works better the bigger the size difference. So the smaller, the better.
Mobile. Mobile Fighting encourages moving each round, and some of the bonus feats support this as well. The Blade Bravo should therefore be able to move about without provoking attacks of opportunity, and preferably have some means to move and still make a full attack.
Critical hit-focused. Small but Deadly is a class feature that specifically rewards threatening a critical hit. Crit fishing is also a good way to make melee damage output significant even without making a full attack.
Sneak Attack-focused. The class grants Sneak Attack; might as well improve sneak attacking capabilities, if possible. Again, this is a good way to make damage output matter even without making a full attack.
Social combat focused. Feinting is a really weak tactic most of the time (and Blade Bravo isn't even very compatible with Invisible Blade, due to disparate feat requirements), but if there are ways to make feinting at least less useless, they are good additions to a Blade Bravo build at least flavor-wise. Any other social combat options also seem appropriate.
As a minor side note, I find it interesting that Concentration is a Blade Bravo class skill. I'd like to make good use of that.

With that, I present ...

Sizok, Sworn of Clan Dinglegrinn
NG Dromite Wilder 5 / Stoneblessed 3 / Swashbuckler 1 / Blade Bravo 10
Variants: Educated Wilder; Mantled Wilder (freedom)

Backstory

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"So tell me, old friend," Zirthen said, setting down his mug of the finest gnomish rum -- made by his own aunt Nirah -- "what brings you all this way to visit? How are things in your far-off tunnels?"

Vuru stared at Zirthen with his huge, unblinking, multifaceted eyes, while his antennae did a little dance that indicated a nervous gesture, like the blink of another race. "Things aren't good, friend. I'm really not sure what to do." It stirred its rockberry cocktail. "We're under constant pressure from the mindflayers, the umberhulks they send to assault our borders. Year after year. I really thought we could handle anything, all those years ago, after you and the others helped me drive out the drow. And I even think my hive could handle the mindflayers themselves, nasty as they are. We are a strong-minded race. But physical power, brave warriors who can hold a front line and guard our psionicists ... that's what we need against these umberhulks. And physical resilience, you understand, is not our best area."

Zirthen gave one of his old mischevious smirks, the way only an illusionist could. His elderly eyebrows made the effect stronger than ever. "Garl's gem glitters in the blackest tunnel, Vuru."

"Riddles, Zirthen? At a time like this, really?"

"Sit back and relax from your worries for a few moments, Vuru. It will do you good. Besides, it would be a crime not to enjoy the evening show, when you drink in as fine an establishment as the Thespian Rumspring."

The evening show began. Melodramatic chivalry and acrobatic stunts were placed on display. And when it ended, Vuru's jaw hung open -- which was a very interesting effect, given its oral anatomical differences from the gnomes.

"That was ... incredible," Vuru said, its antennae standing fully on end. "I thought you gnomes were all about magic and such arcane trickery ... wait. That swordsman was not, himself, an illusion?"

"No," chuckled Zirthen, "I'm afraid our talents are a little more diverse than you suspected, old friend."

"But such an interesting martial style ... from such a small being! Why ..." it paused. "I don't believe that warrior was any larger than a member of my hive. Yet its fighting style would excel against the umberhulks! Such skill with that narrow little sword! Would I be able to persuade him to come join our militia?"

Zirthen shook his head. "He is retired ... only good for show at this point. But ... you have given me an idea. I believe a cultural exchange program is in order! Have you any young dromite recruits, perhaps too frail to be the warrior you need against the umberhulks, yet brave and willing? It would need to be quick of wit and tongue and body, perhaps even a bit foolhardy."

Vuru's eyes seemed, somehow, to grow even wider, glistening with many colors. "You know, Zirthen, I think I have just the right hive-niece in mind ... A freshly-hatched crossbow archer whom I've already been teaching Gnomish ..."

Starting Ability Scores:
STR 10, DEX 14, CON 14, INT 14, WIS 6, CHA 18
Final Ability Scores:
STR 10, DEX 18, CON 22, INT 14, WIS 6, CHA 34

{table=head]ECL|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Dromite Level Adjustment|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+0

+0

|

+0

|

+0

|

+2

+1

|

+0

|

+0

|

+3

|Intimidate 1, Concentration 1, Craft (stonework) 1, Tumble 1, Listen 2| |Freedom mantle power (+10 speed)

4th|Stoneblessed 1 (RoS)|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+3

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+3

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+4

+4

|

+5

|

+1

|

+4

+5

|

+6

|

+2

|

+4

+6/+1

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

+7/+2

|

+6

|

+5

|

+4

+8/+3

|

+7

|

+5

|

+5

+9/+4

|

+7

|

+6

|

+5

+10/+5

|

+7

|

+6

|

+6

+11/+6/+1

|

+7

|

+6

|

+6

+11/+6/+1

|

+7

|

+6

|

+6

+12/+7/+2

|

+8

|

+7

|

+7

+13/+8/+3

|

+8

|

+7

|

+7

+14/+9/+4

|

+8

|

+8

|

+7

|Bluff 1, Concentration 1, Intimidate 1, Perform (dance) 1; never outnumbered trick| |Melee sneak attack +2d6

19th|Blade Bravo 9|

+15/+10/+5

|

+9

|

+8

|

+8

+16/+11/+6/+1

|

+9

|

+9

|

+8

|Bluff 1, Concentration 1, Tumble 2; acrobatic backstab trick| |Lethal Riposte[/table]

Powers Known

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ECL 2: Dimension Hop (CPsi)
ECL 3: Vigor
ECL 13: Hustle
ECL 15: Compression

Final PP/day: 56 (1 racial + 25 class-based +30 Charisma-based).

If this isn't enough PP for Sizok to manifest her powers constantly in her particular campaign, +1 Manifester Arrows can always be used to solve the problem.

Equipment

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Slippers of Battledancing! (DMG2) These are crucial to the build, as they allow melee attack and damage to be based off of Charisma whenever Sizok moves in combat. Their other perks (intiative bonus, speed bonus, Tumble bonus) are nice too. These should be acquired by Level 14 or so, at the very latest.

+1 Rapier: Sudden Stunning (DMG2), Bloodletting (MIC), Enervating (MIC), Slowing Burst (MIC), Collision (XPH). With this kind of weapon, critical hits should be relatively common and extremely painful. (Note that Bloodletting damage points get multiplied on a crit.) Before ECL 16 (when Sizok gains the Improved Critical feat), this should instead be a +1 Keen Bloodletting Sudden Stunning Rapier. If Sudden Stunning is considered broken in your campaign (very possible), use Stunning Surge (MIC) instead. If you have the money, add Suppression (XPH) to this weapon; Dispel Psionics isn't an awesome effect when tied to a Manifester Level of 5, but hey, it's still a free dispel attempt every time you hit a foe.

+5 Mithral Heavy Shield: Ironically, considering Sizok's general "lightweight" style, nothing she does is hindered by use of a shield. Might as well use one ... and make it a good one, since AC is quite important to this character. Many shield enhancements are nice (e.g. Fearsome (MIC), Ghost Ward (MIC)), but none are crucial.

+5 Mithralmist Shirt (MIC): See notes on shield. Mithralmist is a good cheap method of getting concealment, in case AC and Hit Points aren't ever enough defenses for Sizok. Fearsome (DotU) is certainly a good investment at high levels, after Sizok picks up Imperious Command.

Belt of Battle (MIC): good for almost every character, but Sizok gains more mileage than most out of getting 3/day extra move actions.

Novice Iron Heart Vest (ToB): Mostly because Disarming Strike is always a flavorful sort of maneuver to have access to on a swashbuckling character. Can also be used to gain Wall of Blades instead.

Novice Ring of the Diamond Mind (ToB): Moment of Perfect Mind 1/encounter. 'Nuff said. At high levels, this may become somewhat obsolete as Sizok is recommended to pick up a Third Eye Conceal (XPH/MIC) or Ring of Mental Fortitude (DMG2) for mental protection (given her low Wisdom score).

(another) Novice Ring of the Diamond Mind (ToB): Insightful Strike. Once per encounter, when Sizok can't make a full attack, she has one more option to give a big boost to her melee damage.

Circlet of Persuasion: Why not? Boosts Bluff, Diplomacy, Intimidate, Perform, and Use Magic Device at the same time.

Ring of Anticipation (DotU): Keep Sizok's Spot and Listen a little bit competitive, as well as rolling twice on initiative. This isn't strictly necessary, but really it's something many characters should probably carry.

Standard stuff: save boosts, extradimensional storage space, ability boosters (Dex +4, Con +6, Cha +6, and Tome of Leadership and Influence +5) ... you get the idea. Plus stuff that pretty much any character finds useful, e.g. Scout's Headband (MIC), Rod of Viscid Globs (MIC) ...

Psicrown of the Evader (XPH): a good indulgence at very high levels, when Wealth by Level becomes extensive.

+1 Arrows, Manifester (XPH): the cheesy but totally legal way to purchase extra Power Points cheap! 72 gp per Power Point! Use only if necessary.

Wands of Gravestrike, Golemstrike (CAdv): to make Craven damage apply against crit-immune things. Obviously, put them in Wand Chambers (Dungeonscape) in her rapier and shield.

Combos/Notes

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A dromite wilder gish. That's definitely something I've never seen before!

First, I'd like to point out that Sizok uses every aspect of the Dromite race:

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Charisma bonus is extremely valuable, as this build manages to use Charisma for attack rolls, damage rolls, bonus Power Points, Bluff checks (including feinting, or replacing failed Diplomacy checks using a skill trick), other social skills, Goad save DCs, and save DCs for abilities that may be picked up via Psychic Reformation'd powers (see Variations section) or items (e.g. Fearsome armor/shield, Sudden Stunning weapon), and uses/day of Sudden Stunning.
Monstrous Humanoid type is important (as opposed to e.g. Aberration) because of Stoneblessed prerequisites.
Small Size is important for Underfoot Combat and Confound the Big Folk, as well as several Blade Bravo class features.
20 foot land speed ... ok, I guess I don't get anything good out of that. But at least the build has a couple "accidental" speed boosts to make up for this weakness (the Freedom Mantle power at ECL 3, and the Slippers of Battledancing side effect).
+3 Natural Armor is nice, because this build actually focuses enough on AC to make it relevant all the way into high levels.
Resist Electricity 5 and Energy Ray 1/day aren't crucial to the build, but they're certainly useful. It's always good for a melee character to have a backup ranged option!
Naturally psionic ... obviously put to good use.
Scent and the Spot bonus make the character a valuable scout, especially at low levels. In spite of having a Wisdom penalty. (Stoneblessed picks up a racial Listen bonus, which is nicely symmetric and again helps overcome low Wisdom.) Blind-Fight is also a nice, if minor, perk for any melee character.
Even the Dromite bonus language list is important, thanks to Stoneblessed prerequisites. Note that Sizok starts off with a high enough Intelligence to know Gnomish and Terran.
Favored Class: Wilder is also put to good use, so that a Swashbuckler/Wilder doesn't get any XP penalties. (Incidentally, the Swashbuckler dip is necessary not just to pick up a free feat, but to be proficient in rapiers in order to take weapon focus. Diplomacy as a class skill is also a nice perk.)

The confession: this is not a powerful combat build at low levels. I wish I could claim otherwise, but I can't. It's a mediocre archer in combat, nothing more, until ECL 7 (or until the DM takes pity and hands out overpowered equipment early). (See the Variations section for a minor improvement on this issue.)

Even at these low levels, however, I think Sizok can manage to be a useful party member. Teleportation (i.e. Dimension Hop) is incredibly valuable at very low levels, and she has the skills and abilities necessary to be a good scout and a good party face.

The build's real intent, however, is to be a "tank" who draws the attention of big, tough melee monsters in order to protect the rest of the party. This role really kicks in at ECL 9, when Goad shows up. With Blade Bravo and high Charisma, Goad should be relatively likely to work; and with a great AC and plenty of Hit Points (via high Constitution and the Vigor power), Sizok should be a pretty resilient tank.

Of course a good tank also needs a decent offense, especially since many monsters are immune to Goad (or have ranged options).

Action Economy and Melee Damage-Dealing

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Sizok has a lot of ways to move and still make a full attack (triggering Mobile Fighting, and sometimes Slippers of Battledancing, in the process). Dimension Hop, Hustle, and at later levels Belt of Battle and Psicrown of the Evader.

However, Sizok also has a lot of ways to use up move actions besides moving: Goad, Feinting (with Improved Feint), and Demoralization (with Fearsome (DotU) armor). Weak options, sometimes, but terribly flavorful and fun to use. And she will want to move every turn, even when her position is already good, in order to activate Slippers of Battledancing. So she won't always get to make a full attack. So she needs to do as much damage as possible with a single attack per turn.

Crit-fishing is the main tactic here. With Improved Critical as a bonus feat, Sizok should threaten a critical on nearly every third hit. With good attack bonuses and Small but Deadly, those critical threats should generally be confirmed. With the right weapon (see Equipment section), a critical hit should do a few nasty things, such as a negative level and possibly a slow effect, in addition to damage. And static damage bonuses, such as Craven (!), will multiply on critical hits.

(Hooray for putting the minor Sneak Attack abilities of Blade Bravo to good use! And Sizok should never lack for ways to make sneak attacking possible. Winning initiative, flanking with an ally, using Sapphire Nightmare Blade (learned via item), feinting, using Confound the Big Folk, or using the Acrobatic Backstab trick.)

If Sizok's damage isn't going to be enough, use your magic weapon to Stun a target instead.

Note that Linked Power is another way to save on the action economy. Use it to manifest Vigor or Compression at the start of a battle if you didn't know the battle was coming in time to pre-buff.

Size Tricks and Armor Class Estimate

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Note that, with Wild Surge, Sizok has a high enough manifester level to augment Compression and shrink herself to Diminutive size. (This will let her use Confound the Big Folk with even Small monsters!)

Against a typical Large opponent, Sizok at high levels can have an AC of at least 63:
10 (base) +3 (size) +3 (natural) +6 (dexterity) +1 (mobile fighting) +9 (armor) +7 (shield) +5 (deflection item) +5 (natural enhancement item) +1 (insight item) +8 (size advantage) +5 (Combat Expertise).

This can be improved slightly by e.g. swapping out Mithralmist Shirt for Celestial Armor at high levels. Also, there is an additional +4 AC vs. creatures of the Giant type, thanks to the Racial Battle Technique of Stoneblessed.

That's respectable!

Variations

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If LA Buyoff is allowed, replace two levels of Blade Bravo with three levels of Uncanny Trickster (CScn). This gives the character a whole lot of skill points, accelerates skill tricks a bit, and lets you use three skill tricks twice as often. The latter can be chosen either for flavor (feint-related tricks) or power (Never Outnumbered, Social Recovery).

If flaws are allowed, there are plenty more feats this build would like to have (although some, admittedly, are still tricky to squeeze in, due to the need to take bonus feats from flaws at Level 1). For example, you could strengthen the build's focus on "social combat" and versatile use of Bluff with Combat Panache (PHB2). Or you could strengthen her psionic abilities with e.g. Practiced Manifester, Metapower (linked Hustle), or Hidden Talent (which would allow you to get Compression without taking a fifth Wilder level). Or you could further emphasize the size-based fighting angle, with Dodge and Titan Fighting (RoS).

One of Sizok's Power choices is pretty flexible: the one she picks up at ECL 3. Feel free to swap this power around, throughout the course of the campaign, using Psychic Reformation (XPH), either via NPC or via Power Stones. In particular, I think it might be a good idea at low levels for Sizok to know (and use) the Attraction power, putting her high Charisma to more good use (for the save DC) and strengthening her claim to being a solid party face.

If the campaign is going to be played mostly at low levels, swapping around the order of various levels can make Sizok more viable. In particular, starting her off with a level in Swashbuckler makes her viable in melee from the start. Stoneblessed and Blade Bravo can also be put off until Wilder abilities have matured. I put levels in the order they appear on the table for the sake of compatibility with the Backstory, as well as an earlier entry into the Secret Ingredient.

Choosing Electricity as Sizok's dromite energy type is not necessary. If you wish, you can switch her Resistance and her Energy Ray to Fire, Cold, or Sonic without harm. I chose Electricity because (a) I like it, and (b) her personality fits reasonably well with the XPH's description of a typical Glimmer Caste Dromite personality: "always move at high speed, rarely resting in their pursuit of life's tasks." Note that Sonic energy rays do slightly less damage than other energy rays against creatures.

Later Story Notes

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Level 5 (ECL 6):

Two years of an intense cultural immersion program: an eternity to a very young and eager dromite, though it seemed the blink of an eye to her gnomish teachers. Sizok passed every test the Dinglegrinn priests and elders could devise for her. Her religious fervor to Garl Glittergold and the other Gnomish gods was unquestionable; she could sing all forty-nine verses of the clan anthem; she could drink Zirthen's aunt's rum like an adult (though she hadn't beaten him in any drinking contests yet); and, most importantly, she managed to lace together all the priests' bootlaces while they were interviewing her. They're still not sure how she managed this prank, but they were pleased. It was likely her racial psionic talents had something to do with her success in this act of covert mischief.

(Side note: Sizok chose to adopt a feminine persona while she was among the gnomes, in order to better fit their expectations of gender roles. It is unknown how much this decision was detemined mostly by the simple fact that Vuru knew the word "niece" rather than "nephew" in Gnomish.)

With these tests passed, she was finally apprenticed to Dinglegrinn's master Duelist, Yonadollo. Garl knows, anyone who had spent time with her during her two-year immersion was surely relieved that she would finally stop asking, "when do I get to learn to use one of those sword-thingies? Er, epees?"

ECL 13-15:

If there is a question about why the last two Wilder levels show up in the build at just this point, here is the explanation: the Blade Bravo class description itself describes Blade Bravo 5 as a turning point, when the class begins to focus on size differences.

I put a Wilder level in at this natural "break point"; and then, as soon as Sizok learns the Size Advantage class feature, it makes sense for her to train next in using her inborn psychic abilities to make herself as small as possible (i.e. taking another Wilder level that gives her the Compression power).

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