3.5 Stratospheric Concentration

[PrismaticPIA]

I'm trying to make a flavorful character around Insightful Strike and Greater Insightful Strike (ToB). While the game on whole isn't terribly optimized, I'd like for the character to have the capacity to dish out a fair amount of damage.

So how do I go about boosting my concentration?

[DaltonTrigger]

High con stat.
Skill Focus, Concentration.
Greater Skill Focus, Concentration.
Enchant an item (say a headband) for +concentration.

I can't think of anything else honestly.

Edit: oh, right, and any buffs or spells to boost constitution.

[RTGoodman]

Let's see...

Max ranks: 23
Con bonus: +8 (16 + 5 levels + 5 tome +6 item)
Skill Focus: +3
Custom Magic Item: +30 competence bonus (90,000gp)
Item Familiar: +23 (see UA)
Pale Green Ioun Stone: +1
Luck Stone: +1


That's not all (and doesn't include any spells or anything people could use to boost your Concentration check for you), and that's already 1d20 + 89 (99.5 average). Oh, and if you have a power point reserve, you can expend your Psionic Focus to "Take 15" on a Concentration check.


EDIT: Thanks, Fcannon for correcting me.

[Fcannon]

there's a Psionic feat that lets you expend your Psionic Focus to "Take 15" on a Concentration check.

Actually, that's the basic function of Psionic Focus; it's the one use you don't need a feat for.

[RTGoodman]

Actually, that's the basic function of Psionic Focus; it's the one use you don't need a feat for.

Oh, huh, you're right. Duh. No wonder I haven't been able to find that feat.

[Eldariel]

All I can say is, anything that allows you to shift shape rocks; non-Humanoid shapes have pretty awesome Con-scores. If you took a casting PrC (Ruby Knight Vindicator) for a few levels, while it doesn't grant Diamond Mind in itself, it does advance your initiating and more importantly, gives you casting. As you should know, spells do everything better.

Especially thinking of certain number here named "Divine Insight" [Spell Compendium]. +15 (5+caster level) to any skill check is just awesome. Moment of Prescience also works, but it's an 8th level spell so unless you go Ur-Priest (and use another class to add Domains), it's unlike to be available through this way. However, Weapons of Legacy offer another route here. One of the high-level abilities of Weapons of Legacy is to cast Moment of Prescience on CL 20. So if interested, pick yourself a Weapon of Legacy with the capacity to cast Moment of Prescience, something you can discharge for +20 insight to a roll. Divine Insight is probably easier though, and more efficient as it's only a level 2 spell.

Getting enough level 2 slots shouldn't be a problem, and a simple Circlet of Rapid Casting allows you to cast it as a swift action 3/day (and an immediate action to use; not a problem if you happen to have taken Ruby Knight to level 7). This would get you a nice +15 to the checks.


And obviously, pumping Constitution works.

[Nohwl]

Let's see...

Max ranks: 23
Con bonus: +8 (16 + 5 levels + 5 tome +6 item)
Skill Focus: +3
Custom Magic Item: +30 competence bonus (90,000gp)
Item Familiar: +23 (see UA)
Pale Green Ioun Stone: +1
Luck Stone: +1


That's not all (and doesn't include any spells or anything people could use to boost your Concentration check for you), and that's already 1d20 + 89 (99.5 average). Oh, and if you have a power point reserve, you can expend your Psionic Focus to "Take 15" on a Concentration check.


EDIT: Thanks, Fcannon for correcting me.

is there a limit to how high you can make a custom magic items competence bonus? if there isn't, why not just go for like a +100 item?

[Sinfire Titan]

is there a limit to how high you can make a custom magic items competence bonus? if there isn't, why not just go for like a +100 item?

There is a limit. The price tag goes up for every type of bonus and point of the bonus. 5 different items that add a +5 to Concentration checks (of different types) should be cheaper than one item that provides a +25 of a single type.

[Pie Guy]

Above Plus thirty is officially epic, which is why we don't get +31 items.

[PrismaticPIA]

Good information to know.

What if we assume I'm making a 13th-level character?

[RTGoodman]

is there a limit to how high you can make a custom magic items competence bonus? if there isn't, why not just go for like a +100 item?

Yeah, like Pie Guy said, any Competence bonus to a skill above +30 is considered Epic, so it's out.

Good information to know.

What if we assume I'm making a 13th-level character?

Well, you'd just have to reduce the above to match 13th level Wealth and stats.

You'd still have 16 ranks, probably +6 Con (or higher, if you're really into optimizing*), +3 Skill Focus, and +16 from your Item Familiar. That'll get you 1d20 + 41, average 51.5. Add items to that and you can really boost it - I don't know WBL for 13th level, though, so you'd have to figure out yourself how fancy of an item you could get.

Oh, and one thing I actually forgot earlier (though it's open to debate) is the "masterwork tool" in the PHB equipment section. If a DM allows on for every skill, you can get another +2 to your Concentration check.



*You can get a huge Con pretty easily. Start with 16-18, be a Mongrelfolk (+4 Con), go through the Dragonborn of Bahamut ritual (+2 Con), and grab the Mineral Warrior template (+4 Con, +1 LA) for 26-28 Con at 1st level. By 13th, that's probably at least a 34 or so, for a +12 modifier.

[PrismaticPIA]

Yeah, like Pie Guy said, any Competence bonus to a skill above +30 is considered Epic, so it's out.



Well, you'd just have to reduce the above to match 13th level Wealth and stats.

You'd still have 16 ranks, probably +6 Con (or higher, if you're really into optimizing*), +3 Skill Focus, and +16 from your Item Familiar. That'll get you 1d20 + 41, average 51.5. Add items to that and you can really boost it - I don't know WBL for 13th level, though, so you'd have to figure out yourself how fancy of an item you could get.

Oh, and one thing I actually forgot earlier (though it's open to debate) is the "masterwork tool" in the PHB equipment section. If a DM allows on for every skill, you can get another +2 to your Concentration check.



*You can get a huge Con pretty easily. Start with 16-18, be a Mongrelfolk (+4 Con), go through the Dragonborn of Bahamut ritual (+2 Con), and grab the Mineral Warrior template (+4 Con, +1 LA) for 26-28 Con at 1st level. By 13th, that's probably at least a 34 or so, for a +12 modifier.

I would not have thought of Mineral Warrior or the Ritual. Thank you for those.

[Chronos]

Custom Magic Item: +30 competence bonus (90,000gp)
...
Pale Green Ioun Stone: +1

These are both competence bonuses, so they don't stack. And especially for a non-caster, custom items might be hard to come by. So far as I know, the best printed Concentration item is the Third Eye: Concentrate at +10.

[RTGoodman]

These are both competence bonuses, so they don't stack. And especially for a non-caster, custom items might be hard to come by. So far as I know, the best printed Concentration item is the Third Eye: Concentrate at +10.

Ah, yeah, right - I was thinking it was competence bonuses from different sources stack, but that's CIRCUMSTANCE bonuses.

As far as items being hard to find, yeah, but Craft Wondrous Item only requires CL 3, so you could either get a party member to grab it, pay someone to do it, or dip a couple of levels into Wizard or Cleric for it. That'll also open up a bunch of spells that could boost skill checks.

[lsfreak]

Depending on how much of a stickler your DM is, you might not be able to get it. You have to have skill ranks equal to the bonus you're looking for according to all the skill-boosting items, which means you'd need to find a level 27 guy to make you such a +30 bonus item.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Depending on how much of a stickler your DM is, you might not be able to get it. You have to have skill ranks equal to the bonus you're looking for according to all the skill-boosting items, which means you'd need to find a level 27 guy to make you such a +30 bonus item.

Popular misconception. Look at the Boots of Elvenkind for an example that's core and doesn't.

[PrismaticPIA]

How about a dip into Marshal? One level would get my charisma to Con-based checks.

[Telok]

Race: Elan, Maenad, Xeph. This gets you the psionic focus at +0 LA and a couple other bennies.

Items: Third Eye of Concentration or a +10 skill ring, the cost is the same. The Headband of Conscious Effort will 1/day give you Concentration for a Fort save for 2k gp. A potion of Heroisim will give you a +2 morale bonus for 750 gp.

Feats: Rather than Skill Focus and Greater Skill Focus, I'd take Leadership (bard/marshal half-celestial or half-fey) and Improved Critical for a kukri or rapier. Have someone else waste time giving you a skill boost.

For Greater Insightful Strike you don't really need much optimization. A good attack bonus, mitigating miss chances, see invisible, flight or mega-jump, that's all you need. I accidentally crit a 12 headed cyro-hydra to death with a warblade on the first round. One guy charged it, sucked all the AoO, lost half his HP, and did about 20 damage. It breathed and froze half the party's HP into the single digits. Then my character walked up, shoved his kukri into it's chest up to his shoulder, and it fell over.

Remember, all this strike does is make your damage ((character level +3) + (Con modifier) +1d20)*2 before crit chances.

[Gorbash]

Greater Skill Focus doesn't exist. There's only Epic Skill Focus.

[Sinfire Titan]

Greater Skill Focus doesn't exist. There's only Epic Skill Focus.

And Focused Skill User, but that doesn't work if you blow your Psi Focus on the Take 15 option.