Thought Gathering for a new Character.

[Vizzerdrix]

[3.x/ almost All books/ Dragon Mags okay/ some 3rd party stuff by DM approval]

All right. We just had a TPK vs. a giant crab in some sort of bubble room (Something to do with a White Plume Mountain). Seeing as I'm sick of always being the caster, I wish to play a Beat Stick of some sort, but I'm not well versed in how to go about it.

I've been looking and so far I like what the Shadowsmith (Tome of Magic: Pg 132) has to offer a lot. Always having the right kind of weapon and customizing your enchantments (Like Bane) on the fly just seems rather handy to me, But I'm not sure how to go about getting into it or what to top it off with.

I know most people will recommend warblade or crusader, but that's too much like caster book keeping for me at the moment and I want to stay away from that as much as I can (regrettably this excludes psionic classes too).

Ubercharger isn't good either. Our DM loves cramped forest ambushes and small room combats. This also makes ranged combat an awkward situation too, amongst other things (stupid "allies" always getting in my way ).

All I know is I want all ten levels of Shadowsmith for full shadow crafting, and the race is to be a Trollkin (Iron Kingdoms, +1 LA to be bought off). Also, I must enter Shadowsmith at level 6, as our games tend to go poof by level 10.


So. Any ideas what could complement this on both ends?

EDIT: Just thought of another problem. Casters. Our party will lack one, and we will more than likely need to deal with them. I may be in need of a dirty trick or a quick fix of some sort. Maybe Spellfire or mage killing feats?

[Ryuuk]

I'm not sure what you could top off Shadowsmith with, but there are two other melee concepts I could think. First there's Lockdown, which means getting a reach weapon and combat reflexes along with feats like standstill. If its in tight quarters, it could prove useful.

You could also try the Dungeoncrasher Fighter. Its an alternate class feature that lets you deal much more damage by bull rushing your enemies into walls. You could find it in Dungeonscape.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

Lockdown is doable by 6, if your DM likes cramped quarters. EWP:Spiked Chain+IMP Trip+Combat Reflexes+Mage Slayer is all you need to pull it off. If you can afford a large race, that's great, but if not, Enlarge Person works, too.

Now, was That Damn Crab a standard encounter for your party, or did the DM mess up and believe the listed CR of 3? The answer to this determines how much we need to cheese you out.

[Orran]

No, that damn crab is standard for white plume mountain, and I think they even advanced it in HD, possibly even up a size category, but it was a while since I read it.

[Sstoopidtallkid]

No, that damn crab is standard for white plume mountain, and I think they even advanced it in HD, possibly even up a size category, but it was a while since I read it.

*facepalm*

Someone advanced that thing. Why? Who thought that was a good idea? It's already a TPK at 3, why would people make it better?

[Vizzerdrix]

Honestly, it was just bad luck that killed us. Our skill monkey was trying to get the Mcguffin and got grabbed. When we went in to get him free, the crab triple crit missed (rolled 3 ones on a single attack) and poked the bubble. Our minions locked us in to save themselves (meh, we was evil so no hard feelings to them) and we only had a few turns before we got boiled alive.

[RandomNPC]

I've always wanted to do a warforged character with the complete lawfull side exagerated. don't do anything without a party member telling you to. hopefully they catch on quick with giving if then statements, like, if we get attacked, then fight back. If someone tries to attack the casters, then stop them with violence. things like that.

[Vizzerdrix]

Yes, the crab is advanced in HD enough to be huge sized.

Random NPC: I can't imagine it would be enjoyable to play such a character, but I'd be interested in reading about it if you try it some day.

As for cheesiness Kid, more than Kraft singles, but less than that aged runny stuff that smells of feet (Limburger? Brae? I know not my cheeseses).

[BobVosh]

I've always wanted to do a warforged character with the complete lawfull side exagerated. don't do anything without a party member telling you to. hopefully they catch on quick with giving if then statements, like, if we get attacked, then fight back. If someone tries to attack the casters, then stop them with violence. things like that.

Reads more like very low cha and wis. Low cha means low levels of personality, amongst other things, and low wisdom is low common sense (attack/defend from an attacker.)

[Biffoniacus_Furiou]

What level will you be starting at?

I'd probably go with one of the following:

Wild Shape Ranger 5/ (Nature's Warrior 1/) Master of Many Forms 7/ Warshaper 4/ MoMF+, Power Attack, Combat Reflexes, Leap Attack, Frozen Wild Shape, Robilar's Gambit, Defensive Sweep. Get a Monk's Belt with a Wilding Clasp to get your Wisdom bonus to AC. Pick up some 1st level Pearls of Power for Rhino's Rush, maybe Gloves of Dex and Armbands of Might with Wilding Clasps as you can afford them. Nature's Warrior is mostly for Nature's Weapons so you can overcome DR/Magic, but if you can buy a Permanencied (8050 gp) Greater Magic Fang (+1 all, caster level 20, 600 gp) starting out it can be delayed indefinitely. In the early levels use Combat Reflexes with a Glaive and be a god of skill checks, once you get large forms you'll be high enough level that your old tricks won't be so great any more.

Single-classed Fighter, probably a chain tripper, use the Dungeoncrasher variant in Dungeonscape along with the Zhentarim Soldier substitution levels. Go with Human to take Jotunbrud from Races of Faerun, and get Dreadful Wrath from PGtF, taking two cross-class ranks in Kn: Local at level 1 to qualify for whichever you're not native to. Also be sure to get the Never Outnumbered skill trick in CS, and take Imperious Command from Drow of the Underdark. Don't forget that Intimidate gets a +4 from Jotunbrud as well.

Touch attacks with Power Attack: I know of two efficient ways of doing this without spellcasting, a Glaivelock and using a Flame Lash from Pyrokineticist. With the Flame Lash you can use just about any standard full BAB melee build, as long as you get Concentration as a class skill at some point, to pick up Pryokineticist 1 or one of its variants as early as possible. I'd go with a Sonokineticist so fewer opponents will be outright immune to your primary method of attack. An easy way to qualify would be Fighter 2/ Hexblade 3/ Pyro 1, then maybe take something like Occult Slayer or even Blackguard afterward. A Glaivelock uses the Eldritch Glaive invocation from Dragon Magic, and IIRC can use Gish PrCs to increase its BAB without sacrificing EB/Invocation progression. It may be a bit too much like a spellcaster for your tastes, though there is considerably less bookkeeping.

[Vizzerdrix]

Thank you but no. none of those ideas adhere to the class or race criteria I wish to stick with. As for starting levels it should be assumed playable from 1.

I may just have to go with Alt. Ranger-3 (swap the FE for the arcane enemy thing and use an alt combat style. Also I've found a feat that allows rangers to use better than light armors) / Fighter-2 then into shadowsmith and leave those last 5 levels blank. I still need to search the Eberron and Faerun books though.