Player Questions

[AirGuitarGod32]

Basically, I need to set a few questions in place:

1. Is there a way to within non-epic to get AoO's for basically anything that stands near you? I know some feats/stances do some of this, but exactly how many are there?

2. The thought of an Illithid Lich scares me, but on the Epic Tier, is there a Demilich version? If so, what would the stats look like. I'm in an epic game and need to prep for something like that!

3. In my 8th level campaign, my DM waives 1la. I'm currently running a Hellbred (Body) Dragonborn (Heart) Stonechild Crusader of Aires 5. What prestige classes should I look at? I'm abusing Lightning Mace and using maneuver abuse as well.

4. In the 5th level gestalt campaign I plan on running, a PC plans on running a Wizard//Archivist who has a Book bound to his wrist and is a Half-Grey Elf (homebrew) Half-Drow (again, homebrew). He is a pain. He wants to "Take Boccob's throne" and rule the multiverse. How would I knock him off his High Horse? I thought of just killing him off, but that'd cause me to lose one player. I also thought of turning him into a Vampire Spawn, but he'd benefit from that. Plz help!


Thx for the time and energy. I know I may be a pain/annoying at times, but I genuinely have questions and simply want to understand the finer details of D&D. Forgive me y'all!

[Kaiyanwang]

Answering to 1.

/Gate in Person_Man

waiting for Person_Man and his melee combo guide*, yes, there are ways to actually take one or more (actually, up to six if dragon magazine is allowed and you TWF) AOOs for a lot of chances. As far as I know you need a lot of feats.

- Supernatural Instincts, from FFII, allows you to attack with AOOs enemies threathened using a supernatural ability

- Mage Slayer, from CA, disallowing enemies spellcasters to cast defensively

- Robilar's gambit and Karmik strike, allowing AOOs against those who hit you

-Thicket of blade, a stance fromToB: if someone around you moves, even for a 5-feet step, triggers AOos

- Defensive sweep, PHII: if an enemy around you does not move, triggers AOOs

-Hold the Line, CW: AOOs on who charges you

-Close quarter fighting, CW: AOOs on who try to grapple you, een with Impr Grapple or similar

I'm sure more will come.


*more seriously, look for his melee guide on this board - you will find several things useful for your first question.

[kamikasei]

2. The thought of an Illithid Lich scares me, but on the Epic Tier, is there a Demilich version? If so, what would the stats look like. I'm in an epic game and need to prep for something like that!

I assume you mean "is there something that is to the alhoon as demilich is to a standard lich?". If so, no, I don't think there is - at least, not per official WotC material. You could probably homebrew something, though.

4. In the 5th level gestalt campaign I plan on running, a PC plans on running a Wizard//Archivist who has a Book bound to his wrist and is a Half-Grey Elf (homebrew) Half-Drow (again, homebrew). He is a pain. He wants to "Take Boccob's throne" and rule the multiverse. How would I knock him off his High Horse? I thought of just killing him off, but that'd cause me to lose one player. I also thought of turning him into a Vampire Spawn, but he'd benefit from that. Plz help!

Clarification please? At first blush I'd say simply "if your instinct is to grief a player, then it's better to just tell him that whatever he wants to play that's provoking this reaction is something you'd rather he didn't". If you think you're going to hassle him whatever he does, you probably shouldn't have him in your game. That's assuming your table doesn't play adversarially, of course.

[Kaiyanwang]

I assume you mean "is there something that is to the alhoon as demilich is to a standard lich?". If so, no, I don't think there is - at least, not per official WotC material. You could probably homebrew something, though.

Demilich is a template you apply on a lich. So I think you can apply demilich template to the alhoon. Simply, he's "only" a "standard" Demilich. Enough to be scared to death anyway.

[Daefos]

I also thought of turning him into a Vampire Spawn, but he'd benefit from that.

In either case, the new vampire or spawn is under the command of the vampire that created it and remains enslaved until its master’s destruction.

He's completely under the control of the vampire that turned him. If the other players can't kill the first vampire before he escapes, then tell him to roll a new character because this one's done.

[kamikasei]

Demilich is a template you apply on a lich. So I think you can apply demilich template to the alhoon.

Is the alhoon technically a lich, though, or just a "lich-like"? I've only the SRD to hand at the moment, unfortunately.

[Kaiyanwang]

Is the alhoon technically a lich, though, or just a "lich-like"? I've only the SRD to hand at the moment, unfortunately.

Ok, found it. the most recent version should be the one in LoM.

There, the alhoon in the exapmle is a "Mind Flayer Lich sorcere 12th". So I should be right..

Originally posted by LoM:

CREATING AN ALHOON
An alhoon conforms to all the normal rules for adding the lich
template to a humanoid, except as noted below.
Size and Type: The creature’s type changes to undead
(augmented aberration). Do not recalculate base attack bonus,
saves, or skill points. Size is unchanged.
Armor Class: An alhoon’s natural armor bonus improves
from +3 to +5.

[kamikasei]

Well, whether it officially counts or not, it certainly removes the need to do any other homebrewing; houseruling (if necessary) that demilich can apply should do the job seamlessly.

So, OP, just apply the lich and then demilich templates to the mind flayer and there you are.

[Grumman]

Is a demilich mindflayer more or less bad than a paragon mindflayer?

[Kaiyanwang]

Is a demilich mindflayer more or less bad than a paragon mindflayer?

To become Demilich, you must be at least 21. if for Parragon mindflayer you mean the one in the ELH, there is no challenge between a 21 level caster with the demilich template and that specific Paragon mindflayer.

Said this, rememeber that parragon could be applied to any creature... to the demilich, too ( overkill I guess).

[Grumman]

Thanks. The paragon mindflayer was previously #1 on my list of reasons not to go into caves, after one TPsucked a level 18 party in one action, then ate everyone's brains.

[Kaiyanwang]

Thanks. The paragon mindflayer was previously #1 on my list of reasons not to go into caves, after one TPsucked a level 18 party in one action, then ate everyone's brains.

Did he had enough time to do so? The +13 on the special ability can be added to a DC or to an effect, but not to both (for the same attack).

[Bagelz]

Attacks of opportunity: look through complete adventurer, complete warrior, and maybe complete scoundrel.

the only one I can think of off the top of my head is Karmic Strike, which lets you attack an enemy that just hit you.

[BRC]

He wants to take boboccob's throne, but to quote the song "You can't always get what you want". Gods tend to like their thrones, and tend to be very good at keeping them.

If he wants some big quest, tell him to pick something more realistic, like taking over a magical university that kicked him out.

[Sir.Swindle]

2. The thought of an Illithid Lich scares me, but on the Epic Tier, is there a Demilich version? If so, what would the stats look like. I'm in an epic game and need to prep for something like that!

4. In the 5th level gestalt campaign I plan on running, a PC plans on running a Wizard//Archivist who has a Book bound to his wrist and is a Half-Grey Elf (homebrew) Half-Drow (again, homebrew). He is a pain. He wants to "Take Boccob's throne" and rule the multiverse. How would I knock him off his High Horse? I thought of just killing him off, but that'd cause me to lose one player. I also thought of turning him into a Vampire Spawn, but he'd benefit from that. Plz help!

1. Do Illithids have bones? I dozed off in Lords of Madness class.

4. Take his magic for a night, or forever and make him take an arcane Ur-Priest type PrC (your clearly not afraid to home brew). He openly offends the god of magic he's just getting what he deserves. Also when he gets Epic and can actually kill a god he'll have a huge grudge.
"WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY HOPE TO ACCOMPLISH HERE? TO EMPLOY MAGIC? AGAINST ME?"

[erikun]

4. In the 5th level gestalt campaign I plan on running, a PC plans on running a Wizard//Archivist who has a Book bound to his wrist and is a Half-Grey Elf (homebrew) Half-Drow (again, homebrew). He is a pain. He wants to "Take Boccob's throne" and rule the multiverse. How would I knock him off his High Horse? I thought of just killing him off, but that'd cause me to lose one player. I also thought of turning him into a Vampire Spawn, but he'd benefit from that. Plz help!

Have him fight a Psychic Warrior//Psion with permanent Schism?

More seriously, I'm not quite sure what's going on. Why is he a pain? Why knock him off the high horse? If the classes are a problem, simply say the combination is too strong and to choose something else. If the player is just cocky, just throw the party up against tough opponents. "Rule the multiverse" falls on deaf ears after the party watches him cower in a corner somewhere. (PS. White Dragons are immune to Shivering Touch.)

[AirGuitarGod32]

For Number 4, let me clarify:

He is a power-hungry magic-user who belives that Boccob is corrupt and needs to "Step down to someone more noble." He is Lawful Neutral. His actual plan (as described today to me) is to Beat Boccob in a Mage Duel (see Magic of Faerune) for the throne. However, this is his only backstory. His goal. Thats all. He's going to the Arcane University in Neverwinter at 10th level to become an archmage//hierophant, then take 5 levels in Mystic Theurge. however, we are using a custom pantheon which includes video game characters as deities. For instance: to replace Bane, is Kratos and to add one of my favorite characters ever, is the God of Balance: Sheogorath (from Oblivion: the Shivering Isles. )

He also claims that his "mastery of Arcana and Divinity" will overcome Boccob's wizard/cleric combo...

[erikun]

I don't see the big deal. I run an ice mage who is looking at killing off Auril, after all. (He's a follower of Ulutiu.) I fail to see why the character having a lofty goal is a "pain". At worst, he's overconfident and his claim ends up a joke. At best, you end up with an epic campaign where your character kick out the gods and take over. Either way sounds like a good story to me.

[AirGuitarGod32]

I don't see the big deal. I run an ice mage who is looking at killing off Auril, after all. (He's a follower of Ulutiu.) I fail to see why the character having a lofty goal is a "pain". At worst, he's overconfident and his claim ends up a joke. At best, you end up with an epic campaign where your character kick out the gods and take over. Either way sounds like a good story to me.

Its that he CONSTANTLY brags about how he's gonna take boccob's throne....

[BRC]

Its that he CONSTANTLY brags about how he's gonna take boccob's throne....

That's a player issue, not a character issue. Tell the character to tone it down abit and remind him that defeating a God is quite a task, not something he should be expecting to do anytime soon.

[Optimystik]

1. Do Illithids have bones? I dozed off in Lords of Madness class.

You forget how they reproduce - the only unique part of them is the head, really - the body comes from the host, and thus has bones.

For Number 4, let me clarify:

He is a power-hungry magic-user who belives that Boccob is corrupt and needs to "Step down to someone more noble." He is Lawful Neutral. His actual plan (as described today to me) is to Beat Boccob in a Mage Duel (see Magic of Faerune) for the throne. However, this is his only backstory. His goal. Thats all. He's going to the Arcane University in Neverwinter at 10th level to become an archmage//hierophant, then take 5 levels in Mystic Theurge. however, we are using a custom pantheon which includes video game characters as deities. For instance: to replace Bane, is Kratos and to add one of my favorite characters ever, is the God of Balance: Sheogorath (from Oblivion: the Shivering Isles. )

He also claims that his "mastery of Arcana and Divinity" will overcome Boccob's wizard/cleric combo...

Boccob turns off his spells. He dies horribly. (Even Azuth can explicitly do this, and he is a Lesser deity of magic while Boccob is Greater.)

He needs another source of magic/power before he takes him on.

[AirGuitarGod32]

Thanks. I'll try something.

Now what about my other 3 questions?

[jiriku]

1. already answered by people who do melee better than me.

2. An illithid demilich is not greatly different from a regular demilich. The arcane spellcasting and demilich powers make up 95% of its effectiveness, and the base monster is perhaps 5%. You'd best it pretty much the same way you beat any other demilich.

3. For your crusader, maneuvers are about the best thing melee can get, so whatever you choose should also grant maneuvers. Your best bets are crusader/master of nine or crusader/cleric/ruby knight vindicator or crusader/sorcerer/jade phoenix mage. All three are good choices, it's really a matter of what you'd like to experiment with.

4. How about this. Boccob sends an angel who says "Kid, the boss thinks you've got spunk. He likes your style. So he sent me to make you an offer you can't refuse: you do some quests for him and crusade against Vecna and such, and he'll let you in on a piece of the action!" Suddenly, he realizes that Boccob knows about his plan and the deity is not particularly frightened. In fact, it's even kind of cute. And now, because of his ambition, he's being offered a promotion...to lackey. After Boccob sends him out to get coffee and donuts a few times and asks him to clean the temple restroom, perhaps he'll get the hint that greater deities are not even slightly impressed by pissant mortals who think they're too big for their jock straps.

[Grumman]

Boccob turns off his spells. He dies horribly. (Even Azuth can explicitly do this, and he is a Lesser deity of magic while Boccob is Greater.)

He needs another source of magic/power before he takes him on.

Azuth is from Forgotten Realms, where you can hardly sneeze without a god's permission. Between the Weave, requirement of a patron deity even for druidic or ranger spellcasting and the Wailing Wall, the Faerunian gods are control freaks.

[AirGuitarGod32]

my buddy actually suggested I played a Hellbred (Body) Dragonborn (Heart) Incarnate Construct Maug Barbarian 1 Crusader 4 Frenzied Berserker 3. DM also nixed stonechild. and Incarnate construct in our campaign makes me a Living Construct with construct immunities

[jiriku]

my buddy actually suggested I played a Hellbred (Body) Dragonborn (Heart) Incarnate Construct Maug Barbarian 1 Crusader 4 Frenzied Berserker 3. DM also nixed stonechild. and Incarnate construct in our campaign makes me a Living Construct with construct immunities

Huh. I hadn't thought of that, but on its surface...not a bad idea. Living construct gives you lots of immunities. Crusader makes you durable and improves your Will saves. Barbarian/frenzied berserker lets you rip people's faces off. And won't living construct make you immune to fatigue, so you aren't exhausted after you come out of rage+frenzy? Plus, you get a decent number of skill points prior to entering FB, which you can use to acquire a secondary capability. Just make sure there's some method of preventing you from killing the party.

[AirGuitarGod32]

Huh. I hadn't thought of that, but on its surface...not a bad idea. Living construct gives you lots of immunities. Crusader makes you durable and improves your Will saves. Barbarian/frenzied berserker lets you rip people's faces off. And won't living construct make you immune to fatigue, so you aren't exhausted after you come out of rage+frenzy? Plus, you get a decent number of skill points prior to entering FB, which you can use to acquire a secondary capability. Just make sure there's some method of preventing you from killing the party.

I have a female Favored Soul who can calm him down.

What sorts of feats should I look into.

I know Extend Rage is on the list and possibly that one feat that lets you learn a martial maneuver for my 1 barbarian level and my Frenzied Berserker levels

And should i use the orc double axe? My DM is gonna let me get it for free