Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground L

[Socratov]

I meant to spend the day finishing up two builds today. But at 5:30 am (Central time), I became an uncle for the third time! (Whoo-hoo!) So, I'm off to the hospital. I finished (ha!) one of the builds up quickly and sent it in.
Good luck to everyone.
And a special thanks to all the judges!

Congratulations! I hope everything is well with your sister (in law?)

[Deadline]

Congrats Macaberet!

[Venger]

Congratulations!

Hope all the chefs this round had fun with this SI! Can't wait to see what you guys cooked. This ingredient stumped me.

[Dusk Eclipse]

Congrats!

So when are the builds revealed? 12 GMT?

[Venger]

Congrats!

So when are the builds revealed? 12 GMT?

yes. 1159pm to avoid confusion. just 4 hours to go!

[Socratov]

can't wait to start judging

[OMG PONIES]

yes. 1159pm to avoid confusion. just 4 hours to go!

Since nothing jumped out at me from a building perspective, I guess that means I'll switch hats.

My Criteria

Each entry will start at a base score of 12 (3 in each category), with deductions or bonuses awarded based on the following questions:

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Originality:

• Does the entry present a compelling backstory/concept?
• Does the entry enter the Secret Ingredient through a method unique from the sample character in the source as well as other entries in this round?
• Does the entry make use of any unique mechanical tricks/feat chains?
• Does the entry avoid known cheese and overused optimization suggestions?

Power:

• Does the entry surpass a hypothetical build that continues in the base class used for qualification?
• Does the entry function at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on "nova" powers?
• Does the entry thrive without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other "add-ons" for its power?
• Does the entry contribute significantly in terms of offense, defense, and utility?

Elegance:

• Does the entry qualify for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry qualify for all feats taken?
• Does the entry avoid reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition?
• Does the entry avoid multi-class penalties and dipping* more than once?

UoSI:

• Does the entry qualify for the Secret Ingredient and make use of all entry requirements?
• Does the entry complete the Secret Ingredient or present a compelling reason why not doing so is actually a better use of the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry synergize the unique mechanical abilities of the Secret Ingredient with the rest of the build and/or present a novel use of said mechanical abilities?
• Does the entry complement the concept of its chassis through use of the Secret Ingredient?

*Where "dipping" is defined as taking two or fewer levels in a base class or prestige class.

Each of the questions above can be answered in one of three ways. A straight "yes" will earn a +0.5 bonus to the category in question. A straight "no" will suffer a -0.5 penalty to the category, and an ambivalent "yes and no" will wash out with no adjustment to the category. Other scoring rules (like a flat -1 penalty per Flaw used, for instance) will be followed as requested by the Chairman in the thread. If there are any questions about the clarity of my criteria in general, please post them openly so I can address. If there are any disagreements with particular scores, please PM the chairman as part of the regular dispute process.

[Vaz]

Got my build in, I have a second stub I've got a fair bit of work involved in, but we'll see how it turns out, gonna try and finish it.

[Piggy Knowles]

Blargh, I really doubt I'll be able to get my build done in time. The procrastination demon got to me in the end. I'll try to do a last minute push when I get back from work, but unless I can really put something together in record time, I expect I'm not going to be competing this round after all.

I don't want to commit to judging just yet, because this is a pretty busy time of year for me, but I might try to if things calm down. If I do, I'll use the same judging criteria from the last time I judged - I'll edit in the criteria when I get home.

[Deadline]

But, but... it's got Taint abuse, so it's awesome and powerful and stuff!

Heh. I should probably ask, did you get my submission yesterday?

[relytdan]

I will go into the juding ring for this SI.
Here are my Criteria:

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All Builds are equal and start with a perfect 5 in all areas.

Useage of any materials banned or disallowed, will result in an automatic 0 score in all areas, no exceptions.

Plagiarism of another build online, the severity of this can cause major deductions & possibly resulting in a 0 score, depending on if you are the author.

All scoring will be done based on deductions from 5 to 0 in .25 fractions In the following areas.

Originality:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1 points of penalty based on whether the race or templates used were things I expected, and whether anyone else thought to use them. cheese may see dedutions.

Up to 1 points of penalty based on whether the classes or Prc used were things I expected, and whether anyone else thought to use them. cheese may see dedutions.

Up to 1 points of penalty to a build not doing something interesting or something I have seen before respectively.

Up to 1 points of penalty to a build, if I find your fluff to be particularly long.

Power:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1.5 points of penalty for lack of versatility.

Up to 1 points of penalty for how well you do the things that you do.

Up to 1 point of penalty for if your build appears it needs help from others

Up to .5 point of penalty for each piece of specific equipment the build relies on.

Elegance:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1.5 points of penalty for if the build is basic.

Up to 1.25 points of penalty If you incur multiclass penalties, change alignment mid-build, class level dip, or the like

Up to .75 point of penalty for any rules interpretation - depending on severity.

Up to .5 point of penalty for each failure to qualify for a non-secret ingredient thing

Use of the SI:

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Start from a baseline score of 5
Up to .75 point of penalty for class abilities not used in some way.

Up to .75 point of penalty for not maximizing the particular strengths or minimizing the particular weaknesses of the SI

Up to .75 point of penalty for If I feel the build really failes to capture the feel of the SI.

Up to 1.75 point of penalty for each failure to qualify for the secret ingredient- lack of skill, feat, bab & other requirements

[KrimsonNekros]

yes. 1159pm to avoid confusion. just 4 hours to go!

The suspense is killing me!





I hope it lasts.

[Eldonauran]

The suspense is killing me!





I hope it lasts.

Ah, a glutton for punishment, I see.



I approve. I am positively squirming in my chair.

[thethird]

arrrh I am extremely busy with my project I hate projects...

On another note, congrats Macabareth!

Also, Ponies easy to read judging criteria. Relytan there are several things of yours that I do not understand

For example what do you mean by:

"Up to 1 points of penalty for how well you do the things that you do."

Do entries get penalized for doing the things that they do well?

And also, for example, in elegance:

"Up to 1.5 points of penalty for if the build is basic."

It is rare to penalize simple basic builds, do I need to make my build overly complicated?

[Piggy Knowles]

OK, I am posting criteria in case I end up judging. However, there is a solid chance I will not have time to do so. I'm going to try, but if the next two weeks are anything like the last two, it'll be rough for me.

My judging criteria:

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In each category, I'm adding what I consider a "baseline build" - a build that, by my rubric, should get a 3.

Originality

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Let me preface this section by saying that I don't think originality is wholly contingent upon choice of class. Two builds can have the exact same class levels, and yet end up going in completely different directions. Choice of class DOES matter, but I'm more interested in what your build actually does.

I also will not penalize you just because someone else has chosen the same class as you. If you submit something that I find unexpected, I'll score it high even if the next person has the exact same build. But if you submit an entry that I consider standard or expected, don't expect a lot of points even if no one else went that direction.

So what will gain you points? Use the abilities you have in fresh and interesting ways. Surprise me. Show me new combinations that I've never seen before. Meanwhile, using well-known builds will cause you to lose points.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that steers clear of known cheese and standard build elements, but doesn't necessarily make me sit up and go "wow." Builds that involve new combinations or focus on unexpected elements will score higher here, while builds that utilize known cheese or that are pretty much stock builds will score lower.

Power

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There are two questions that will define how I rate a build's power. They are...

(1) How good is your build at its intended role?
(2) Will you stay relevant if your main "trick" does not work?

I don't expect every build to have 9th-level casting or manifesting, or to be able to bring the universe to its knees. However, if your build has a specific role or function, I expect you to be at least adequate at it. And if your build is a one-trick pony, it had better be a pretty good trick. I will deduct points if you can't function outside of a very limited set of parameters.

I'll also be looking for obvious ways your build could be improved (other than the most obvious "take fewer levels of the Secret Ingredient"). There's nothing wrong with sacrificing a little power for flavor, but if a choice makes you worse at your role, I will penalize for it. Just hope you make up the points in elegance or originality, I guess...

Finally, I don't plan to grade on a curve. Even if this is a weak ingredient, don't expect full points in Power if you've managed to just barely become adequate. Everyone's got the same ingredient to work with, after all.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that can meaningfully contribute to a party in most CR-appropriate encounters. Builds that can't, either because their overall power is too low or because they only function in very specific situations, will score lower here. Builds that are particularly proficient or useful, or that can meaningfully contribute even in over-CR'd encounters, will score higher.

Elegance

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Obscurity or using multitude of sources doesn't bother me, but for the love of Pelor, please cite your work! I am very familiar with the system, but I like to have the books in front of me when I'm reviewing a build. I also don't like too much mixing of setting-specific material. (Note that just because a class or feat appears in a setting book doesn't mean that I will consider it setting-specific; I'm referring to things like regional feats, feats and classes that involve certain setting-specific orders, etc.)

Now that that's out of the way... I don't mind dips, as long as they are reasonable and make sense. However, I will not ignore the "fluff" requirements of a class. If a prestige class requires you to be a member of the Wizards of the Unseen University and your build glosses over that requirement, expect to see a small deduction.

In any case, while I won't penalize for dips, I do like nice clean builds, where everything works in harmony, so you can pick up extra points that way. I will also give out small bonuses here if everything is written up cleanly, in an engaging manner. Nothing huge - the build is most important. But presentation DOES matter, and if you do a good job with it, I think you should be rewarded. I don't need three pages of backstory, but I do like to see more than a list of abilities.

I'm mildly cheese-tolerant - I don't mind characters being effective or using abilities in new and exciting ways, as long as the rules do indeed back you up. But this should be something you are willing to sit down with other human beings and actually play, so keep the Vieux Boulougne at home. Also, this should go without saying, but if a build element is illegal (failing to qualify for a feat/PrC, for instance), I will deduct for it.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that you can pick up and walk over to almost any table, and it won't raise any eyebrows. Builds that are DM-dependent or questionable rules-wise will score lower here, as will builds that are clunky and messy. Builds that are a thing of beauty will score higher here - ones that make even the stuffiest DM sit up and say, hey, that's awesome, I'd love to have you in our group.

Use of Secret Ingredient

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This one's pretty simple. Do you use the secret ingredient's abilities to good effect, or are they more of a footnote? Is there another class that could have done a better job at what you are trying to do? Your goal here is to highlight the secret ingredient, not to mask it. You will gain points by taking advantage of all the abilities provided, by using them in effective ways (an ability that would have been cool at level 6 won't score points with me if you don't pick it up until level 12), and by demonstrating how the SI brings your build together. You will lose points by dropping too many levels, failing to take advantage of the class's core abilities and pre-requisites, etc. You will automatically get minimum points here if you don't actually qualify for the PrC, so double-check those skill points!

BASELINE BUILD: A build that manages to use the secret ingredient without crying out to me, "HEY, this is only here because of a stupid contest, OK!" (I know, it might be hard with this one ) Builds that utilize all of the SI's abilities to good effect, and who really sell the idea that only the SI would have worked here, will score higher. Builds that don't really get any use out of the class features or pre-reqs, or that would really obviously just do better with another option, will score lower.

[Amphetryon]

There. That wasn't too last-minute or anything *glances around*. Chairman, please confirm receipt of my Corrupt Avenger built with [redacted] at your leisure.

EDIT: relytdan, regarding your note on plagiarized builds, how would you know whether an anonymously submitted build was, in fact, written by the person who is the victim of the alleged plagiarism? I mean, we don't sign our names to the builds to be seen until after the Big Reveal, and even if the names are/aren't the same, some folks use different screen names on different sites.

[yougi]

What? Both Ponies and Piggy Knowles are out this time? Someone else has a chance of winning it!!!

[Deadline]

What? Both Ponies and Piggy Knowles are out this time? Someone else has a chance of winning it!!!

Great Googly Moogly!

Also, I can't shake this awful feeling that I should have Vizzini'd myself on my entry. I'm starting to have a hard time seeing how [REDACTED] isn't one of the most obvious choices.

[Socratov]

arrrh I am extremely busy with my project I hate projects...

On another note, congrats Macabareth!

Also, Ponies easy to read judging criteria. Relytan there are several things of yours that I do not understand

For example what do you mean by:

"Up to 1 points of penalty for how well you do the things that you do."

Do entries get penalized for doing the things that they do well?

And also, for example, in elegance:

"Up to 1.5 points of penalty for if the build is basic."

It is rare to penalize simple basic builds, do I need to make my build overly complicated?

Well, I for one would welcome a basic build (here interpreted as a natural way of entering), though I could understand someone deducting points in originality. But then again, I think simplicity coincides well with elegance. Someone else might disagree with me on that. Luckily we have multiple judges this round so it will even out I guess.

Say, might be a strange Idea, but would it be welcome for me to compile a post of all the judging criteria and judges? I would open with a quote form the OP with the judging guidelines and further more present each judge with their judging criteria (if present in this thread). Would people like that?

[Amphetryon]

Great Googly Moogly!

Also, I can't shake this awful feeling that I should have Vizzini'd myself on my entry. I'm starting to have a hard time seeing how [REDACTED] isn't one of the most obvious choices.

It can't be as obvious of my choice of [NOT TELLING].

[Socratov]

You know what, I'll just go ahead and do it:

Ladies, gentlemen, and other forms of intelligent life (that means int>3),

I present you the judges of this round (in chronological order of calling a judge seat in this thread), including (if apliccable) standards of judging:

Standard judging guidelines (by Kuulvheysoon):

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient.

Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.

Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category. Other things that will cause lost points here are excessive multiclassing, and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, will lose you points. Please note the following change: a legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Elegance, excepting the aforementioned issues with Unearthed Arcana. Using too many sources may be an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not.

Korahir

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General things
Please cite your sources. I don't wanna google fu things i don't know if you can simply write down the books used.
I won't judge dishes that don't follow the Rules of the Iron Chef Challenge as well as dishes breaking the rules of the forum.
I'll give some examples for the specific scores for Power and Originality. Since Elegance and UotSI are more tricky, I will write down what i expect.


Originality
Originality comes in two forms: the build and the character as presented in your write up. Please keep in mind that expectation is a big part of originality. If I exptected certain classes, tricks or characteristics used, this might differ from the expectations of other judges.

5 points: You blew my mind. The presented dish is an original build idea merged with an interesting character concept.
4 points: Either your build or your character concept are original. Either or both are above Iron Chef standards (as perceived by me).
3 points: Your build is known, but you used it in a surprising way OR Your build is well known, the presented character makes up for it by being particularly interesting. Your dish is what I expect when reading an Iron Chef entry.
2 points: Your dish is an interesting build, but not a character OR Your build is a well known stub with something sprinkled over it.
1 point: Your dish is a well known build and is only a build, not a character.

Power
I'm judging dishes regarding power asking myself two questions: Are you consistently powerful from level 1-20? What role(s) are you trying to excel at?

5 points: You have more than one trick. You are excellent at what you do from level 1-20.
4 points: You excel at multiple roles but need some time to get there.
3 points: You are a well rounded addition to any party at any level OR You fulfill multiple roles and are more than decent at them OR You have some dead levels before starting to shine.
2 points: You have one trick and you a really good at it, but only at certains level.
1 point: You have one trick and are not even good at that one.


Elegance
What I'd like to see:
Clean builds, where you qualify for everything without using questionable stuff. I won't penalize dips, but a 5/10/5 or similar will probably score higher. A high score means your build flows nicely. Feats, Classes and Class abilities work nicely together. Nothing seems to have been added just to get power or originality. You are welcome at any table.

What I don't like:
If you depend on Wishloops, Shapechange shenanigans, Chaos shuffle, etc. expect heavy deductions. If I can't figure out what some of your tricks are due to a poor write up, expect a deduction. A low score means your build is hard to read or seems to be consisting of different parts glued together or is using questionable mechanics. Certain groups or GMs might refuse to allow you to sit down at their table.


UotSI
When do you enter the SI?
What use do make of the class abilities, BAB, saves, skills?
Would another Prestige Class be better for your build?
Does your build "feel" like a Corrupt Avenger?

Socratov

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Originality: I'll judge this in the light of 2 parts:

• among peers. If you have a completely different set of classes then other contestants you'll score higher
• backstory. If you have a creative way of creating the need for your character storywise to enter the sectret ingredient this will definitely score you points. s

Power: Judged in terms of what a character can contribute in various situations: in combat and out of combat. bonus points for clever use of spells, utilizing action economy and skill challenges or social situations. Bonus is possible for turning non obvious weaknesses into strengths.

Elegance: a bit vague to define, but I'll do my best to give a slight quantification here. Bonus points for creating a logical and smooth flow. If the build works towards the secret ingreadient gradually and logically follows into the secret ingredient you get more points thne a build which enters the class non sequitur or ad hoc. Another factor in deciding elegance is the number of hoops the build jumps through to qualify. Lots of obscure feats, ACF's and dipping could cost you points if those feats and dips are not really contributing to the character other then power and early entry.

Use of Secret Ingredient: simple. Do you finish the class or drop out early? do you use only a part of the arsenal the class brings or use every trick in the book (literally)? those are questions I use to determine the score of a build on use of secret ingredient.

Keynub

[Top secret. Who knows? Keynub, that's who!]

OMGPonies

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My Criteria

Each entry will start at a base score of 12 (3 in each category), with deductions or bonuses awarded based on the following questions:

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Originality:

• Does the entry present a compelling backstory/concept?
• Does the entry enter the Secret Ingredient through a method unique from the sample character in the source as well as other entries in this round?
• Does the entry make use of any unique mechanical tricks/feat chains?
• Does the entry avoid known cheese and overused optimization suggestions?

Power:

• Does the entry surpass a hypothetical build that continues in the base class used for qualification?
• Does the entry function at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on "nova" powers?
• Does the entry thrive without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other "add-ons" for its power?
• Does the entry contribute significantly in terms of offense, defense, and utility?

Elegance:

• Does the entry qualify for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry qualify for all feats taken?
• Does the entry avoid reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition?
• Does the entry avoid multi-class penalties and dipping* more than once?

UoSI:

• Does the entry qualify for the Secret Ingredient and make use of all entry requirements?
• Does the entry complete the Secret Ingredient or present a compelling reason why not doing so is actually a better use of the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry synergize the unique mechanical abilities of the Secret Ingredient with the rest of the build and/or present a novel use of said mechanical abilities?
• Does the entry complement the concept of its chassis through use of the Secret Ingredient?

*Where "dipping" is defined as taking two or fewer levels in a base class or prestige class.

Each of the questions above can be answered in one of three ways. A straight "yes" will earn a +0.5 bonus to the category in question. A straight "no" will suffer a -0.5 penalty to the category, and an ambivalent "yes and no" will wash out with no adjustment to the category. Other scoring rules (like a flat -1 penalty per Flaw used, for instance) will be followed as requested by the Chairman in the thread. If there are any questions about the clarity of my criteria in general, please post them openly so I can address. If there are any disagreements with particular scores, please PM the chairman as part of the regular dispute process.

relytdan

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All Builds are equal and start with a perfect 5 in all areas.

Useage of any materials banned or disallowed, will result in an automatic 0 score in all areas, no exceptions.

Plagiarism of another build online, the severity of this can cause major deductions & possibly resulting in a 0 score, depending on if you are the author.

All scoring will be done based on deductions from 5 to 0 in .25 fractions In the following areas.

Originality:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1 points of penalty based on whether the race or templates used were things I expected, and whether anyone else thought to use them. cheese may see dedutions.

Up to 1 points of penalty based on whether the classes or Prc used were things I expected, and whether anyone else thought to use them. cheese may see dedutions.

Up to 1 points of penalty to a build not doing something interesting or something I have seen before respectively.

Up to 1 points of penalty to a build, if I find your fluff to be particularly long.

Power:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1.5 points of penalty for lack of versatility.

Up to 1 points of penalty for how well you do the things that you do.

Up to 1 point of penalty for if your build appears it needs help from others

Up to .5 point of penalty for each piece of specific equipment the build relies on.

Elegance:

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Start from a baseline score of 5

Up to 1.5 points of penalty for if the build is basic.

Up to 1.25 points of penalty If you incur multiclass penalties, change alignment mid-build, class level dip, or the like

Up to .75 point of penalty for any rules interpretation - depending on severity.

Up to .5 point of penalty for each failure to qualify for a non-secret ingredient thing

Use of the SI:

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Start from a baseline score of 5
Up to .75 point of penalty for class abilities not used in some way.

Up to .75 point of penalty for not maximizing the particular strengths or minimizing the particular weaknesses of the SI

Up to .75 point of penalty for If I feel the build really failes to capture the feel of the SI.

Up to 1.75 point of penalty for each failure to qualify for the secret ingredient- lack of skill, feat, bab & other requirements

Piggy Knowles

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In each category, I'm adding what I consider a "baseline build" - a build that, by my rubric, should get a 3.

Originality

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Let me preface this section by saying that I don't think originality is wholly contingent upon choice of class. Two builds can have the exact same class levels, and yet end up going in completely different directions. Choice of class DOES matter, but I'm more interested in what your build actually does.

I also will not penalize you just because someone else has chosen the same class as you. If you submit something that I find unexpected, I'll score it high even if the next person has the exact same build. But if you submit an entry that I consider standard or expected, don't expect a lot of points even if no one else went that direction.

So what will gain you points? Use the abilities you have in fresh and interesting ways. Surprise me. Show me new combinations that I've never seen before. Meanwhile, using well-known builds will cause you to lose points.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that steers clear of known cheese and standard build elements, but doesn't necessarily make me sit up and go "wow." Builds that involve new combinations or focus on unexpected elements will score higher here, while builds that utilize known cheese or that are pretty much stock builds will score lower.

Power

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There are two questions that will define how I rate a build's power. They are...

(1) How good is your build at its intended role?
(2) Will you stay relevant if your main "trick" does not work?

I don't expect every build to have 9th-level casting or manifesting, or to be able to bring the universe to its knees. However, if your build has a specific role or function, I expect you to be at least adequate at it. And if your build is a one-trick pony, it had better be a pretty good trick. I will deduct points if you can't function outside of a very limited set of parameters.

I'll also be looking for obvious ways your build could be improved (other than the most obvious "take fewer levels of the Secret Ingredient"). There's nothing wrong with sacrificing a little power for flavor, but if a choice makes you worse at your role, I will penalize for it. Just hope you make up the points in elegance or originality, I guess...

Finally, I don't plan to grade on a curve. Even if this is a weak ingredient, don't expect full points in Power if you've managed to just barely become adequate. Everyone's got the same ingredient to work with, after all.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that can meaningfully contribute to a party in most CR-appropriate encounters. Builds that can't, either because their overall power is too low or because they only function in very specific situations, will score lower here. Builds that are particularly proficient or useful, or that can meaningfully contribute even in over-CR'd encounters, will score higher.

Elegance

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Obscurity or using multitude of sources doesn't bother me, but for the love of Pelor, please cite your work! I am very familiar with the system, but I like to have the books in front of me when I'm reviewing a build. I also don't like too much mixing of setting-specific material. (Note that just because a class or feat appears in a setting book doesn't mean that I will consider it setting-specific; I'm referring to things like regional feats, feats and classes that involve certain setting-specific orders, etc.)

Now that that's out of the way... I don't mind dips, as long as they are reasonable and make sense. However, I will not ignore the "fluff" requirements of a class. If a prestige class requires you to be a member of the Wizards of the Unseen University and your build glosses over that requirement, expect to see a small deduction.

In any case, while I won't penalize for dips, I do like nice clean builds, where everything works in harmony, so you can pick up extra points that way. I will also give out small bonuses here if everything is written up cleanly, in an engaging manner. Nothing huge - the build is most important. But presentation DOES matter, and if you do a good job with it, I think you should be rewarded. I don't need three pages of backstory, but I do like to see more than a list of abilities.

I'm mildly cheese-tolerant - I don't mind characters being effective or using abilities in new and exciting ways, as long as the rules do indeed back you up. But this should be something you are willing to sit down with other human beings and actually play, so keep the Vieux Boulougne at home. Also, this should go without saying, but if a build element is illegal (failing to qualify for a feat/PrC, for instance), I will deduct for it.

BASELINE BUILD: A build that you can pick up and walk over to almost any table, and it won't raise any eyebrows. Builds that are DM-dependent or questionable rules-wise will score lower here, as will builds that are clunky and messy. Builds that are a thing of beauty will score higher here - ones that make even the stuffiest DM sit up and say, hey, that's awesome, I'd love to have you in our group.

Use of Secret Ingredient

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This one's pretty simple. Do you use the secret ingredient's abilities to good effect, or are they more of a footnote? Is there another class that could have done a better job at what you are trying to do? Your goal here is to highlight the secret ingredient, not to mask it. You will gain points by taking advantage of all the abilities provided, by using them in effective ways (an ability that would have been cool at level 6 won't score points with me if you don't pick it up until level 12), and by demonstrating how the SI brings your build together. You will lose points by dropping too many levels, failing to take advantage of the class's core abilities and pre-requisites, etc. You will automatically get minimum points here if you don't actually qualify for the PrC, so double-check those skill points!

BASELINE BUILD: A build that manages to use the secret ingredient without crying out to me, "HEY, this is only here because of a stupid contest, OK!" (I know, it might be hard with this one ) Builds that utilize all of the SI's abilities to good effect, and who really sell the idea that only the SI would have worked here, will score higher. Builds that don't really get any use out of the class features or pre-reqs, or that would really obviously just do better with another option, will score lower.

So, per the rules of this contest: 4 categories; minimum 1 (assuming legal entry), maximum 5 points; 6 judges means that the builds will score between 24 and 180 points, averaging 102 points. Exciting!

[Kuulvheysoon]

Since nothing jumped out at me from a building perspective, I guess that means I'll switch hats.

Blargh, I really doubt I'll be able to get my build done in time. The procrastination demon got to me in the end. I'll try to do a last minute push when I get back from work, but unless I can really put something together in record time, I expect I'm not going to be competing this round after all.

What? Both Ponies and Piggy Knowles are out this time? Someone else has a chance of winning it!!!

My exact thoughts. I was actually thinking that today as I realized that no submission from them had come through.

Heh. I should probably ask, did you get my submission yesterday?

There. That wasn't too last-minute or anything *glances around*. Chairman, please confirm receipt of my Corrupt Avenger built with [redacted] at your leisure.

Both are confirmed as received.

[Kreuz]

This was quite a curious class... Corrupt Avenger has a lot of "it works like X, but it is a stand-alone ability"

[dysprosium]

Crap. I don't think I'll be able to finish build number two in time.

At least I got my first one in and I like it overall.

[Vaz]

With ~1minute 30seconds, you gotta type quick bro!

I think I've just squeezed in. And now; the (short?) wait for the reveal! Yay!

And ooh baby; lots of judges. I did have trouble getting enthusiasm for this one, gotta admit. Kept finding things to do instead.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Alright people, submission is CLOSED.

Please refrain from posting until I can get everything up.

Much appreciated.

[Kuulvheysoon]

One RingMan to Rule them All

Smeagol, the Furious Avenger

They say that Captain America was the first Avenger but that is because people don't know the true story of Smeagol.

The Early Years (levels 1 -5)
A long long time ago in a place far-far-far-away there was a friendly village in the deserts of Middle Earth where people lived in peace and harmony. Smeagol was a wagoneer and a fairly good one too, a true paragon of the peaceful half-orcs of the time. They lived in harmony Humans, Elves, Orcs, Dwarves and all the cross-breads too. Until one day Halflings (nasty evil hateful hobbitses) came wearing their white hooded robes riding their dogs and decreed that the village would be burned for being race traitors. That day the halflings taught the village what it was like to be a halfling and sawed everyone (men, women, and children) in half with a dull wooden saw.

Smeagol escaped and vowed to seek his revenge on the nasty hobbitses. The hobbitses tell a different story but in truth Smeagol was a mighty avenger who would leap out and slice the halflings into two with his mighty axe.

The Falling (levels 6 to 13)
A soul can only bear so much weight before it turns evil and the dreaded taint takes hold in it. Smeagol harbored more hate than most could bear and the taint twisted him giving him uncontrollable shakes at the near thought of hobbitses, warped his bones making him strong but slow, and he would fly into a mighty fury whenever he saw a hobbitses.

He went on a great campaign killing towns and villages of the hobbitses (but he didn't cry like that weak little boy Anakin), and one day he killed a very prominent hobbit named, well Smeagol didn't stop to ask his name he just cut him into two, and found a ring of invisibility, Smeagol didn't believe in the dark god with the one eye and if there was it must have been the hobbit god.

There was one thing that Smeagol did enjoy and that was striking fear into the hearts of hobbitses, he loved it when they saw his rage and cowered dropping all their weapons and just sitting there, he would leap onto them axe blade first which would then cause the rest of them to be scared, and he would scream and cut them down one, two or even three at a time.

The Later Years (levels 14 to 20)
Smeagol continued his revenge hunting down all of the hobbitses but he always was searching for the one, the one that killed him people, his mother, the tribe that wore white robes with hoods and had the emblem of two snakes facing each other in front of the sun. So he searched and finally found it, there he was finally able to reach his revenge and luckily he found a Ring of Djinn Calling that was attached to a Noble Djinn and for the rest of his like Smeagol spent his wishes resurrecting all that the nasty evil hobbitses killed.

As I said most people don't know the true story of Smeagol because one day a wizard named, well Smeagol didn't ask for his name but the wizard loved the vile hobbitses and he used a rope trick to kill Smeagol, took the rings resurrected the hobbitses, and told everyone Smeagol was a small weakly depraved creature and the hobbitses were the heroes. Thus is the sad story of Smeagol.

{table=head]Level | Class | HD | BAB | Fort | Ref | Will | Skills | Feats | Special | Spells perDay | Notes:
1 | Half-Orc Paragon (UA p. 40) |

d8

|

1

|

6

|

0

|

-1

|

Climb 4 (Str), Intimidate 4 (Cha), Jump 4 (Str), Craft - Wagons 2 (Int) and Profession - Wagoneer 2 (Wis).

|

Menacing Demeanor ( Races of Destiny, p. 155)

|

Divided ancestry, monstrous mien (+4 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.) Run, Low-Light Vision,

|

-

|

Race is Desert Half-Orcs (UA p. 12)

2 | Half-Orc Paragon |

d8

|

2

|

7

|

0

|

-1

|

Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 5 (Cha), Jump 5 (Str), Craft - Wagons 3 (Int) and Profession - Wagoneer 3 (Wis)

|

-

|

Rage 1/day

|

-

|

-

3 | Half-Orc Paragon |

d8

|

3

|

7

|

1

|

0

|

Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 6 (Cha), Jump 6 (Str), Craft - Wagons 3 (Int) and Profession - Wagoneer 3 (Wis).

|

Intimidating Rage (CW102)

|

Ability boost (Str +2)

|

-

|

-

4 | Ranger |

d8

|

4

|

9

|

3

|

0

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 7 (Cha), Jump 7 (Str), Spot 2 (Dex) and Profession - Wagoneer 4 (Wis).

|

-

|

Favored Enemy (Halfling), Track, Spiritual Connection (CC, p 50)

|

-

|

Taint: Palsy: Your muscles are prone to tics and quivering shakes. You take a –2 penalty on ranged attack rolls. Retrained 3 from Craft to Hide (PHB II 194)

5 | Barbarian |

d12

|

5

|

10

|

1

|

0

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 8 (Cha), Jump 8(Str), Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex).

|

Martial Study ( Tome of Battle: The Book of Nine Swords, p. 31) White Raven - Battle Leader's Charge

|

Spiritual Totem Lion Totem: Gain Pounce (MM, p. 313) ability (CC, p 46), Rage 2/day

|

-

|

Taint: Bones Thicken: Your skeleton warps and thickens. Raise your Strength score by 2, and reduce your Dexterity score by 4. Retrained 4 from Profession to Move Silently (PHB II 194)

6 | Avenging Executioner (CS p. 25) |

d8

|

5

|

10

|

1

|

2

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 9 (Cha), Jump 9 (Str), Listen 2 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Imperious Command (DrU50)

|

Bloody blade, sudden strike +1d6

|

-

|

-

7 | Avenging Executioner |

d8

|

6

|

10

|

2

|

3

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 10 (Cha), Jump 10 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Rapid intimidation

|

-

|

-

8 | Corrupt Avenger (HoH p. 88) |

d12

|

7

|

12

|

2

|

3

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 11 (Cha), Jump 11 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Improved Bull Rush

|

Armored casting, detect sworn foe, sworn foe +2, taint suppression

|

0

|

Swap Palsy for Aggressive Depravity, by now his taint is Severe and gains Spine Twists which is swapped for Hubristic.

9 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

8

|

13

|

2

|

3

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 12 (Cha), Jump 12 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Power Attack

|

Tainted strike 1/day

|

1

|

-

10 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

9

|

15

|

5

|

6

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 13 (Cha), Jump 13 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Grim resolve

|

1 0

|

-

11 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

10

|

16

|

5

|

6

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 14 (Cha), Jump 14 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Sworn foe +4

|

1 1

|

-

12 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

11

|

16

|

5

|

6

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 15 (Cha), Jump 15 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Shock Trooper ( Complete Warrior, p. 112)

|

Frightful fury

|

1 1 0

|

-

13 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

12

|

17

|

6

|

7

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 16 (Cha), Jump 16 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Tainted strike 2/day

|

1 1 1

|

-

14 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

13

|

17

|

6

|

7

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 17 (Cha), Jump 17 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Sworn foe +6

|

2 1 1 0

|

-

15 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

14

|

18

|

6

|

7

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 18 (Cha), Jump 18 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Headlong Rush ( Races of Faerun, p. 164)

|

-

|

2 1 1 1

|

-

16 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

15

|

18

|

7

|

8

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 19 (Cha), Jump 19 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Unnerving fury

|

2 2 1 1

|

-

17 | Corrupt Avenger |

d12

|

16

|

19

|

10

|

8

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 20 (Cha), Jump 20 (Str), Listen 4 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 4 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

-

|

Sworn foe +8, tainted strike 3/day

|

2 2 2 1

|

-

18 | Avenging Executioner |

d8

|

17

|

20

|

11

|

9

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 21 (Cha), Jump 21 (Str), Listen 5 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 5 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Leaping Climber ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87) , Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

|

Leap Attack ( Complete Adventurer, p. 110)

|

Sudden strike +2d6

|

2 2 2 1

|

-

19 | Avenging Executioner |

d8

|

18

|

23

|

15

|

14

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 22 (Cha), Jump 22 (Str), Listen 7 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 7 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Leaping Climber ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87) , Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

||

Dread blade

|

2 2 2 1

|

-

20 | Avenging Executioner |

d8

|

18

|

28

|

20

|

18

|

Hide 4 (Dex), Climb 5 (Str), Intimidate 23 (Cha), Jump 23 (Str), Listen 9 (Wis), (Move Silently 4 (dex) Spot 9 (Dex). Extreme Leap ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 86), Leaping Climber ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87) , Never Outnumbered ( Complete Scoundrel, p. 87)

||

Bloody murder, sudden strike +3d6

|

2 2 2 1

|

-

[/table]

{table=head]WBL | Gear:
100g worth, | Greataxe 20g, Handaxe 6g, Scale mail 50g, Backpack 2g, Bedroll 1s, Crowbar 2g, Fishing net 4g, Flask 3c, Flint and Steel 1g, Grappling hook 1g, Mirror, small 10g, Rope hemp 1g,Signal Whistle 8s, Sledge 1g, Soap (even half-orcs needs to bathe), Whetstone 2c.

800g worth. | MW Great Axe 325g, MW Breastplate 350g, Donkey 8g, Pack Saddle 5, Shovel 2g, Belt Pouch x2 2g, Universal solvent x2 100g.

1,800g worth, | Mithril shirt 1,100g, Elixir of sneaking 250g, Elixir of swimming 250g.

2,700g worth. | Handy Haversack 2,000g, Potions Cure light wounds x13 650g, Retraining skills costs 25g save the remaining 25g for retraining next level.

3,600g worth. | +1 Bonus on Greataxe 2,000g, Crystal of life drinking, lesser (MIS 64) 1,500, Potion of Bulls' Strength 300g. Retraining 25g from last level.

4,000g worth. | Dimension stride boots (MiC 94) 2,000g, +1 enchancement to armor 1,000g, Piercer Cloak (MIC 118) 900g (Saving 100g).

6,000g worth. | Guantlets of Ogre Power 4,000g, Enemy spirit pouch (halfling) 2,100g (MIC 97) using the 100g from last level.

8,000g worth | Amulet of Wordtwisting (MIC 71) 6,000g, remainder on pots.

9. 000 worth | Spearblock enhancement to Armor (MIC 14) 8,000g. Remaining spent on Pots, buying Cure Wounds, and Bull's Strength, Jumping, etc.

13,000 worth | Ring of Improved Jumping 10,000g. Bag of Holding type I 2,500g. Remainder spent on pots.

17,000 worth | Crystal mask of dread (MIC 91) 10,000g, Eversmoking Bottle 54,000, extra money on pots.

22,000 worth | Ring of Invisibility 20,000g, extra money on pots.

23,000 worth | Bane enhancement to Greataxe (Halfling) 16,000g, Change life drinking crystal lesser to a Crystal of life drinking greater 6,000g. Remainder spent on pots.

39,000 worth | Aporter enhancement (MIC 6) added to armor 20,000g, Decanter of endless water 9,000g.

50,000 worth | Iron ward diamond, greater crystal installed in amor 8,000g, +4 enhancement to armor 40,000g, remainder spent on pots.

60,000 worth | +3 enhancement total +2 and Fiercebane +1 (MIC 35) added to Greataxe 54,000g and Shadowstrike (MIC 43) 5,000g, remainder spent on pots.

80,000 worth | Belt of Giant Strength +6 36,000g, Gloves of Dexterity +6 36,000g, Speed enhancement put on armor (MIC 14) 6,000g, 2k saved.

100,000 worth | Upgrade +2 total to Armor, +4 Enhacement, Invulnerability +3 51,000g, Fearsome (MIC 11) added to armor 15,000g, +1 enhancement to Greataxe, Armbands of might (MIC 72) 4,100g, Circlet of persuasion 4,500g. Remaining spent on pots.

140,000 worth | Finishing out the Greataxe +1 enhancemnet, Flaming +1, and Brash (MIC 30) 102,000g, Cloak of Charisma +6 36,000g, Remainder spent on pots.

180,000 worth | Vest of Resistance +5 25,000g, Ring of Djinni Calling 125,000g, Magic Siphon (MIC 164) 25,000g, remainder spent on pots.[/table]


{table=head]Level | STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA
1 | 16 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 14

3 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 14

4 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

5 | 20 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

7 | 22 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

8 | 23 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

12 | 24 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

16 | 25 | 6 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

17 | 29 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 15

19 | 29 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 21

20 | 30 | 12 | 18 | 10 | 8 | 21 [/table]

{table=head]Level | Attack | Damage | Fear
5 | +5 BAB, +6 Str, +1 Enhancement, +2 Charging, (+14) | 1d12 +9 Str, +1 Enhancement, +2 Favored Enemy, +10 Battle Leader Charge, 2d6 Piercer cloak, Pounce (do it again without the Battle leader charge). Average 61 in a round | Demorilize bonus +17, getting it both as a free action from going into Rage and as a standard with Never Outnumbered.

13 | +12 BAB, +9 Str, +3 Enhancement, +2 Charging, +1 spirit pouch (+28) | 1d12 +14 Str, +3 Enhancement, +4 Favored Enemy (spirit pouch), +3 sworn foe, +18 shock trooper, +3 tainted strike, +10 Battle Leader Charge, 2d6 Piercer cloack, 1d6 sudden strike, Pounce gives 2 attacks. Average of 185 damage. | Demorilize bonus + 38, get a free attempt when entering rage and having the enemy go straight to cowering, they then get jumped on and insta-killed, then all enemies with 30-ft have to make two Will saves DC 15 or be shaken. Any that surive will get a check from Never Outnumbered as a move action and then killed with just a strong power attack because they're cowering.

20 | +18 BAB, +12 Str, +7 Enhancement, +2 Charging, (+26) | 1d12 axe 1d6 flame +18 str +7 enhancement +2 favored enemy +8 sworn foe + 5 Tainted strike +10 Battle leader charge, +54 shock trooper x2 Headlong Rush, 3d6 Sudden Strike. Pounce gives 3 attacks. Average of over 500. | Demorilize bonus + 49, so an attempt when raging, each attack because they're cowering all within 30 ft a will save DC 19, then another when the guy dies, yeah it gets ugly.[/table]

Additional notes:@ Level 4, Smeagol got Spiritual Connection to speak with the plants and such, however those evil Hobittses told everyone that he would talk to himself like he had multiple personalities.

@ Level 8, Smeagol isn't going to list spells because the amount of taint makes it crazy stupid and rather than make some tricks to overpower the issues, the base amounts are listed.

@ Level 15, Smeagol is taking a feat from the Forgotten Realms and not Middle Earth, because that is were it really happened and Middle Earth is really the Forgotten Realms. Yes, that means Elminster is really Gandalf.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Feeling the urge to load up Minecraft again

Sir Driscoll Conia, the Diamond Knight
Lesser Aasimar Fallen Paladin 5/Swordsage 4/Bone Knight 1/Corrupt Avenger 10

Blood Diamond

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My house has fallen far.

They say that our distant ancestors were angels from Celestia. Stories of the great deeds wrought by my forefathers still resound even today, but I carry only a trace of whatever once ran through their veins, and it only becomes less prominent as my flesh and blood grow more polluted.

I tried to do noble work befitting my house. I thought that I could bring honor to my house like my ancestors did in all the stories, but the world below the heavens is baser and more foul than I or perhaps even they could ever have imagined. The more I fought for the lofty ideals of good, the more my body was tainted by evil. In my search of honor, I found only the opposite, time and time again, and as if to mock me for my failures, you came. The ancient, noble house of my fathers which traced its roots back to Celestia itself was brought down by an infestation of lizards and their little tricks.

And yet, for all the humiliation, you have also given me purpose – a point of focus toward which to direct myself. Honor may be beyond my reach, but vengeance may still be achieved. You will not get away with this.

Though my body and my heart grow ever more despoiled, my mind is as a diamond. Come, gaze upon my hardened face and behold that which you have mined from the earth.

The Rough-hewn Visage

Spoiler

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Stats

Spoiler

Show

Point Buy: 13 Str, 8 Dex, 16 Con, 12 Int, 14 Wis, 13 Cha
Adjustments for Lesser Aasimar: 13 Str, 8 Dex, 16 Con, 14 Int, 16 Wis, 15 Cha
+1 Str at 4th, +1 Cha at 8th, 12th, 16th, and 20th

The Build

Spoiler

Show

{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|Paladin 1|

+1

|

+2

|

+0

|

+0

|Intimidate 4, Sense Motive 4, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 4|Dreadful Wrath|Aura of Good, Detect Evil, Smite Evil 1/day Minor Corruption (Skin Sloughs)*

2nd|Paladin 2|

+2

|

+3

|

+0

|

+0

| Intimidate 5, Sense Motive 5, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 5, Concentration 1|-|Divine Grace

3rd|Paladin 3|

+3

|

+3

|

+1

|

+1

| Intimidate 6, Sense Motive 6, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 2|Power Attack|Aura of Courage, Divine Health

4th|Paladin 4|

+4

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

| Intimidate 7, Sense Motive 7, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 4 |- |Turn Undead

5th|Paladin 5|

+5

|

+4

|

+1

|

+1

| Intimidate 8, Sense Motive 8, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 5|-|Smite Evil 2/day, Special Mount

6th|Swordsage 1|

+5

|

+4

|

+3

|

+3

| Intimidate 9 (cross class), Sense Motive 9, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 7, Craft (Armorsmithing) 3|Serenity |Quick to Act +1, Weapon Focus(Stone Dragon)

7th|Swordsage 2|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

|

+4

| Intimidate 9, Sense Motive 10, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Concentration 9, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered |-|AC Bonus

8th|Bone Knight 1|

+6

|

+6

|

+4

|

+4

| Intimidate 11, Sense Motive 11 (cross class), Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 9, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered|Divine Might (Moderate Corruption)|Bonecraft Armor, Paladin Conversion, Rebuke Undead, Moderate Corruption (Skin Thickens)

9th|Corrupt Avenger 1|

+7

|

+8

|

+4

|

+4

| Intimidate 12, Sense Motive 12, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 11, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered|Imperious Command|Armored Casting, Detect Sworn Foe, Sworn Foe +4, Taint Suppression, Lay on Hands (corruption based), Tainted Strike 2/day

10th|Corrupt Avenger 2|

+8

|

+9

|

+4

|

+4

| Intimidate 13, Sense Motive 13, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 13, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered|-|Tainted Strike 3/day

11th|Corrupt Avenger 3|

+9

|

+9

|

+5

|

+5

| Intimidate 14, Sense Motive 14, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 14, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 1|-|Grim Resolve

12th|Corrupt Avenger 4|

+10

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

| Intimidate 15, Sense Motive 15, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 15, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 1, Listen 1|Martial Study (Bounding Assault)|Sworn Foe +6

13th|Corrupt Avenger 5|

+11

|

+10

|

+5

|

+5

| Intimidate 16, Sense Motive 16, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 16, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 2, Listen 1|-|Frightful Fury

14th|Corrupt Avenger 6|

+12

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

| Intimidate 17, Sense Motive 17, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 17, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 2, Listen 2|-|Tainted Strike 4/day

15th|Corrupt Avenger 7|

+13

|

+11

|

+6

|

+6

| Intimidate 18, Sense Motive 18, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 18, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 3, Listen 2|Arcane Strike|Sworn Foe +8

16th|Corrupt Avenger 8|

+14

|

+12

|

+6

|

+6

| Intimidate 19, Sense Motive 19, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 19, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 3, Listen 3|-|-

17th|Corrupt Avenger 9|

+15

|

+12

|

+7

|

+7

| Intimidate 20, Sense Motive 20, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 20, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 4, Listen 3|-|Unnerving Fury

18th|Corrupt Avenger 10|

+16

|

+13

|

+7

|

+7

| Intimidate 21, Sense Motive 21, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 21, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, Spot 4, Listen 4|Martial Study (Ruby Nightmare Blade)|Sworn Foe +10, Tainted Strike 5/day

19th|Swordsage 3|

+17

|

+14

|

+7

|

+7

| Intimidate 22 (cross class), Sense Motive 22, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 22, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, , Spot 4, Listen 8|-|-

20th|Swordsage 4|

+18

|

+14

|

+8

|

+8

| Intimidate 23 (cross class), Sense Motive 23, Knowledge (Religion) 4, Ride 6, Concentration 23, Craft (Armorsmithing) 6, Never Outnumbered, , Spot 4, Listen 12|-|Insightful Strikes (Diamond Mind)[/table]*Minor Corruption does not need to be acquired this early (in fact the later the better), but it can happen anywhere over the course of levels 1-6.

Maneuvers

Spoiler

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{table=head]Level|Maneuvers Readied|New Maneuvers Known|New Stances Known
6th| 4|Counter Charge, Baffling Defense, Sapphire Nightmare Blade, Action Before Thought, Shadow Blade Technique, Mountain Hammer| Island of Blades
7th| 4| Emerald Razor| Blood in the Water
12th| 4|Bounding Assualt| -
18th|4| Ruby Nightmare Blade| -
19th|5| Moment of Alacrity|-
20th|5|Disrupting Blow|-[/table]

Corrupt Avenger Spells/Day

Spoiler

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{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th

9th|0|-|-|-

10th|1|-|-|-

11th|1|0|-|-

12th|1|1|-|-

13th|1|1|0|-

14th|1|1|1|-

15th|2|1|1|0

16th|2|1|1|1

17th|2|2|1|1

18th|2|2|2|1 [/table]*Does not take into account bonus spells for a high corruption score.

Many spells, especially lower level ones end up being fodder for Arcane Strike, but some particularly important ones prepared for actual casting include Haste, Greater Magic Weapon, Freedom of Movement, and Black Tentacles.

Paladin spells are retained after falling thanks to Bone Knight, but Sir Driscoll only has as many first level spells as he gets from a high Wis score, and they won’t be particularly relevant past low levels.

Responding to Pressure

Spoiler

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Level 5

Spoiler

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You haven’t yet been corrupted much by the Taint of Evil, if at all. Really, Sir Driscoll is just a scary Paladin at this point. Being a planetouched qualifies him for Dreadful Wrath, and being a Lesser Aasimar in particular gets bonuses to a few important stats, but other than that there’s nothing out of the ordinary here. You’ll lose the Special Mount soon, but enjoy it while you can.

Level 10

Spoiler

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Two levels of Swordsage picks up some maneuvers, and even though Driscoll succumbs to Moderate Corruption and falls from Paladinhood, he gets to keep Divine Grace and trade in Turn Attempts for Rebukes, even as we gain the bonuses that Corrupt Avenger gives us for entering with levels of Fallen Paladin. Speaking of the SI’s relationship with Paladins, I can already hear you saying “hold on. Grim Resolve doesn’t stack with Divine Grace.” That’s mostly true, but in fact it only doesn’t stack with things that add Cha to saves, like Divine Grace usually does. Thanks to the Serenity feat, Divine Grace is adding Wis instead. We aren’t using the Bonecraft Armor, opting instead to stick with light armor to get Wis to AC from Swordsage and avoid spell failure with the SI’s casting. In particular, get yourself the fearsome enhancement on that set of armor, because Imperious Command/Never Outnumbered is online in addition to Dreadful Wrath, which we can now trigger with Corrupt Avenger spells in addition to charges. Enemies who aren’t cowering in fear will still have a difficult time with Driscoll, as he’s got solid melee power, with a few strike maneuvers, Power Attack, and Divine Might to swing away with, and the ability to say no to one attack per encounter from one of his sworn foes, thanks to Baffling Defense and the bonus that the ability gives to Sense Motive checks. I use kobolds in the fluff because I like the mining metaphor and didn’t really want to use dwarves, but it doesn’t really matter who Driscoll chooses for his sworn foe, so long as they’re a common enemy in the campaign he’s in and aren’t something like undead or evil outsiders who will be immune to Fear and/or Tainted Strike.

Level 15 (Sweet Spot)

Spoiler

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All the things Driscoll already had going for him just get better, and with Bounding Assault tacked on through Martial Study, the big trick of the build finally comes online. Open an encounter with Bounding Assault. A double move is two move actions, so use one for Imperious Command/Never Outnumbered demoralization and one to close with the enemy, and make a melee attack which counts as a charge, and hence triggers Dreadful Wrath. Throw on the SI’s own Frightful Fury ability, and that’s a lot of fear stacking in a single round. The melee damage is pretty decent as well, with Power Attack, Divine Might, Arcane Strike, and Tainted Strike boosting your power. Additionally, Corrupt Avenger casting is up to 4th level spells, meaning that things like Freedom of Movement to make your melee harder to shut down, Black Tentacles to grapple all of your cowering enemies, and Haste for hastiness are all online, and all will trigger Dreadful Wrath if there are any enemies who haven’t yet been subjected to it.

Level 20

Spoiler

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The last few levels are mostly more of the same, but with a few more maneuvers to jazz things up through another Martial Study and a few more Swordsage levels. Ruby Nightmare Blade is nice with all of the bonus damage sources you have just waiting to be multiplied, now including your Wis bonus thanks to Insightful Strikes (Diamond Mind), Moment of Alacrity covers up Driscoll’s weak initiative, even if it is late in coming, and Disrupting Blow can be handy as a backup lockdown when fear effects aren’t quite cutting it.

Uses of WBL

Spoiler

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A good suit of fearsome light armor and a greatsword with which to Power Attack are musts. In addition, stat boosters in Cha, Wis, Str, and Con would all be worthwhile.

The Taint of Evil

Spoiler

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In the course of his quest for vengeance Sir Driscoll might give in to Severe Corruption or to some level of depravity, though I've stuck to the minimal Moderate Corruption in my breakdown. The Skin Lichen condition is the first of the corruption symptoms I'd consider keeping consistently suppressed. The Con loss from Internal Corruption is nasty. If you acquire Depravity (and can avoid going all the way up to severe), Bestial/Deranged is probably the least problematic. The upside to more taint, is that a few more feats would allow you to pick up Shock Trooper, which would be a nice damage boost on the Bounding Assault fear charges, and which he could use with relative impunity thanks to the Baffling Defense/Sworn Foe combo shoring up his defenses.

The Long Way Down

Spoiler

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Complete Scoundrel: Never Outnumbered
Complete Warrior: Arcane Strike, Divine Might
Dragon Compendium: Serenity
Drow of the Underdark: Imperious Command
Five Nations: Bone Knight
Heroes of Horror: Corrupt Avenger, Taint Stuff
Player’s Guide To Faerun: Dreadful Wrath, Lesser Aasimar
Tome of Battle: Swordsage, Martial Study, Maneuvers
Everything else should be in the SRD.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Wandering the dark
Eyes listlessly roaming on
Cursed forever-more

A lost crab alone
forsaken wolf spear bushi
hail! it rides onward

Spoiler: The lost Crab: LN Human (Crab; Shadowlands) Human Paragon 3 / Maho Bujin 7 / Corrupted Avenger 10

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{table=head]STR|DEX|CON|INT|WIS|CHA
13|8|18|14|8|13[/table]
Increases by lvl and human paragon go to CON; an item of +2 CON should be obtainable by level 10, an item of +4 CON by level 15, an item of +6 CON by level 18, and a manual of +5 CON by level 20. Corruption is always kept at severe condition. Depravity is kept at the base value.

{table=head]Level|Class|BAB|FORT|REF|WILL|Skills|Feats|Class Features|Corruption
1|Human Paragon|+0|+0|+0|+2|Balance 4; Iaijutsu focus 4¹; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 4; Spot 4; Survival 4; Intimidate 4|Track, Able Learner|Adaptive Learning ²|50
2|Maho Bujin¹|+1|+2|+0|+2|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 4; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 5; Spot 5; Survival 5; Intimidate 5| |Taint suppression, Crimson road, Shadowlands subtype|50
3|Maho Bujin|+2|+3|+0|+2|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 5; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 6; Spot 6; Survival 6; Intimidate 6|Power attack|-|50
4|Maho Bujin|+3|+3|+1|+3|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 6; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 7; Spot 7; Survival 7; Intimidate 7| |-|50
5|Maho Bujin|+4/+1|+4|+1|+3|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 7; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 8; Spot 8; Survival 8; Intimidate 8| |Death knell|50
6|Maho Bujin|+5/+2|+4|+1|+3|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 8; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 9; Spot 9; Survival 9; Intimidate 9|Quick Reconnoiter³|-|50
7|Maho Bujin|+6/+3|+5|+2|+4|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 9; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 10; Spot 10; Survival 10; Intimidate 10| |-|50
8|Maho Bujin|+7/+4/+1|+5|+2|+4|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 10; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 11; Spot 11; Survival 11; Intimidate 11| |Unbounded Corruption|50
9|Corrupted Avenger|+8/+5/+2|+7|+2|+4|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 11; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 12; Spot 12; Survival 12; Intimidate 12|Imperious command⁴|Armored casting, detect sworn foe, sworn foe (akutsukai) +2, taint suppression|50
10|Human Paragon|+9/+6/+3|+7|+2|+5|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 12; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 13; Spot 13; Survival 13; Intimidate 13; Never Outnumbered⁵|Shape Soulmeld (Vitality Belt)⁶|Bonus feat|70
11|Human Paragon|+10/+7/+4/+1|+8|+3|+5|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 13; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 14; Spot 14; Survival 14; Intimidate 14; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this⁵| |Ability boost (Constitution +2)|70
12|Corrupted Avenger|+11/+8/+5/+2|+9|+3|+5|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 14; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 15; Spot 15; Survival 15; Intimidate 15; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this|Obtain Familiar ⁷; Alertness|Tainted strike 1/day|80
13|Corrupted Avenger|+12/+9/+6/+3|+9|+4|+6|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 15; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 16; Spot 16; Survival 16; Intimidate 16; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Grim resolve|80
14|Corrupted Avenger|+13/+10/+7/+4/+1|+10|+4|+6|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 16; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 17; Spot 17; Survival 17; Intimidate 17; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Sworn foe (akutsukai) +4|80
15|Corrupted Avenger|+14/+11/+8/+5/+2|+10|+4|+6|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 17; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 18; Spot 18; Survival 18; Intimidate 18; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this|Improved Familiar (Winter Wolf)⁸|Frightful fury|80
16|Corrupted Avenger|+15/+12/+9/+6/+3|+11|+5|+7|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 18; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 19; Spot 19; Survival 19; Intimidate 19; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Tainted strike 2/day|80
17|Corrupted Avenger|+16/+13/+10/+7/+4/+1|+11|+5|+7|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 19; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 20; Spot 20; Survival 20; Intimidate 20; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Sworn foe (akutsukai) +6|80
18|Corrupted Avenger|+17/+14/+11/+8/+5/+2|+12|+5|+7|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 20; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 21; Spot 21; Survival 21; Intimidate 21; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this|Open greater Chakra (Waist)⁶|-|100
19|Corrupted Avenger|+18/+15/+12/+9/+6/+3|+12|+6|+8|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 21; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 22; Spot 22; Survival 22; Intimidate 22; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Unnerving Fury|100
20|Corrupted Avenger|+19/+16/+13/+10/+7/+4/+1|+13|+6|+8|Balance 5; Iaijutsu focus 22; Knowledge (arcana) 4; Listen 23; Spot 23; Survival 23; Intimidate 23; Never Outnumbered; Listen to this| |Sworn foe (akutsukai) +8, tainted strike 3/day|120[/table]

{table=head]Taint|Mild Depravity|Moderate Depravity|Mild Corruption|Moderate Corruption|Severe Corruption
Symptom|Compulsive|Deranged|Palsy|Chronic Illness|Lich Eyes
Feat|Lunatic Insight|Debilitating Spell|Surge of Malevolence|Debilitating Strike|Tainted Fury[/table]
Roaming the Shadowlands increases corruption, increasing corruption is easy.

Spells per day
{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th
9th|7|-|-|-
10th|10||-|-
11th|10|9|-|-
12th|11|11|-|-
13th|11|11|10|-
14th|11|11|11|-
15th|12|11|11|10
16th|12|11|11|11
17th|12|12|11|11
18th|15|15|14|13
19th|15|15|14|13
20th|17|17|17|16[/table]
No Spells are gained before level 9. The following spells are on the spellbook:

1. resistance, detect magic, detect undead, detect taint
2. bull's strength, shatter, vampiric touch, death knell, resist energy
3. haste, fear, greater magic weapon, dispel magic, protection from energy, remove curse
4. death ward, freedom of movement, black tentacles, pronouncement of fate, enervation

might falls in shadows
twinkle twinkle little star
oni blood stirs inside

Spoiler: level 1 – 5

Show

• As a human paragon the lost crab can personalize his skill. Hailing from Rokugan iaijutsu focus seemed appropiate. Listen, spot and survival will aid him in finding his sworn enemies and surviving in the shadowlands. Intimidate is his social skill, and will later complement its fear focus. Balance and knowledge (arcana) finish his skills.
• Its martial weapon of choice is a lance, a two handed weapon with reach.
• Other than common (or Rokugani) he speaks Bakemono and Giant.
• Feat wise track will give more uses to his survival, and able learner would ensure that he can keep progressing in his skills.
• He will preferably track and follow his prey and use his good senses to strike at them while they do not expect him, ensuring that he gets at least a hit with iaijutsu focus.
• Wandering the shadowlands increases corruption (not depravity) as per the sidebar in pg. 66 of Heroes of Horror. Thus his taint is really high. Surge of malevolence and debilitating strike help him strike in melee better and stronger.
• As he gets its first level in maho-bujin he gains taint suppression, but since he will mostly roam the shadowlands (a corrupted area) this doesn't see a lot of use. He also gains crimson road which is a terrific ability. It also gains the shadowlands subtype, per the sidebar in pg. 66 of Heroes of Horror he is considered to have corruption and depravity equal to half its CHA score, this doesn't prevent from gaining further corruption (he will not be exposed to more depravity).
• Due to his depravity he gains more taint feats, lunatic insights is particularly good giving him a bonus to initiative and allowing knowledge checks as if trained.
• Power attack is not the most imaginative of feats, but it will be handy to increase its damage.
• At fifth level he gains its first iterative and gains the death knell ability killing now gives HP and STR.

red water jade stone
black corruption to the bone
settles at the core

Spoiler: level 6 – 10

Show

• Quick reconnoiter builds upon his good spot and listen allowing one free check of each every round and in conjunction with lunatic insight increases initiative.
• Unbounded corruption is one of the cornerstones of the build. It grants a bonus equal to half his taint to attacks and due to power attacking with a two handed weapon it also increases its damage greatly. Basically starting at level eight he should power attack for full every attack.
• Level nine is the first level in the SI, as his sworn enemy he has chosen the akutsukai, for those unfamiliar the akutsukai are the followers/servants of Fu Leng in Rokugan (the big bad) and are humans (or any other race who have succumbed to taint, much like the lost crab). Note that akutsukai is more akin to an organization that to a normal creature type, but the sworn foe specifically calls out organizations.
• Taint suppression is again wasted, since the lost crab roams in the shadowlands he cannot hide its corruption. Being able to detect sworn foe allows him to recognize the servants of Fu Leng (specially useful if he wants to kill them) and the bonus of his sworn foe applies to his listen, spot, and survival skills being able to find them much more easily.
• Spells are a boon and due to his corruption score he has them in high quantities, a “poor” charisma though limits him to spells without save or that act as buffs. It is advisable to leave some spells open and prepare them later if need be.
• Imperious command is obviously a good feat, specially when combined with never outnumbered from his human paragon level.
• The Vitality Belt will help (once he opens his waist chakra) to patch one of the biggest problems of the build, with taint so high a reduction in constitution might push him over the edge and kill him, turning him in everything that he hates. As is it increases constitution skill checks, such as concentration which with the heavy focus on CON will make all the checks doable without ranks

claw, maw, spear, and fear
two as one as everything
beast on beast below

Spoiler: level 11 – 15

Show

• Listen to this gives more utility to the lost crab good listen checks, now he can make other people make listen checks after making a free one.
• A familiar is a great addition to the arsenal, as is with really high HD (and CON), good scouting skills and high BAB the familiar is a combatant to be reckoned. Of course it makes him better in other ways, such as giving him alertness when in contact (increasing the already good listen and spot checks), being able to aid other in the skill checks, scout ahead and learn teamwork benefits. In particular the lost crab (and his familiar) benefit from 2: Awareness³ gives an extra +2 to spot and listen when they are close and Scouting⁹ that gives the lost crab an extra free listen and spot check every round. Thus 2 free spot/listen checks per round with a +4 bonus to the check and being able to transfer them to others with the listen to this skill trick.
• Tainted strike adds some more damage occasionally
• Around 12th level there is a significant increase in its corruption, this helps for most enemies are harder to hit at this point.
• Grim resolve is a small bonus to his saves, which is good, and can be improved further with CHA improving items, the lost crab should be careful and not improve it too much, because its depravity is linked to it and it might push him over the edge.
• 3rd level spells are great, specially remove curse according to the sidebar in the page 66 of Heroes of Horror the rules of Oriental Adventures can be used with the new taint system. The rules for taint from Oriental Adventures on page 235 (healing the taint) mention that remove curse can be used to reduce the taint score. Thus the lost crab has ways of reducing its own taint score if he so wishes, ensuring that he won't go over the edge. Fear is also a great spell since it can be used to extend the debuffing effect of his unnerved and cowering conditions to several rounds.
• Gaining Improved familiar grants the lost crab a winter wolf to use as mount. It is intelligent enough that directing it into battle should be doable without using the ride skill. The fun part is that with a fearsome armor the lost crab can intimidate as a move action, so he can use his move action (while the wolf charges) to intimidate combining never outnumbered with imperious command and the recently gained frightful fury. The teamwork benefits described above should also be applied to the wolf. If the feats of the winter wolf can be selected, clinging breath¹⁰ and lingering breath¹⁰ are good replacements for alertness and improved initiative; the wolf is immune to cold damage and with access to resist energy and protection from energy the lost crab can be too. The wolf also is faster than the lost crab, with such a high spot/listen check both of them should be able to locate the enemy before they are located and strike fast into melee.
• The black tentacles are also a good AoE that combined with the fear shutdown, and breath weapons excellently and is an awesome carrier for debilitating spell.

soil bathed in shadows
evil spirits spring restless
reap gory harvest

Spoiler: level 16 – 20

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• The last levels do not add much to the lost crab tactics, they only improve them. Significantly opening the waist chakra (and bounding the vitality belt) makes him immune to constitution damage and drain, one of the most effective ways of getting him out of the game (that is assuming that the method used is a no save method, like his debilitating strikes/spells). It also makes tainted fury a really good option.
• More uses of tainted strike and higher bonuses of sworn foe only ensure that combat will happen when he wishes it to happen.
• Unnerving fury as written should stack with the cowering condition that he is very capable of forcing in his enemies, locking and debuffing them even more, exposing to the breath/tentacles.
• At level 20 he is more than capable of killing an average CR 20 encounter by himself in a full attack, and with the help of his wolf lock down any group threat. With such a large HP he can also survive retaliation to make the full attack. Since he is not using shock trooper, the archetypical charger feat, his AC doesn't take a direct hit for it.
• Combat should be done when the lost crab wishes it, by trailing its prey, charging with the wolf towards the biggest target during the surprise action. Using imperious command and never outnumbered to get as many enemies cowering as possible and the wolf should breath a lethal cloud of cold. If the fearsome fury triggers that should be enough to deal with most of them. If not draw the lance and deal iaijutsu focus damage, power attack for full, and add as many carriers as possible (tainted fury, debilitating strike, tainted strike). After that any enemy that is able to move and close into melee should not be able to resist more than a full attack.

sharp death tool the spear
trinket of health sheath of self
wolf wings and bright spurs

Spoiler: Equipment

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• The lost crab needs a lance to be effective, specially once he mounts the winter wolf, a crystal of least return¹¹ will allow to draw as a free action and enable iaijutsu focus more easily. Considering that he has a lot of vampiric touch available investing in a bloodstone¹¹ weapon is probably a good idea.
• Specially once mounted the lost crab has a lot of move actions at his disposal a fearsome armor⁴ would allow him to intimidate as a move.
• Items that increase the constitution and consequently his corruption threshold are highly desired. For the values above a conservative estimate was done, buying said items at a late point.
• A waist incarnum focus¹¹ has two main benefits, first it makes the soulmeld unshapable by anyone other than the lost crab, second it can be combined with other items per the rules in Magic Ittem Compendium. Allowing to have a belt of battle¹¹ in that slot.
• Items that increase initiative are great, as before they act the enemies are flatfooted lowering their saves against the wolf breath weapon and also enabling iaijutsu focus. Or items that allow to reroll initiative such as the ring of anticipation⁴
• The winter wolf being evil and not really into doing charisma skill checks can be a great target for the feathered wings¹³ graft increasing its mobility and the range from where it can charge (making the lost crab more fearsome). Also, who doesn't love flying wolves?
• A Girdle of Hate¹⁴ keyed to the akutsukai is a great bonus to the relevant skills when chasing them. Every ranger (or anyone with an ability keyed to creatures/races) should have some at high level.
• Marbles¹² are an excellent way of making people need to balance, when balancing with less than 5 ranks one becomes flatfooted enabling iaijutsu focus. Since he shares ranks with the familiar it also makes him good at balancing.

homo homini
lupus, is not latin for
die hero or turn foul

Spoiler: The Party

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• The lost crab should be able to work in a tier 3 party, he is really good at fighting but he is also superb at tracking, scouting and intimidating.
• Fluff wise he should be able to find a compromise specially with any other party member who is chasing the servants of Fu Leng, since this being rokugan several plots are going to be centered in that and thus it is a great common point. Any adventure that happens at the shadowlands can easily include him too.
• The lost crab can fit the front line fighter role, or the “tank”, while also helping at scouting. He should be enough of a treat that he cannot be ignored and the glass cannons can operate with impunity. Similarly its big HP level and possible good elemental defenses make him a good potential survivor of area attacks with him in the center.

haiku are good tools
help remember spells and books
here is a source list

Spoiler: Sources: Material from the SRD or Heroes of Horror not sourced

Show

1. Oriental Adventures
2. Races of Destiny
3. Player Handbook 2
4. Drow of the Underdark
5. Complete Scoundrel
6. Magic of Incarnum
7. Complete Arcane
8. Complete Warrior
9. Heroes of Battle
10. Monster Manual IV
11. Magic Item Compendium
12. Arms and Equipment Guide
13. Fiend Folio
14. Dragon Magazine Compendium

Vizzini cheese is
corruption piñata dish
don't care I like it

Spoiler: Rule discussion

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• As mentioned above the rules for adapting OA to the HoH taint are in pg. 66. None of the classes or features used from OA have been explicitly updated to 3.5 (nor in the oficial update, nor in the update list, nor in the Dragon Magazine update). Due to the wording of the update of taint it is assumed that the rest works as is.
• The lost crab can increase (failing voluntarily its fort safe on the shadowlands) its taint and can decrease it with ludicrous application of remove curse.
• If the dragon magazine update is available the power attack (shadowlands) feat is a great option, note that flaws would be necessary to take power attack, able learner and power attack (shadowlands) at first level. Another option would be to take a level in fighter at first level, but that is a bad idea for skills.
• Akatsukai aren't explicitly called out as an organization, but the term organization can be applied to describe them so I hope it is okay.
• Fluff wise the maho bujin is quite neutral, and with taint no longer exclusive of rokugan the lost crab could function at other settings. For example, a member of house Canntih chasing warforged at the mournland.

By fate and man
alone and forsaken
oh, please understand

Spoiler: Backstory

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We are doomed. That feeling might have gripped the heart of lesser men but our front line was holding. The foul sons of Fu Leng were countless, like the tides of a deep restless sea. But the mettle of Hida's children was no easy shore to conquer. We stood strong like rocks breaking the stream. The bodies of the Oni littered the ground, red blood watered the scorched land. But there was strength in numbers and even if we fought to the death and fell were we stood there was not much that we could do. Kill or be killed had turned into kill until you are killed. We knew that. We kept fighting. We are the wall against the darkness. We keep Rokugan safe.

The speaker reaches for a cup of tea in front of him, his meal over except for one last bite lies cold and forgotten. Now there are only his words and sometimes a watering pause.

We had sent the fastest riders to bring the news of our fate. We didn't expect reinforcements but we got some. The first we heard was a shout, a kiai that could split the heavens and pause the earth. For a moment the battlefield stood still. The oni, the bakemono, the foul akusukai halted for a moment, panicked throwing themselves to the ground. It was as if everything was freezing, and indeed the temperature was going down. I could see my breath, as my soul tried to left me in panic. But it was much worse for the followers of Fu Leng. As they froze their shadows revealed, tendrils of darkness rose touching them and crushing them. Some fell dead others changed so much that death would have been a blessing. That was when we saw him.

Again the speaker reaches forward, this time his hand holds the wakizashi, his eyes run around its edge savouring the sharpness. In his calloused warrior grasp it looks like a piece of art. Yama as ever was not only tempered steel and ivory but had all the memories of the Hida embedded on its blade.

It had been human, once. Perhaps it still was, deep inside. At least it wore the skin of a man, it didn't fit properly as a raw leather suit that had been left to the sun. It would twitch from time to time, as if something was trying to get out. But the worst were its... eyes. There were none, two empty sockets of darkness that sometimes would glimmer with an alien light. Compared to him, the beast between his legs might have looked like a puppy, but the truth is that its mount was the largest wolf I've ever seen, like a spirit taken out of the stories. They fought as one with fangs and lance.

The man unfastens its white kimono. Its body was solid like a rock, scars criss-crossed it so much that it appeared to be covered in webbing. The symbol of the crab clan was close to his heart, like an iron brand. Several jade amulets hang from his neck, although some of them had lost its brightness

With that creature, the tide turned. It wasn't fast. It wasn't clean. But no oni could face his spear for more than a few seconds, no akusukai could hold its gaze. We fought for the day and the night, we might not be able to say that we won, we did lose to many, but the servants of Fu Leng didn't leave the shadowlands.

With a calculated movement the man reaches for the last bite of his meal. He its slowly. Once he is done he presses the tip of the blade against his abdomen, he is no poet, there won't be haikus to remember him, he is a true son of Hida there won't be a second. Yama bites into him fast, a pearl of blood forming in the blade and tincturing the white cloth.

We failed our duty. I failed my duty. I left the tainted creature live. Duty before honor. The taint of the shadowlands must not spread. But it also had a duty. It had the duty of the crab. Now I shall restore my honor, and as much of his as I can.

Those were the last words of Hida Tansho. He found death with calm and honor, for his honor was restored and his word is held as truth. The lost crab remains lost, and is to remain so until the need is dire.

[Kuulvheysoon]

The Law is corrupted

Designation

LN warforged Ranger 1/Incarnate 5/Crusader 3/Corrupt Avenger 9/Soulcaster 2
32 point buy
Str 14, Dex 12, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 10, Cha 14 (after racial adjustments)
all level adjustments go to Strength

The Mournland. That is what it is called now but it used to be known as Cyre. I have been told that it was once a land with a beautiful landscape—not that I have ever seen it.

My designation is MDCCCLXXXVI. I had a hand in the Last War. I had a hand in what happened to Cyre. I was powerless to stop the Day of Mourning. My orders were simple enough—I had to track down enemy soldiers. The kind I had been made to follow were human soldiers. Easy enough to follow—they make a mess everywhere. They have no sense to clean up after themselves. They leave obvious marks.

Build

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{table=head]Level|Class|BAB|Fort|Ref|Will|Skills|Feats|Class Features|Essentia Pool*

1st|Ranger 1|

+1

|

+2

|

+2

|

+0

|Climb 2, Hide 2, Jump 2, Knowledge (arcana) 2, Listen 4, Move Silently 2, Spot 4, Survival 4|Mithral Body, Track (B)|favored enemy (human), voice of the city acf|

0

2nd|Incarnate 1|

+1

|

+4

|

+2

|

+2

|Knowledge (arcana) +2| |aura, detect opposition|

1

3rd|Incarnate 2|

+2

|

+5

|

+2

|

+3

|Knowledge (arcana) +2|Azure Enmity|chakra bind (crown)|

3

4th|Incarnate 3|

+2

|

+5

|

+3

|

+3

|Concentration 1, Knowledge (arcana) +1 | |expanded soulmeld capacity +1, incarnum radiance 1/day|

4

5th|Incarnate 4|

+3

|

+6

|

+3

|

+4

| Concentration +1, Knowledge (arcana) +1| |chakra bind (feet, hands)|

5

6th|Incarnate 5|

+3

|

+6

|

+3

|

+4

| Concentration +1, Knowledge (arcana) +1|Bonus Essentia| rapid meldshaping 1/day|

8

7th|Crusader 1|

+4

|

+8

|

+3

|

+4

|Concentration +1, Diplomacy 1, Intimidate 2| |furious counterstrike, steely resolve 5|

8

8th|Crusader 2|

+5

|

+9

|

+3

|

+4

|Concentration +1, Diplomacy +1, Intimidate +1, Jump +1| |indomitable soul|

8

9th|Crusader 3|

+6

|

+9

|

+4

|

+5

| Concentration +1, Diplomacy +1, Intimidate +1, Jump +1|Power Attack|zealous surge|

8

10th|Corrupt Avenger 1|

+7

|

+11

|

+4

|

+5

|Spot +1, Survival +1| |armored casting, detect sworn foe (human), sword foe +2, taint suppression|

8

11th|Corrupt Avenger 2|

+8

|

+12

|

+4

|

+5

| Spot +1, Survival +1| |tainted strike 1/day|

8

12th|Corrupt Avenger 3|

+9

|

+12

|

+5

|

+6

| Spot +1, Survival +1|Incarnum Spellshaping|grim resolve|

9

13th|Soulcaster 1|

+9

|

+12

|

+5

|

+8

|Concentration +1, Knowledge (arcana) +1| |arcane investment 1|

10

14th|Soulcaster 2|

+10

|

+12

|

+5

|

+9

|Concentration +1, Knowledge (arcana) +1| | |

11

15th|Corrupt Avenger 4|

+11

|

+13

|

+5

|

+9

| Spot +1, Survival +1|Cobalt Power|sworn foe +4|

12

16th|Corrupt Avenger 5|

+12

|

+13

|

+5

|

+9

| Spot +1, Survival +1| |frightful fury|

12

17th|Corrupt Avenger 6|

+13

|

+14

|

+6

|

+10

| Spot +1, Survival +1| |tainted strike 2/day|

12

18th|Corrupt Avenger 7|

+14

|

+14

|

+6

|

+10

| Spot +1, Survival +1|Tainted Fury|sworn foe +6|

12

19th|Corrupt Avenger 8|

+15

|

+15

|

+6

|

+10

| Spot +1, Survival +1| | |

12

20th|Corrupt Avenger 9|

+16

|

+15

|

+7

|

+11

| Spot +1, Survival +1| |unnerving fury|

12

[/table]
* represents total essentia including incarnum feats

Spells per day

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{table=head]Level|1st|2nd|3rd|4th
1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
8th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
11th|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
12th|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
13th|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
14th|1|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
15th|1|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
16th|2|1|1|0|-|-|-|-|-|-
17th|2|1|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
18th|2|2|1|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
19th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-
20th|2|2|2|1|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]

Typical Spells Prepared
1: detect magic, doom
2: incarnum arc, shatter
3: bestow curse, wall of incarnum
4: rend essentia

Maneuvers Gained

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7th level: douse the flames (WR), foehammer (DS), martial spirit (DS stance), mountain hammer (SD), stone vise (SD), tactical strike (WR)
8th level: thicket of blades (DS stance)
9th level: bonecrusher (SD)

Typical Soulmelds and Chakra Binds

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Chakra Binds (2): airstep sandals (feet), enigma helm (crown)
Soulmelds (5): bluesteel bracers, therapeutic mantle, vitality belt

So many souls around me. Unborn, unwanted, unneeded, unused. I went beyond my initial directive. I was able to manipulate this – soulstuff – around me. It made my abilities stronger. It give me abilities that I had not had before. I could go beyond what I was before. I am more now than before. More than myself. More than a human tracker. These souls give me additional powers. They are everywhere.

Class Features Showcase

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Armored Casting: Being able to cast spells in light armor is a good thing for MDCCCLXXXVI. Mithral Body ensures that he is always in light armor. He is even able to cast his incarnum spells without arcane spell failure. As it explains in the armored casting section, he can add spells from the Sorcerer/Wizard list to his spellbook and thanks to Incarnum Spellshaping, those incarnum spells are included on his list. Best part is that they are considered to be from Corrupt Avenger as it is the only arcane spellcasting class he has.
Detect Sworn Foe: Being able to detect your sworn foe by concentrating is a good thing. But being able to track them too saves on actions—that is what the Ranger level and the Track feat does for us. It also allows MDCCCLXXXVI find those humans that are not in the immediate area. Combine these two and no human can escape—for long.
Sworn Foe: MDCCCLXXXVI has chosen humans as his sworn foe. It is an optimal choice as practically every campaign both published and homebrew are going to have humans at some point in their worlds. Getting bonuses to Spot allows him to find hidden foes and augments his Spot checks. Likewise tracking humans becomes easier as well since Survival gets the same bonus. As humans are a favored enemy, he does get a damage bonus that he does not gain from this class feature. Of course gaining bonuses to Strength and Constitution help with the combat situation and having decent Fortitude saves helps keep our Corruption score stay within playable levels.
Taint Suppression: Who wants to look like a diseased or wholly evil creature while innocently hunting down your prey? Having this ability allows MDCCCLXXXVI to stay incognito which can help keep him at the table even during social encounters.
Tainted Strike: A bonus to damage can mean the difference between badly hurting a foe and felling a foe, even at higher levels. Granted the second one comes a little later to be truly effective for most high level play.
Grim Resolve: Anything to shore up those weaker Reflex and Will saves. MDCCCLXXXVI has an above average Charisma despite the racial penalty. Since our spells saving throws are based upon Charisma, this is just another reason to have it pumped as high as it can. WBL can help in this regard too.
Frightful Fury: Who needs Never Outnumbered? Skill points are at a premium in this build anyway so having this ability saves us skill points. Best part is that it affects all opponents and not just those pesky humans, so this ability can kick in and become a decent debuff for our comrades.
Unnerving Fury: The Chairman’s ruling on this is what I would run with at my table too. This unnerved conditoin is just an improvement to the shaken condition. And just like above, it affects all opponents and not just the sworn foe. A -4 penalty even at 20th Level is a decent debuff.
But why only 9 levels of Corrupt Avenger?: Well the answer is a simple one really. The capstone ability for Corrupt Avenger is a third tainted strike per day (a +5 bonus) and an additional +2 sworn foe bonus. In this designer’s opinion, MDCCCLXXXVI is better served with being able to cast his spells at 11th level thanks to his two levels of Soulcaster. Also because humans are his Ranger’s favored enemy, he already has that +2 bonus which he has enjoyed since Level 1. The feat Tainted Fury also gives a bonus similar (but superior) to the tainted strike in that the amount of damage dealt is equal to the Corruption score, not just half of his class level. Bonus hit points through the feat is another benefit that does not come from the class’ 10th level.

The death all around me filled me with its Taint. I felt an animosity that I had not previously felt before. Indeed it was the humans that made this land the way it is now. Humans built warforged like myself to continue with these horrible atrocities. Humans are truly to blame for the way the world it now. They treat all non-humans with contempt. My body has changed because of these feelings. My thoughts have been altered the more time I spend in the Mournland. Even the soulstuff I use to enhance myself is tainted. Humans have to be held accountable for this. They must be made to pay. Nothing like this can ever happen again.

Design Notes

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So what can MDCCCLXXXVI do? He is primarily a melee combatant surely with his high hit points, BAB, Power Attack (augmented by Cobalt Power), and his maneuvers. He should wield a two handed weapon as early as possible to get all of these benefits. Power Attack away especially against humans since he has quite a few different bonuses coming.
Given a two handed pole arm with reach then MDCCCLXXXVI can become a decent tank since he has the ever popular thicket of blades stance. He can augment his hit points through the vitality belt and being a 7th level meldshaper combined with his decent essentia pool can raise this number higher. Speaking of meldshaping, he can fly, deal force damage, and increase his initiative bonus as well.
He is also a decent debuffer especially at higher levels with the frightful and unnerving fury. Thanks to his Soulcaster levels, he can increase the Difficultly for his spells’ saving throws. He would use this on doom in the earlier parts of the build and change this to bestow curse once he can cast third level spells.
Out of combat MDCCCLXXVI can be used as a scout and tracker. He doesn’t only have to track humans after all. With his voice of the city alternate class feature, he can participate in conversations that he may have normally been left out of because of his lower Intelligence and no bonus languages.
Warforged and Taint: MDCCCLXXXVI is neither undead nor an evil outsider thus he does not have a “set” Taint score. After reading a lot of the effects of Taint on the body, it would seem that not a lot of these conditions can affect him—as he is either immune to the condition that is mentioned or lacks the body part(s) specifically mentioned in the description. This build does not assume any specific Taint traits, only that MDCCCLXXXVI had achieved the prerequisite Corruption score to enter the SI. As such no specific traits were given for the Taint that he has. I would imagine that the DM would attribute appropriate penalties as necessary.

They say I malfunctioned. They say my initial building was imperfect. Warforged are not supposed to act this way I was told. Those humans that shared this perception have been dealt with in the only way they know or can understand. Pain. Lots and lots of pain. My designation is MDCCCLXXXVI and I will right the wrongs that the humans have caused.

Source List

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Cityscape Web Enhancement: voice of the city Ranger alternate class feature
Eberron Campaign Setting: warforged race, Mithral Body feat, geographical fluff
Heroes of Horror: Corrupt Avenger prestige class, taint rules
Magic of Incarnum: Incarnate class; Soulcaster prestige class; Azure Enmity, Bonus Essentia, Cobalt Power, Incarnum Spellshaping feats; incarnum spells
Tome of Battle: Crusader class, maneuvers