Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXIX

[MisterKaws]

So everyone is taking levels in BLANKED FOR SECURITY REASONS?

Also, I just lost the file I was working on. Grumble grumble grumble.

Not everyone, but yes, most will adopt that approach.

[Sian]

How would basing off animals with 1 or ½HD work?

[Troacctid]

How would basing off animals with 1 or ½HD work?

I did some research into this point a while back. AFAICT, the fractional HD essentially doesn't count, because fractions always round down, so for the purpose of all level-dependent stuff, it's just zero. This includes XP calculations, ECL, skill rank caps, etc. There are some odd dysfunctions that might crop up here and there, but in general, by RAW, you can more or less treat it the same as a funnier-looking version of zero.

1 HD is easy. You get a single racial hit die. No sweat.

[WhamBamSam]

Well, I have several profoundly silly ideas for using various features of this class. Now to see if they'll congeal into an actual build.

[MisterKaws]

How would basing off animals with 1 or ½HD work?

The partial HD doesn't count, sunce it rounds out, as Troacctid already pointed out.

To expand on his point on the 1HD, just take a look at the Lycanthrope/Entomanothrope descriptions and you'll notice that their racial HD are never the first HDs(you need either another RHD or one class level before taking them), so you can't use the 1HD rule to replace them.

[Inevitability]

All the lycanthropes in the SRD seem to have one humanoid HD. Can we exchange it for a class level or are we forced to have one if playing a natural lycanthrope?

[Sian]

Would there be bonus points if submitting a Tibbit (fluff alternate name is catwere) werecat?

[MisterKaws]

All the lycanthropes in the SRD seem to have one humanoid HD. Can we exchange it for a class level or are we forced to have one if playing a natural lycanthrope?

Yes, and I believe Werewolf Lord has Fighter levels.

stuff

I think we should really stop with all the speculations. It didn't hit my build ideas in the least up to this point, but it might have already been a hit to someone's ideas, and we can't have that.

[Sian]

... well, given that Tibbits can't become Lycanthropes (they're Monstrous Humanoids; only Humanoids and Giants can become Lycans), i thought my joke was obvious enough

[MisterKaws]

... well, given that Tibbits can't become Lycanthropes (they're Monstrous Humanoids; only Humanoids and Giants can become Lycans), i thought my joke was obvious enough

This is D&D. Humanoid type is easy enough to get; Giant even more so.

[The Viscount]

All the lycanthropes in the SRD seem to have one humanoid HD. Can we exchange it for a class level or are we forced to have one if playing a natural lycanthrope?

The lycanthropes presented actually each have 1 level in warrior, it's just buried in the description; so when making a lycanthrope you just add the animal HD on to your class granted HD.

[Amechra]

Rebuilding my entry... and I will win the best use of secret ingredient prize fo sho.

[MisterKaws]

So, about Entomanothropes and Improved Hybrid Form.

Entomanothropes get special attacks from the Base Vermin in Hybrid Form, but not from the Base Creature, which is the opposite of how it works with Lycanthropes. As such, should we just assume Improved Hybrid Form works the other way around with it, enabling Base Creature Special Attacks?

[Amphetryon]

I might be getting a little paranoid worrying about how much of our scores will be dependent on which lycanthropic animal form we choose.

[WhamBamSam]

I've literally made a half-dozen stubs trying to showcase one trick. As of yet, I'm not 100% happy with any of them. It doesn't help that there's something I'd really like to stick into the build that I pretty much can't on account of the lycanthrope level adjustment.

[Zaq]

What a strange ingredient. It requires LA (and, I believe, RHD, though I wouldn't be surprised if someone found a workaround for that), but it offers flexibility in what form that LA takes.

I agree with Amphetryon's worry that the base lycan form is likely to have more effect on the final product than the SI itself will, since you don't really make any choices with the SI, and most of the SI's abilities are difficult to showcase. They're not as relentlessly passive as most of Risen Martyr's abilities were, not by a long shot, but most of them are still nothing that really makes me sit up and take notice.

I'm not likely to participate this round (I generally consider myself to be allergic to LA and RHD), but it'll be interesting to see where the actual entries do and do not overlap, particularly as far as the base form is concerned.

[Deadline]

I've literally made a half-dozen stubs trying to showcase one trick. As of yet, I'm not 100% happy with any of them. It doesn't help that there's something I'd really like to stick into the build that I pretty much can't on account of the lycanthrope level adjustment.

Yeah, I just had to rework my idea yet again because of those issues. I'll make it work though.

[WhamBamSam]

I'd say the issue is more that the class features are inherently connected to what your lycanthrope variety is. That's literally the entire point of Improved Hybrid Form, but even less overt features, like Animal Aspect, Faster Change, and Quick Change can't help but have something to do with it, and it could very well impact use of Improved Vile Natural Attack as well.

I've got my build basically finalized. Just dithering over a few final choices. I'm pretty happy with it, though it does kinda bother me just how much I prefer it with LA buyoff. Also Fractional BAB, so long as I'm whining about variant rules.

[The Viscount]

I hear you there. Oh what I could do if I could only buy off this LA. I agree that the choice of which animal for your template will likely affect your build and how it is judged, but I see it as a part of the ingredient to be optimized just like entry class choice.
Oh well, my build is close to finalized.

[Sian]

The toughest bit is by far, to qualify for Vile Natural Attack in time to take the full class ... at CL6 you have to take at most 1 level where you aren't gaining a BAB, and at CL9 its to late (due to LA+2) to finish BBH. And that's not even accounting for the need to actually have a 1d8 natural weapon

[Troacctid]

Eh, there are ways to delay feats if you really need to.

[WhamBamSam]

Well after spending the day doing no other productive work my build is done except for fluff and sources. It's one of the stupider things I've ever made for Iron Chef.

[MisterKaws]

Well after spending the day doing no other productive work my build is done except for fluff and sources. It's one of the stupider things I've ever made for Iron Chef.

I don't really think there's anyone doing a non-silly build this round, so don't worry.

[Thurbane]

I had an idea, but the Vile Natural Attack reqs blew it out of the water.

Looking forward to the reveal to see what people came up with.

[Deadline]

I don't really think there's anyone doing a non-silly build this round, so don't worry.

What do you mean this round?

[MisterKaws]

What do you mean this round?

Hey! There are serious builds in this competition too.

[Sian]

Hey! There are serious builds in this competition too.

And its known to snow while its Summer.

[MisterKaws]

And its known to snow while its Summer.

You're being rude towards all the penguins who go to the ice beaches to snowbath in the summer.

[Inevitability]

And its known to snow while its Summer.

In some places, it is...

[KrimsonNekros]

Think I've got a solid build, just need to finish figuring feats.