Need Help with a Maimer

[cupkeyk]

This is what I have so far:

Race: Strongheart Halfling

Racial Improved Unarmed Strike
1 Rog 1 Two Weapon Fighting
2 Rog 2
3 Rog 3 Maiming Strike
4 Rog 4
5 Rog 5
6 Rog 6
7 Rog 6 SnapKick
8 Rog 8
9 Rog 9 ITWF
10 Rog 10 (Crippling Strike)
11 Rog 11
12 Rog 12 Savvy Rogue
12 Rog 1 (Opportunist)
13 Paladin of Tyranny 1
14 Paladin of Tyranny 2
15 Paladin of Tyranny 3 Combat Reflexes
16 Paladin of Tyranny 4 (Holy Warrior)
17 Paladin of Tyranny 5
18 Paladin of Tyranny 6 Strength Devotion
19 Paladin of Tyranny 7
20 Paladin of Tyranny 8 (Holy Warrior)

The idea is to reduce either an opponent's Charisma or Strength to zero. Lethal damage is secondary. I know that a Necromancer or Psion with Ego Whip is better, so don't bother with those comments.

Maiming Strike is from Exemplars of Evil.

[Indon]

I think you should grab Wounding weapons, get some Constitution damage thrown in there too.

Edit: If you can get any Bludgeoning/Slashing or Piercing weapons, at least. How reliant is this on maces specifically?

[cupkeyk]

I think you should grab Wounding weapons, get some Constitution damage thrown in there too.

Edit: If you can get any Bludgeoning/Slashing or Piercing weapons, at least. How reliant is this on maces specifically?

Not very, Lightning Mace nets me an additional attack per crit, which is unlikely with maces anyway.

[Person_Man]

Lightining Mace is a very inefficient way of generating extra attacks. I suggest adding natural attacks instead.

Instead of Swash and Fighter levels, you might want to add 2 levels of Psychic Warrior and 5 levels of Psychic Assassin. This will add Int damage.

If you take Touch of Golden Ice (Book of Exhalted Deeds) and focus on unarmed and natural attacks, then you can add Dex damage to the mix as well, starting at level 1.

[The_Snark]

Touch of Golden Ice is not very good, as it has a flat, non-increasing DC of 14 to negate it.

I don't know if you need sneak attack for Maiming Strike or not, but it seems like all those levels of rogue are decreasing your attack bonus, meaning you won't hit as much, between TWF and Snap-Kick penalties to hit. Although Crippling Strike might be the source of the Strength damage...

A single level of monk, combined with using a quarterstaff for your double weapon, will net you another extra attack at another -2 to attacks.

[cupkeyk]

Thanks, the Kobold from the Races Web Enhancement would do nicely. I would still want some fighter levels since the build is so feat dependent.

Rog10/PsyWar2/PsyAss5/Ftr2/Swash1 for more feats or Rog12/PsyWar2/PsyAss5/Ftr1 to get the opportunist boost from savvy rogue

Maiming Strike has a prereq of +2d6 SA AND an alignment of evil. Unless I get a template with the evil descriptor and be good aligned, I cannot get Touch of golden Ice. STR damage is from crippling strike but seeing as it is not a common dump stat, it is arguably the least important of the abilities to damage. Flurry+TWF+natural attacks is a lot of attacks at very low attack bonuses, though.

[Indon]

Does the Ninja ability Sudden Strike count for Sneak Attack prerequisites for feats?

[cupkeyk]

Does the Ninja ability Sudden Strike count for Sneak Attack prerequisites for feats?

Yes, it does, there is a sidebar on page 6 or 7 or eight, on the bottom left. But flanking is always easier than having an opponent denied of its dex bonus to AC.

[goat]

There's a feat in CSc that let's you take con in exchange for about 5d6 SA damage. I think it's disembowelling strike.

[cupkeyk]

Unfortunately Disemboweling strike only applies once per encounter per creature, making it totally weak as an ambush feat.

[Fizban]

As in, deal con damage in place of 5d6 sneak dice. I think it was 1d4 con.

Edit: true.

[Person_Man]

You can be a Ghost, or the level adjusted Ghost.

Rogue 1/Psychic Warrior 2/Fighter 2/Psychic Assassin 5/Kensai X

Your attacks are touch attacks. Your Draining Touch deals 1d4 points of damage to the stat of your choice. Take the Empowered Ability Damage feat (Libris Mortis) to increase it by 50%.

A Kensai can enchant their unarmed attacks with Ghost Touch, Wounding, and whatever else you want to your unarmed attacks.

Of course, you need DM approval to do this. But I think its a great idea. Casper the Maiming Ghost.

[Indon]

Yes, it does, there is a sidebar on page 6 or 7 or eight, on the bottom left. But flanking is always easier than having an opponent denied of its dex bonus to AC.

If your chosen SA enabler is a form of greater invisibility, it doesn't matter.

[cupkeyk]

You can't SA creatures with blindsight, hear the unseen,Tremorsense, mindsight or uncanny dodge with Imp. Invisibility. Flanking trumps invisibility/blink. Flanking fails only with improved uncanny dodge and all around vision.

[AtomicKitKat]

Touch of Golden Ice isn't gonna help much. Sure, it helps vs Paladins and Clerics, and maybe one or two heavy armour types, but everyone else will be unlikely to dump DEX. Strength damage on the other hand, is brilliant to combine with Charisma damage, since people who raise one seldom raise the other(eg. Sorc goes Cha over Str, Barb goes Str over Cha). This way, you knock them unconscious/paralysed depending on which stat they dumped more. To summarise:

Strength: AB/Damage/Carrying Capacity/access to Power Attack/Trample DC, among others.
Dexterity: AC/Ranged AB/Reflex Save/Initiative(if starting another fight later)/Access to Combat Reflexes/TWF(and any PrCs requiring this Feat to qualify). Rangers immune to loss of TWF.
Constitution: Fortitude Saves/HP(as good as taking off 1 HP per HD for every 2 Con)/Feats requiring Constitution as Pre-requisite/Breath Weapon DC, among others.
Intelligence: Combat Expertise(and all Feats requiring it, like Improved Trip/Whirlwind Attack)/Spells for Wizards, Duskblades, Beguilers, Warmages, Shugenja.
Wisdom: Will Save/Monk AC and Quivering Palm DC/Spells for Clerics, Druids, Rangers, Paladins, Spirit Shamen
Charisma: Sorcerors, any creature with SLAs or Supernatural abilities based on spells/Turn Undead attempts(and effectiveness of some Divine Feats, as well as reducing effectiveness of Turning. Good if you're Undead)

[cupkeyk]

Is there a prc that accesses he rogue's special abilities? Psychic Rogue with maiming strike and Mind Cripple can deal Cha and Int damage, rendering animals and uglies to coma status. If he can access Crippling Strike from a PRC, he can deal STR damage too.

I am not sure about manifester levels, but how would a Rog 12 PsyWar2 qualify for Psychic Assassin?

[cupkeyk]

Would it make sense to remove IUS and snapkick, taking PBS and Precise Shot instead to go into Master Thrower for about 8 attacks on a full attack with thrown weapons? This would require some way to be invisible to take advantage of the ability damage though.

[RTGoodman]

I know that a Necromancer or Psion with Ego Whip is better, so don't bother with those comments.

Don't forget that as a Rogue, you have access to UMD, and thus access to any necromancy spells you want (via wands, scrolls, etc.). If your DM uses the "Magic and Psionics are the same" world-view, then you may can get away with UMD working with Psionic Devices. Or, alternately, use the Psychic Rogue with UPD and blast away with dorjes of Ego Whip.