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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    Earth
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    Default Past Life Challenge

    I was going through old stuff for interesting ideas, and found the NPC section of the DMG II, specifically the 'Past Life' bonus. Basically, it gives you a +2 insight bonus on attacks, saves, skill checks, and ability checks, plus one of several special abilities (see the list below). I know it's possible to put together a character capable of having many of these.

    So here's my challenge: put together a character that has as many of these abilities as possible with 20 levels, but only if the benefit is an inherent ability for the character. That means no magic items, no soulmelds, no getting the ability from nonpermanent magical effects, etc. The character has to meet the minimum level of performance listed, but going over that is just gilding the lily. Each item on the list is 1 point, but multiple iterations of the same option don't count (bonus feats, I'm looking at you!). Equivalent abilities, such as lore instead of bardic knowledge, or poison immunity instead of diamond body, are acceptable.

    How many options can you earn with just one past life?

    Greater Rage (as 11th level barbarian)
    Bardic Knowledge (as 11th level bard)
    Turn (or Rebuke) Undead 1/day (as 11th level cleric)
    Wild Shape 1/day (as 11th level druid)
    Diamond Body (as monk)
    Smite Evil 1/day (as 11th level paladin)
    +6 Favored Enemy (as ranger)
    +6d6 Sneak Attack (as rogue)
    5th level sorcerer spell 1/day (as 11th level sorcerer)
    Bonus Feat (Fighter)
    Bonus Feat (Item Creation)
    Bonus Feat (Metamagic)

    Yes, I know several of them are low-hanging fruit, especially the bonus feats.
    Murphy said 'whatever can go wrong, will go wrong'.

    I say Murphy was an incurable optimist.

    In my experience, even things that can't go wrong... often do.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Bugbear in the Playground
     
    smasher0404's Avatar

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    Nov 2010
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    Default Re: Past Life Challenge

    Bardic Knowledge and Turn Undead can be accomplished with a single level of Cloistered Cleric (Unearthed Arcana) if you accept Lore as an appropriate substitute. Unfortunately, we need to take 11 levels of Cloistered Cleric in order to be as an 11th level Bard and 11th level Cleric.

    However, since these both are scaling off of class level directly, we can take 3 levels of a Bloodline (Unearthed Arcana) instead of the last 3 levels of Cloistered Cleric. We grab the Major Celestial Bloodline, since at Character Level 6, we get Smite Evil 1/day as a paladin of our Character Level

    Mulhorandi Divine Minion (web enhancement) gain a ability called Fast Wild Shape, which allows them to Wild Shape as an 11th level druid but only for specific forms (but gain a bunch of benefits above normal Wild Shape). If that is acceptable, the lowest LA version of that template is +1 (for Anhur, Hathor, Isis, Nephthys, Sebek, or Thoth). That requires you to be a Humanoid with the Celestial Template or a Humanoid-shaped Outsider.

    We accomplish Humanoid-shaped Outsider by being a Ghost(Ghostwalk-version) when we are finished (since both are acquired templates), we are also a Gnome for later reasons.

    Assassin's Stance (Tome of Battle) can be grabbed using Martial Study followed by Martial stance from 10th level onwards. You also grab Rogue 1, Spellthief (Complete Adventurer) 1, Psychic Rogue (Web Enhancement) 1, Avenger (Web Enhancement) 1 for the remaining 4d6 Sneak Attack damage.


    Martial Wizard (Unearthed Arcana) grants us a Fighter Bonus Feat, and arcane spellcasting to qualify for Alternative Source Spell (Dragon #325). That allows us to enter Incantatrix (Player's Guide to Faerun) for a bonus Metamagic feat, using Alternative Source Spell to treat Cleric casting as Arcane spells. We also enter Maester for a bonus Item Creation Feat.


    Current Build:
    Lawful Good Divine Minion Ghost Gnome LA +1/Cloistered Cleric 8/Rogue 1/Spellthief 1/Psychic Rogue 1/Avenger 1/Martial Wizard 1/Major Celestial Bloodline 3/Incantatrix 1/Maester 1/X 1.


    In total, we have grabbed:

    11th Level Bardic Knowledge
    11th Level Turn Undead
    Smite Evil 1/day as a >11th level Paladin
    Sneak Attack +6d6
    11th Level Wild Shape (Albeit with Caveats)
    Bonus Fighter Feat
    Bonus Metamagic Feat
    Bonus Item Creation Feat

    For a total of 7-8 points depending on whether you count the Divine Minion's Wild Shape.
    ARRRRGH, I'm a pirate, ninjas are no match for me, Yargh!
    Also this awesome avatar was done by KillItWithFire

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Halfling in the Playground
     
    SwashbucklerGuy

    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    Earth
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    Default Re: Past Life Challenge

    The one I put together doesn't get wild shape or an item creation feat, but gets sorcerer spells and favored enemy.

    half-elf scout 2 / major celestial bloodline 3 / rogue 1 / ranger 1 / cleric 1 / fighter 1 / sorcerer 1 / unseen seer 5 / incantatrix 1 / paragnostic apostle 4

    As usual, Iron Will comes from a nightmarish trip into the Otyugh Hole. All prestige classes feed into sorcerer.

    Feats:
    1 Foe Hunter (Favored Enemy: Dragons (+2))
    3 Swift Hunter (Favored Enemy: Dragons (+4))
    6 Swift Ambusher (Sneak Attack (+5d6))
    7 (Favored Enemy: Dragons (+6))
    8 Extend Spell (Planning Domain), Weapon Focus (Warhammer) (Metal Domain)
    9 Weapon Specialization (Warhammer) (Fighter Bonus), Rapid Metamagic
    11 (Sneak Attack (+7d6))
    12 Silent Spell (Unseen Seer Bonus), Still Spell
    14 (Sneak Attack (+8d6))
    15 Searing Spell (Fire)
    16 Energy Substitution (Incantatrix Bonus)
    18 Elf Blood
    Last edited by Skyrender; 2021-02-23 at 10:00 PM.
    Murphy said 'whatever can go wrong, will go wrong'.

    I say Murphy was an incurable optimist.

    In my experience, even things that can't go wrong... often do.

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