Junkyard Wars XXXIII: LotD + AF - Necropolitan

[Thurbane]

Welcome to Junkyard Stadium! It is in this hallowed pile of miscellaneous parts that we will hold a competition of Practical Optimization with three components. The catch? Competitors may not use the third item in their builds!

Goal: Create a build that showcases the selected ingredients while steering clear of the Forbidden Ingredient.

This competition has two Necessary Components and one Forbidden Component. This round's components are...

• Necessary: Lady/Lord of the Dead* (online)
• Necessary: Ability Focus feat (MM)
• Forbidden: Necropolitan template (LM)

* With the following updates: Alchemy is no longer a skill, and is now a subset of Craft; and use the Libris Mortis version of the Undead Leadership feat (p.31), not the one listed in the article.

Spoiler: RULES

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• Creation: 32 point-buy is the presumed creation method. You may assume that you will have enough exp to reach ECL 20, and that the occasional bit of crafting, use of spells with exp components, or the like won't prevent you from doing so. However, LA buyoff is an alternate rule which is not in play.
• Workshop: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon Magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. If you use web material, please link it. Dragon Magazine Compendium is allowed, as are Oriental Adventures (and its 3.5 updates in Dragon Magazine) and the Dragonlance Campaign Setting. Alternate rule systems from UA such as generic classes, spontaneous divine casters, gestalt and fractional saves and BAB are not allowed, as they create a different playing field.
• Leadership is banned: We're creating one thing, not all of the things. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat or ACF through any means.
• Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until after the reveal in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines. Speculation and stub posting is to be avoided until the reveal is completed.
• Disputes: Any scoring disputes should be sent to the Chair via PM. Valid disputes include RAW misreadings, arithmetic errors, things missed that are present in the entry, and inconsistently applied criteria. Invalid disputes include disagreements on matters of opinion, a judge not catching something not explicitly presented in the entry, and the like. Invalid disputes will be responded to via PM by the Chair, but valid disputes will be posted in-thread for the judge to review. When disputing, please indicate the judge the dispute is intended for and provide a quote of the disputed comment or comments. Note: the Chair may edit or paraphrase any disputes in presenting them to the judges.
• Presentation: You will need to present a write-up of your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20-level build in the table below. Please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability throughout its life. Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries. Also for this reason, PLEASE do not include any material that may or may not offend any potential viewers/judges/competitors OR break forum rules. Any builds which violate forum rules WILL be withheld from posting.
• Anonymity: if you are submitting multiple entries, please try not to have entries reference each other, or have other obvious "tells" that they are from the same competitor. If it is essential for your concept that entries are somehow linked, that is fine, but otherwise, please try to limit info that will give away who competitors are.

Spoiler: Handy-dandy Tables You Can Use

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Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, please use the following table for their entry.

Spoiler

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NAME OF ENTRY

Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
2nd	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
3rd	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
4th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
5th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
6th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
7th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
8th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
9th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
10th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
11th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
12th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
13th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
14th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
15th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
16th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
17th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
18th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
19th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities
20th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	Feats	New Class Abilities

Code immediately below (spoiler).

Spoiler

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[table="class: head alt1 alt2"]
[tr]
[th][B]Level[/B][/th]
[th][B]Class[/B][/th]
[th][B]Base Attack Bonus[/B][/th]
[th][B]Fort Save[/B][/th]
[th][B]Ref Save[/B][/th]
[th][B]Will Save[/B][/th]
[th][B]Skills[/B][/th]
[th][B]Feats[/B][/th]
[th][B]Class Features[/B][/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]1st[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2nd[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]3rd[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]4th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]5th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]6th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]7th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]8th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]9th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]10th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]11th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]12th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]13th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]14th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]15th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]16th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]17th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]18th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]19th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]20th[/td]
[td]New Class Level[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]+x[/td]
[td]Skills[/td]
[td]Feats[/td]
[td]New Class Abilities[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)

Spoiler

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Spells per Day/Spells Known

Level	0lvl	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th	9th
1st	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
2nd	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
3rd	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
4th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
5th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
6th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
7th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
8th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
9th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
10th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
11th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
12th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
13th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
14th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
15th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
16th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
17th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
18th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
19th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
20th	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

Code immediately below (spoiler)

Spoiler

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[B]Spells per Day/Spells Known[/B]
[table="class:head alt1 alt2"]
[tr]
[th][B]Level[/B][/th]
[th][B]0lvl[/B][/th]
[th][B]1st[/B][/th]
[th][B]2nd[/B][/th]
[th][B]3rd[/B][/th]
[th][B]4th[/B][/th]
[th][B]5th[/B][/th]
[th][B]6th[/B][/th]
[th][B]7th[/B][/th]
[th][B]8th[/B][/th]
[th][B]9th[/B][/th]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]1st[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]2nd[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]3rd[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]4th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]5th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]6th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]7th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]8th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]9th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]10th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]11th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]12th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]13th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]14th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]15th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]16th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]17th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]18th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]19th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]20th[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[td]-[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.

mattie_p has also kindly made a Google Document that greatly assists with creating and formatting tables: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

Spoiler: Judging

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• Scoring: Each judge is required to provide the criteria by which they are judging the builds. By "criteria," we mean a simple explanation of what the judge is looking for in each of the below categories and what kind of scoring we can expect. If a judge deems a build to be illegal, they may provide a 0 in Elegance but may not refuse to judge any build presented by the Chairman.
• The Categories: 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 Components.
  
  

  • Originality: Is the build unique? Does it deviate from the obvious? Does it forge its own path, or does it fall back on common, established optimization tricks? Some judges score entries for the quality of their concept & backstory as well, though not all do. Providing at least some backstory is heavily encouraged, as it helps the judges figure out who the entry is. Note that the purpose of this category is not to penalize entries that independently came up with the same idea as another entry, but rather to reward entries that explore underutilized and non-obvious areas of optimization, so, judges, try not to base your judging in this category too heavily on what other builds are doing. Multiple entries using the same element may certainly be evidence that the element is unoriginal, but you shouldn't impose anything like a "-1 for each other build using the same class" penalty.
  • Power: 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: This category was formerly titled "Build Stability." Here, we're essentially measuring how skillfully you put your build together and how you balanced flavor with 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 (meaning any multiclassing that results in an xp penalty), and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, may lose you points. Rule adherence and legality of sources is scored under this category; additionally, reliance on a questionable, controversial, or ambiguous ruling can and should result in a deduction. Neither the number of sources nor their relative obscurity should be penalized--contestants should feel free to use any books they like. Dipping should not be penalized unless it results in a multiclass xp penalty; if the system won't penalize it, neither should judges.
  • Use of Components: Was the Forbidden Component avoided? Were the Necessary Components showcased, or simply used because they were necessary?
• Note on scoring: if you are going to penalize an entry for something specific, it is strongly recommend that it only be penalized in one of the four categories for this - the one you feel is the most relevant. It is OK to put different penalties for different instances in their own category, but if, say, someone fails to qualify for a PrC, try not to ping them in Elegance and Power, for instance.
• Disputes: Any scoring disputes will be posted by the Chairman in-thread after reviewing them privately. Valid disputes include
  
  • RAW misreadings,
  • arithmetic errors,
  • things missed that are present in the entry,
  • and inconsistently applied criteria.
  
  Invalid disputes include
  
  • disagreements on matters of opinion,
  • a judge not catching something not explicitly presented in the entry,
  • and the like.
  
  Invalid disputes will be responded to via PM by the Chair, but valid disputes should be responded to by each individual judge. Judges are obligated to respond to disputes to ensure that everyone gets a fair shake. A judge's scores will only be recognized if they have recognized all disputes. In the absence of any other judges, the entries will be judged by the chairman.

Completion Time:

• Contestants will have until 23:59 GMT Monday October 4, 2021 to create their builds and PM them to the chairman (note: you are free to submit builds up until I start posting entries, even if this deadline has passed).
• Builds will then be posted simultaneously to avoid copying.
• Judges will have until 23:59 GMT Monday October 15, 2021 to judge the builds and submit their scores. Judging deadline is subject to extension as required.
• As the precedent has been set from Episode 2, should all prospective judges have posted their rulings in a neat, timely fashion and all disputes have been settled satisfactorily (to either judges, contestants, or the Chairperson), the judging period may end prematurely to give way to a new episode. No reason to keep working on a finished building and avoid moving onto the next one.

Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing! We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build that doesn't gain a medal. Contestants are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM. Everyone else can vote in-thread. Ready? Set? Get to the junkyard and start building!

On the subject of messaging the chair (me), a few guidelines:
- I am not here to give critiques on your build or guess how the judges might score it!
- For entries, please keep the entry to no more than 2 messages, if at all possible.
- For entries, don't expect me to search through your entry and edit in or out material. Entries should be sent to me complete - if there is a later revision, re-submit the full build. PLEASE DON'T INCLUDE TEXT IN YOUR SUBMISSION YOU WANT ME TO EDIT OUT FOR THE POST - SUBMIT IT TO ME EXACTLY HOW I WILL POST THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
- Please make sure the name of your entry is clearly present in the message.

Spoiler: Previous Competitions

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1. Junkyard Wars in the Playground I: Shadowdancer + Sneak Attack - Rogue
2. Junkyard Wars in the Playground II: Healing Spells + Ruby Knight Vindicator - Cleric
3. Junkyard Wars in the Playground III: Dragons + Theurges - Kobolds
4. Junkyard Wars in the Playground IV: BoED + Undead Type - Completes
5. Junkyard Wars in the Playground V: Dread Witch + Reaping Mauler - Fighter
6. Junkyard Wars in the Playground VI: Wonderworker + Profession Skill - Factotum
7. Junkyard Wars in the Playground VII: Metamagic Feats + LA - Metamagic Reducers!
8. Junkyard Wars in the Playground VIII: Pounce+Small Size-Barbarian
9. Junkyard Wars in the Playground IX: Earth Dreamer + Ordained Champion - Cleric
10. Junkyard Wars in the Playground X: Meldshaping + Natural Attacks - Totemist
11. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XI: Magical Darkness + Improved Familiar - Wizard
12. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XII: Dragonmark Heirs + Touchstones - Martial Weapons
13. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIII: Mulhorandi Divine Minion + Monk - Any Other Wildshaping
14. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIV: Racial Paragon Classes + Spellcasting - Base Classes
15. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XV: Ruathar + Stoneblessed - Human
16. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVI: Trapsmith + Combat Trapsmith - Rogue
17. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVII: Elemental Warrior + Jaunter - Fighter
18. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XVIII: Argent Savant + Holy Scourge - Wizard
19. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XIX: Incarnum Blade + Exotic Weapon Master - Spiked Chain
20. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XX: Xorvintaal Exarch + The Pact-Bound Adept - Sorcerer
21. Junkyard Wars in the Playground XXI: Rebuke Undead + Teamwork Benefits - [Divine] feats
22. Junkyard Wars XXII: Battle Trickster + Magical Trickster - Uncanny Trickster
23. Junkyard Wars XXIII: Spellwarp Sniper + Silver Pyromancer - Energy Substitution
24. Junkyard Wars XXIV: Vow of Peace + Saint - Divine casting
25. Junkyard Wars XXV: Silverwood Arcanist + Share Soulmeld - Soulcaster
26. Junkyard Wars XXVI: RSL + ACF - PrCs
27. Junkyard Wars XXVII: Unholy Scion + Mark - Affiliation
28. Junkyard Wars XXVII: 1MF + CPA&A - T
29. Junkyard Wars XXIX: Social Distancing Edition!
30. Junkyard Wars XXX: Something a Little Spicy
31. Junkyard Wars XXXI: Giddy-Up!
32. Junkyard Wars XXXII: Theurge Without Theurge

[Thurbane]

Q&A:

Q1. Should we use the version of Undead Leadership presented in the article?
A1. No, use the most recent version (Libris Mortis p.31)

Q2. Are other leadership type feats/abilities still banned this round?
A2. Yes, the sole exception to the standard rules is that Undead Leadership is allowed.

Q3. How much detail do I have to give for the cohort?
A3. As much or as little as you like: the focus is on the main character, the cohort(s) are incidental. As always, each judge will pass judgement as they see fit.

Q4. Do we have to use creatures with officially listed LA, or can we use GiantITP forum assigned LA for monsters?
A4. No, only races/creatures/templates that have an officially listed LA for use as a PC are allowed in this comp. NOTE: this applies for the main character entry; for cohorts, you may use the relevant official cohort LA, and/or cohorts as outlined in the LM feat description and other relevant section of LM.

Q5. Does the restriction on Necropolitan apply to cohorts as well as the main entry character?
A5. To avoid things getting messy, lets say yes.

Q6. What is the CL of the LotD SLAs (Animate Dead and Unholy Aura).
A6. For this comp, CL = HD.


Please note: there have been some tweaks to the rules, please take a moment to read through

[Kuulvheysoon]

This is... a truly awful prestige class, lol.

There's nothing there. I'm truly impressed, and I'm the guy who inflicted some of the worst Iron Chef rounds on the Playground. Just... damn, man. I see what you mean about us loving/hating this round.

[Glimbur]

I think you missed updating the due dates when you copied and pasted. Some of us work pretty fast (not me) but getting a character done by August 2021 will be challenging even for them.

[Thurbane]

This is... a truly awful prestige class, lol.

There's nothing there. I'm truly impressed, and I'm the guy who inflicted some of the worst Iron Chef rounds on the Playground. Just... damn, man. I see what you mean about us loving/hating this round.

I hope my gambit pays off; I thought we were due for a "monstrous" round.

I think you missed updating the due dates when you copied and pasted. Some of us work pretty fast (not me) but getting a character done by August 2021 will be challenging even for them.

I always forget something!

Updated now.

[Yan Korlat]

I have an incredibly silly and cheesy idea for this competition that I think actually works, so I'll probably write something up!

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Hmm, this PrC is a little... bare-bones!

[Beni-Kujaku]

You know‚ in the context of this comp‚ the features of this class could very much be "You are allowed to take Undead Leadership". And that is a pretty powerful feature indeed.

Hmm, this PrC is a little... bare-bones!

Sans! Go pick up your socks instead of loafing around on d&d forums!


By the way‚ is necropolitan banned only for your character or also for your followers and cohort?

And what is the CL on the Animate Dead SLA? Cause "number of HD" and "LotD class levels" is quite different in this case

[ciopo]

it's also a medium BAB PrC with full spellcasting advancement, there's far worse out there

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Sans! Go pick up your socks instead of loafing around on d&d forums!

Aw come on, that was a real rib-tickler! Where's your funny bone? Oh wait, I've got it.

[loky1109]

If I'll have time...

[Thurbane]

By the way‚ is necropolitan banned only for your character or also for your followers and cohort?

And what is the CL on the Animate Dead SLA? Cause "number of HD" and "LotD class levels" is quite different in this case

I've updated the second post.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Most of my questions have already been answered, but the class features look like they need clarification:

Q. The class says that, at sufficient level, a LotD can cast a preselected spell once per day. I assume this to mean that it is an extra slot but only to cast Animate Dead and/or Unholy Aura, at the usual caster level. Or should these be treated as SLAs with CL=HD?

[Beni-Kujaku]

Most of my questions have already been answered, but the class features look like they need clarification:

Q. The class says that, at sufficient level, a LotD can cast a preselected spell once per day. I assume this to mean that it is an extra slot but only to cast Animate Dead and/or Unholy Aura, at the usual caster level. Or should these be treated as SLAs with CL=HD?

As Thurbane wrote above‚ these are SLAs with CL=total number of HD

[Thrice Dead Cat]

Whoops. I somehow missed that!

[Kuulvheysoon]

Okay, so I have a Fun Build and a Power Build. Which one should I finish and submit?

[Thurbane]

it's also a medium BAB PrC with full spellcasting advancement, there's far worse out there

And a d12 HD - I can't think of any full casting progression PrCs that get that off the top of my head.

In retrospect, maybe I should have saved this round for October and made it a Halloween round.

...oh well, I do have a different idea for a Halloween round.

Okay, so I have a Fun Build and a Power Build. Which one should I finish and submit?

[Beni-Kujaku]

And a d12 HD - I can't think of any full casting progression PrCs that get that off the top of my head.

According to a list of all spellcasting prestige classes, that's indeed the only one with at least 3/4 BAB, d12 and full progression. There is one draconic prestige class from DrMagazine with d12 and full prog (Dragon Mystic), but only 1/2 BAB, and the doomlord, some of the most edgy prestige classes, that allows among other things to live on the Negative Energy Plane, but doesn't have full spellcasting progression.

In retrospect, maybe I should have saved this round for October and made it a Halloween round.

...oh well, I do have a different idea for a Halloween round.

We're going to have something requiring incorporeality and ability drain or something, but not being able to be an undead at all, because we're just masquerading as one.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

And a d12 HD - I can't think of any full casting progression PrCs that get that off the top of my head.

To be fair, it does require you be Undead, and Undead templates do often set all HD to d12s anyhow.

[Yan Korlat]

Does the suggested flaws penalty carry over to this comp from iron chef?

[Kuulvheysoon]

Does the suggested flaws penalty carry over to this comp from iron chef?

According to the Judging guidelines, there isn't an automatic penalty for them (though the judges may, at their own discretion, choose to penalize them).

[Yan Korlat]

Thanks! I saw that, and was wondering if that was an intentional omission/different rules or just a consequence of paraphrasing.

[Thurbane]

To be honest, the opening post for JYW probably needs a bit of an overhaul to bring it inline with IC and such.

I've tacked a few things on in there in my stint, but it could probably do with editing and an overhaul when I get some spare time.

Obviously for future comps, not this one.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I've just got the fluff left on the Fun Build, and I think that it's the only one that I'll enter. Both to save our wonderful judge(s) time, and because the Power Build does not spark joy. And since it does not, it shall be banished to the Shadowrealms.

I'll reveal the build when all of the entries are posted (unless the same build is submitted, which would be hilarious).

[Yan Korlat]

My original build idea didn't work out due to (in my opinion) silly editing that was ultimately peripheral to the actual build, but I have a different concept I'm running with!

[Glimbur]

I've got the ghost of a build (fitting for the subject matter) but need to figure out how to finish it.

[Thurbane]

Under a week to go, and my inbox has been a little quiet?

[Kuulvheysoon]

I'm having issues coming up with fluff that I don't hate - besides that, I've got one build done and the bones of another that I may or may not submit.

[loky1109]

I'll not submit anything, VC eats all my attention. Plus I don't like SI very much.
But, I maybe can judge.

[Thurbane]

Judges are always welcome.