Zinc Saucier XXXIX: Hoist The Colors High

[AvatarVecna]

Welcome one and all to the thirty-ninth Zinc Saucier challenge, where Playgrounders come to test their skill in the art of beautiful and bizarre (and bizarrely beautiful) builds, summoning a savory dish of superb swordplay and sublime sorcery.

The challenge? To come up with a build that has the same abilities and feel as the Secret Ingredient WITHOUT actually using it!

For the thirty-eighth challenge, we'll be abiding by the code and building us a Dread Pirate (PrC from Complete Adventurer)

Our challengers will have about 2 weeks to build a complete build up to Effective Character Level 20 using a 32 point buy and all official WOTC D&D 3.5 materials (excluding Dragon Magazine, but including any WOTC online enhancements) with the abilities and feel of a Dread Pirate without actually using any levels in it.

Entries must be submitted by Monday, 9:00pm GMT, October 11th, 2021. As usual, please submit your entries via private message to the chairman, so as not to influence the other sauciers. Extensions are available.

Judges will then have until Monday, 9:00pm GMT, October 25th, 2021, to post scores for all dishes. Extensions are available.

Contestants will be judged and awarded a score of 1 through 5 in each of 4 categories:

• Innovation (Uniqueness in character concept, race, class, etc)
• Power (How powerful and versatile it is compared to the base class)
• Elegance (What can only be described as how well the build "flows", i.e not using lots of 1-2lv dips, sacrificing flavour for power or using flaws)
• Ingredient (How well the build captures the abilities and feel of the base class)

Presentation would be best in the style of how the iron chef does their presentations, however any style is allowed so long as it is clear on how the build was made.

Submission:
To standardize Entries, please use this format when sending it in:

PM: AvatarVecna
Subject: Zinc Saucier 39, Name of your Entry

For Revisions and disputes, do the same thing. It makes it easier for me finding the entries in my mail box.

If you have questions about the contest that feel inappropriate to ask in the main thread, please PM me with "Zinc Saucier 38 Questions". Keep in mind that I am not a judge, and so questions about how acceptable X or Y might be to judges will get (at best) a guess on my part due to my somewhat limited familiarity with the competitive community.

Recommended style is as the spoilers below. The end of the second post has a link to a Google Sheet that helps show the layout, if that will help you with planning out your build.

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).

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[table="width: 1000, class: grid, align: center"]
[tr]
[td][B]Level[/B][/td]
[td][B]Class[/B][/td]
[td][B]Base Attack Bonus[/B][/td]
[td][B]Fort Save[/B][/td]
[td][B]Ref Save[/B][/td]
[td][B]Will Save[/B][/td]
[td][B]Skills[/B][/td]
[td][B]Feats[/B][/td]
[td][B]Class Features[/B][/td]
[/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)

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[B]Spells per Day/Spells Known[/B]
[table="width: 500, class: grid, align: center"]
[tr]
[td][B]Level[/B][/td]
[td][B]0lvl[/B][/td]
[td][B]1st[/B][/td]
[td][B]2nd[/B][/td]
[td][B]3rd[/B][/td]
[td][B]4th[/B][/td]
[td][B]5th[/B][/td]
[td][B]6th[/B][/td]
[td][B]7th[/B][/td]
[td][B]8th[/B][/td]
[td][B]9th[/B][/td]
[/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]

Please do not post details of your build on the board before it is ready, so as not to spoil the surprise for others. Similarly, please try to refrain from speculating on possible builds too much even if you don't intend to use them yourself.

Sauciers may submit up to two builds each, as we don't want to overfeed the judges.

Previous Challenges:

1. Soulknife
2. Bard
3. Monk
4. Assassin
5. Barbarian
6. Warlock
7. Paladin *
8. Warblade
9. Pyrokineticist
10. Ninja *
11. Druid
12. True Necromancer
13. Dervish
14. Whisperknife
15. Epic Infiltrator *
16. Master of Vipers
17. Ranger *
18. Flayerspawn Psychic
19. Totemist
20. Walker in the Waste
21. Drunken Master
22. Cleric
23. Duskblade
24. Psibond Agent
25. Argent Fist
26. Fighter
27. Artificier
28. Knight
29. Spellthief
30. Factorum _{no cooks submitted}
31. Dragonfire Adept
32. Battle Dancer
33. Illithid Slayer _{one cook submitted}
34. Swashbuckler
35. Chameleon
36. Dread Necromancer _{one cook submitted}
37. Warmage
38. Kensai _{one cook submitted}

*: Classes marked with an asterisk have had their original posts updated to reflect the final results.

This competition is inspired by the Playground Iron Chef Competitions and uses mostly identical rules.

[AvatarVecna]

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 Elegance 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. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt and generic classes are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em.

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, may lose you points. Please note the following: 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.

Concerning Experience Requirements: Each build is allotted exactly 200,000 EXP. This is roughly 10,000 EXP more than necessary to get to 20th level. Please take note of this when planning your character for circumstances like LA Buyoff, Item Crafting, Magic Use, Multiclassing EXP Penalties, etc.

Definition of Power for scoring: Since this has been a point of contention, let me lay down this guideline. Since the goal is to emulate the Secret Ingredient, achieving much higher power than the Secret Ingredient is capable of is overkill and should be marked accordingly. Likewise if the build cannot match the power of the Secret Ingredient it should be marked accordingly. Individual judges can decide how much is too much for Power scoring, as each judge will have different tastes. The goal here is to prevent all entries being Wizard 20 because "they do it better."

What's the minimum score in a category? Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is illegal by the RAW, the judge may give a 0 or decline to score a given entry. Because this contest focuses on Player Characters, an entry that is not technically allowed for a PC, but is viable as an NPC, counts as a legal entry, but may receive a minimum score at the judges' discretion.

Is Dragon Compendium Allowed? Yes, but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

What about 3.0 materials? 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition.

Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources? The Dragonlance Campaign Setting is allowed, but the subsequent books for Dragonlance are considered 3rd party, and are therefore not eligible, despite the "WotC approved" status of those books. The same holds for Oriental Adventures (1st party) and the subsequent Rokugan books (3rd party). Materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.

What about online sources in general? If the online source is a) published by WotC, and b) not replaced by an updated version at a later time, it is eligible. Use it, link it.

Where's the line drawn with "acceptable/unacceptable" for Unearthed Arcana? This will likely vary a bit from Chairman to Chairman. Variant class features and variant character classes are espressly permitted. Item Familiars and Gestalt have always been verboten; don't expect that to change. Flaws have similarly always been noted as warranting a deduction; even now that its me that is Chairing, its still extended to Traits, though they warrant 1/2 the penalty in Elegance that a Flaw would because they're roughly 1/2 as useful. Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. Bloodlines are ripe for abuse, and will be discouraged as long as I am Chairman. Note that judges are allowed to look askance at any use of Unearthed Arcana not specifically mentioned above, at their discretion, and otherwise penalize Elegance according to their preference.

What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort while I am chairman. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

How the heck do I even do this? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to select a combination of race, templates, classes, alternate class features, prestige classes, skills, and feats, meld them into a single character that progresses from ECL 1 to ECL 20, that is as close as possible to the secret ingredient as possible in look, feel, class features. How you do it is up to you, I recommend you read previous competitions if you are interested in seeing how others have done it before you. Capture the essence!

Links amusement/edification:

• Handy Tips for the Iron Chef in the Playground Noob
• GitP Blank Iron Chef Entry (credit to mattie_p)

[loky1109]

I have one idea... Very stupid idea!

[Kuulvheysoon]

Well, someone's bound to ask, it might as well be me.

The 10th level Dread Pirate ability Pirate King functions as the Leadership feat.

Should judges not penalize for being unable to replicate it, given the other rules of this competition? The Rules concern a class that we use in our efforts to replicate, not a class to be replicated.

What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort while I am chairman. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

[AvatarVecna]

Well, someone's bound to ask, it might as well be me.

The 10th level Dread Pirate ability Pirate King functions as the Leadership feat.

Should judges not penalize for being unable to replicate it, given the other rules of this competition? The Rules concern a class that we use in our efforts to replicate, not a class to be replicated.

Knew I forgot something. And honestly I'm not sure how to handle it. The leadership aspect of the Dread Pirate comes online awfully late, so leaving it out still gets you most of what the class gives. But also, it's so integral to the concept that leaving it out feels like a failure to replicate. Regardless, either for this particular round Leadership is legal and judges need to take that into account, or it's still illegal and judges shouldn't penalize contestants for following rules. I can see an argument for either side.

Ultimately, I'm inclined towards the latter (that is, illegal and judges should take that into account) just to keep things uniform. Somebody trying hard enough on Leadership shenanigans can get very out of hand very quickly. We can assume that you have a crew on hand without requiring all contestants to detail what their crew consists of, since that would both create a gigantic power gap between those who can optimize the NPCs well and those that can't, and it would be even more DM dependant than assuming your build has particular magic items.

This round is about building the pirate captain, not a specific crew. You can imply a specific crew in their backstory, but it shouldn't be so integral to your build that you couldn't make do with some other pirate crew if you found yourself in a situation where you can't afford to be choosy.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Okay then, I've got a silly idea. Let's see if I can make this work. Consider me in for cooking.

[H_H_F_F]

I'm in favour of the proposed solution, and agree with the reasoning.

[AvatarVecna]

3 days or so until reveal and I've still got no builds. Does anybody need an extension?

[mattie_p]

Ugh. Been so busy IRL, haven't given this one much thought. I will try to build something this weekend but I also want to make some tweaks to my build spreadsheet. We will see what happens.

[loky1109]

I'm really exhausted by Shining Blade of Heironeous. (((

Maybe I create something. Need two days extension. If it’s not enough nothing will be.

[Quentinas]

I have some ideas (first time participating in this contest) but i have a question. We have to imitate even the last ability of the dread pirate that is a leadership like ability?

[Heavenblade]

A short extension will definetly be welcome here, formatting in this site is taking me ages.

[mattie_p]

As a suggestion, Use the freely available spreadsheet in my signature. Essentially does the formatting for you, just fill in the blanks.

[AvatarVecna]

I have some ideas (first time participating in this contest) but i have a question. We have to imitate even the last ability of the dread pirate that is a leadership like ability?

This got addressed earlier in the thread: you do not need to replicate Leadership. It's assumed you have some kind of crew, but not a specific crew, or one you have to design as part of your entry. You're building a pirate captain, not the whole crew.

[AvatarVecna]

A short extension will definetly be welcome here, formatting in this site is taking me ages.

I'm fine giving people an extra week.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

I'm fine giving people an extra week.

Oh sweet. I only noticed this round yesterday, but I've got a build idea.

[Quentinas]

I have another question we have to imitate the dishonorable or the honorable dread pirate (our choice) or we have to imitate the dishonorable and the honorable dread pirate at the same time?

[AvatarVecna]

I have another question we have to imitate the dishonorable or the honorable dread pirate (our choice) or we have to imitate the dishonorable and the honorable dread pirate at the same time?

As with the base class, pick one. Probably best to make it obvious which one you're emulating though.

[AvatarVecna]

Is anybody thinking they'll have a build ready by Monday, or do we need another week extension?

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Is anybody thinking they'll have a build ready by Monday, or do we need another week extension?

I hope to have mine ready by Monday.

EDIT: Actually, turns out I probably have to move for my job next week. Cannot guarantee I'll have any time to work on my submission this weekend.

[mattie_p]

I have an entry I'm flushing out, will need a few days extra. Even using my spreadsheet there's little chance it will be done tomorrow by the deadline.

[AvatarVecna]

A few extra days is no trouble.

[mattie_p]

Well I finished. I guess it's kinda like Dread Pirate. Anyone else still working on something?

[AvatarVecna]

Is anybody else working on a built, or can I go ahead and get builds posted?

[Quentinas]

I'm not working so for me the builds can be posted (if there are enough builds)

[AvatarVecna]

I should probably wait for more than one person's opinion before posting, huh?

[mattie_p]

Mine is as good as its going to be.

[PoeticallyPsyco]

Yeah I've had to bail on my build. Never did come up with any good fluff for it, and mechanically it's basic enough that others have probably implemented parts of it.

[AvatarVecna]

First Build

Scarl Bloodstorm
NE Draconic Hadozee swashbuckler 8/rogue 3 /scarlet corsair 6/Exemplar 1/Warblade 1/Fighter 1

A draconic hadozee that took over a ship with strength and now scourge the seas killing and ransacking everywhere, motivated by his greed inherited from his draconic ancestor

Spoiler: Point buy

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Stat name	Base value	Base cost	Value after race
Strength	8	0	10
Dexterity	16	10	18
Constitution	14	6	17
Intelligence	16	10	16
Wisdom	8	0	8
Charisma	14	6	12

The first 2 level up point goes to intelligence the next three to dexterity

Spoiler: Build

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Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Rogue 1	+0	+0	+2	+0	Profession( sailor ) 4 , Bluff 4, Intimidate 4, Diplomacy 4, Appraise 4, Use rope 4, Swim 4, Balance 4, Climb 4 , Jump 4, Tumble 4	Two weapon fighting	Sneak attack 1d6. Mimic ACF
2nd	Swashbuckler 1	+1	+2	+2	+0	Profession (sailor) 5 , Balance 5, Tumble 5, Climb 5, Diplomacy 5 Bluff 5, Jump 5, Appraise 4, Use rope 4, Swim 4, Intimidate 4	Weapon finesse	Weapon finesse
3rd	Swashbuckler 2	+2	+3	+2	+0	Profession (sailor) 6 , Balance 6, Tumble 6, Climb 6, Diplomacy 6 Bluff 6, Jump 6, Appraise 4, Use rope 4, Swim 4, Intimidate 4	Skill focus (intimidate)	Grace +1
4th	Swashbuckler 3	+3	+3	+3	+1	Profession (sailor) 7 , Balance 7, Tumble 7, Climb 7, Bluff 7, Jump 7, Intimidate 4 Appraise 4, Use rope 5, Swim 4, Diplomacy 6		Insightful strike
5th	Rogue 2	+4	+3	+4	+1	Profession (sailor) 8 , Balance 8, Tumble 8, Climb 8, Bluff 8, Jump 8, Intimidate 8 Appraise 5, Use rope 5, Swim 4, Diplomacy 6		Evasion
6th	Rogue 3	+5	+4	+4	+2	Profession (sailor) 9 , Balance 9, Tumble 9, Climb 9, Bluff 9, Jump 9, Intimidate 9 Appraise 8, Use rope 5, Swim 5, Diplomacy 6	Daring outlaw	Sneak attack +2d6 (total 3d6)*, Penetrating strike ACF
7th	Swashbuckler 4	+6	+5	+4	+2	Profession (sailor) 10 , Balance 10, Tumble 10, Climb 10, Bluff 10, Jump 9, Intimidate 10(cc) Appraise 8, Use rope 5, Swim 5, Diplomacy 6		(total sneak attack 4d6)*
8th	Swashbuckler 5	+7	+5	+4	+2	Profession (sailor) 11 , Balance 11, Tumble 11, Climb 11, Bluff 11, Jump 10, Intimidate 11(cc) Appraise 8, Use rope 5, Swim 5, Diplomacy 6		Shield of blades +2 ACF
9th	Swashbuckler 6	+8	+6	+5	+3	Profession (sailor) 12 , Balance 12, Tumble 12, Climb 12, Bluff 12, Jump 11, Intimidate 12(cc) Appraise 8, Use rope 5, Swim 5, Diplomacy 6	Sailor Balance	(total sneak attack 5d6)*
10th	Swashbuckler 7	+9	+6	+5	+3	Profession (sailor) 13 , Balance 13, Tumble 13, Climb 13, Bluff 13, Jump 12, Intimidate 13(cc) Appraise 8, Use rope 5, Swim 5, Diplomacy 6		Acrobatic charge
11th	Scarlet corsair 1	+10	+6	+7	+3	Profession (sailor) 14 , Tumble 14,Intimidate 14, Bluff 14, Use rope 6, Swim 5, Balance 13, Jump 13, Climb 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6 Skill trick Acrobatic Backstab	Improved feint	Improved feint
12th	Scarlet Corsair 2	+11	+6	+8	+3	Profession (sailor) 15 , Tumble 15,Intimidate 15, Bluff 15, Use rope 8, Swim 7, Balance 13, Jump 13, Climb 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6	Improved two weapon fighting	Sneak attack +1d6 (total 6d6)
13th	Scarlet corsair 3	+12	+7	+8	+4	Profession (sailor) 16 , Tumble 16,Intimidate 16, Bluff 16, Use rope 10, Swim 9, Balance 13, Jump 13, Climb 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6		Corsair feint(once 2d4 round)
14th	Scarlet corsair 4	+13	+7	+9	+4	Profession (sailor) 17 , Tumble 17,Intimidate 17, Bluff 17, Use rope 12, Swim 11, Balance 13, Jump 13, Climb 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6		Sailor step +2
15th	Scarlet corsair 5	+14	+7	+9	+4	Profession (sailor) 18 , Tumble 18,Intimidate 18, Bluff 18, Climb 14, Swim 13, Use rope 13, Balance 13 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6	Craven	Scourge of the seas
16th	Exemplar 1	+14	+7	+9	+6	Profession (sailor) 19 , Tumble 19,Intimidate 19, Bluff 19, Climb 17, Swim 17, Use rope 14, Balance 13 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6		Skill artistry (tumble), skill mastery (tumble climb balance jump profession (sailor))
17th	Scarlet corsair 6	+15	+8	+10	+7	Profession (sailor) 20 , Tumble 20 ,Intimidate 20, Bluff 20 , Climb 19, Swim 18, Use rope 15, Balance 13 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6		Sneak attack +1d6 (total 7d6)
18th	Swashbuckler 8	+16	+9	+10	+7	Profession (sailor) 21 , Tumble 21 ,Intimidate 21(cc), Bluff 21 , Climb 20, Swim 20, Use rope 15, Balance 13 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6	Greater two weapon fighting	Improved flanking , (total sneak attack 8d6)*, Grace +2*
19th	Warblade 1	+17	+11	+10	+7	Profession (sailor) 22(cc) , Tumble 22 ,Intimidate 22, Bluff 22(cc) , Climb 20, Swim 20, Use rope 15, Balance 15 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6		Battle clarity (reflex), Weapon aptitude
20th	Fighter 1	+18	+13	+10	+7	Profession (sailor) 23(cc) , Tumble 23(cc) ,Intimidate 23, Bluff 22 , Climb 20, Swim 21, Use rope 15, Balance 15 ,Jump 13, Appraise 8, Diplomacy 6	Martial stance (press the advantage)	Bonus feat

Stance learned
Bolstering voice from Warblade
Press the advantage from Martial stance feat
Maneuvers learned with the warblade
Lion roar
White rave tactics
Flanking maneuver

Spoiler: Explanation

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Spoiler: Level 1-10

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A draconic hadozee that try being good at the sea life , being dexterous fighting with two weapon and with finesse with roguish abilities and sneak attack that lead to Daring outlaw which boost the sneak attack while leveling up as a Swashbuckler. Why draconic? Because that template boost charisma and constitution and give a racial bonus to intimidate so on an hadozee are quite helpful (there would be a penalty to charisma without that template) There is another boost to intimidate which is skill focus (intimidate ) , skill focus will be needed later and helps to reach the bonus of fearsome reputation. Insightful strike will be quite useful as the intelligence modifier will be not low and with two weapons it’s added multiple times, and the third level of rogue give penetrating attack to be able to sneak attack. The level 9th feat sailor balance, and the acrobatic charge gained at level 7 of swashbuckler help at moving on the deck without many big problem and the feat is even boosting balance of a good amount and combined with the hadozee bonus to skills dexterity isn’t lost even while climbing. There is even a boost to the defense with shield of blades ACF as two wield fighting will be the primary tactic and against each attack is better then against only one opponent . Another ACF taken but nearly not used is the Mimic ACF from the first level of rogue, useful only at low level but still better than trapfinding as no ranks will be invested in search. La buyoff is used at ECL 4 so we use 3000 experience points to remove the LA of the template Another important note is that from Level 8 the intelligence become 18 so there is one more skill point at each level which is useful as many class used has only 4+ int skill points

Spoiler: Level 11-15

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To imitate a pirate what is better than a corsair? The scarlet corsair is another nautical prestige class and while the first level aren’t nothing so incredible (mainly giving us more ways to do sneak attack with improved feint and acrobatic backstab) it still advance sneak attack and the class list is quite similar to the dread pirate one. Corsair feint is a good way to do a sneak attack if there isn’t any other way but the best is sailor footing that increase our AC and scourge of the seas with an area intimidation that is mainly used out of combat instead of in combat as generally the full attack action will be used so doing an intimidation as a standard action does not help The feats are focused on damage with craven that is a big boost and improved two weapon fighting to make another attack that carry sneak attack ,craven and insightful strike so it is a big boost to damage

Spoiler: Level 16-20

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In these last level a variety of classes are used but each one is useful . The 16 th level is one of the exemplar a class that give skill mastery at first level and it give a bonus of +4 to a skill and each one of the two abilities help. For the first we choose jump tumble climb balance and profession sailor, each skill that is used in a seafaring ship. Profession sailor it’s quite important as there are various conditions where maneuvering a ship ask a profession sailor check and some reach a dc of 30 so taking 10 can quite help. But with this level now a a tactic based on tumble is possible as tumble now has a +30 (+19 ranks +4 skill artistry +5 dexterity +2 synergy) so taking 10 means that the DC of 40 to make each 5 foot step a 10 foot step is possible so the full attack while flanking now is quite easier. The 17 th and 18 th level are used to increase sneak attack but the swashbuckler level increase even grace and it give improved flanking so it will be easier to fight while flanking (not a bad bonus). The last two level are respectively one of warblade and one of fighter. To imitate motivate the scum we need a specific maneuver , lion roar so a level of warblade is used to gain some manuever and stances. Sadly the first level is limited on a level 1 stance but bolstering voice help with craven (and the low will save) and as a prerequisite for the others maneuver. Mainly the swift action maneuver will be used (white raven tactic and lion roar) as the full attack is quite important but sometimes even the flanking maneuver strike could be used. The last level is one of fighter because we need a last feat martial stance because with our high tumble making a second 5 foot step would be quite useful so press the advantage is needed

Spoiler: Note on the experience points and multiclass penalties at the last two levels

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As a warblade level was took at 19 the multiclass penalties was calculated in the experience for the last level. From the second post of this contest 200000 experience points were given so at ECL 19 this character used 171000 +3000 experience points for the LA buyoff so only 26000 remained . From these 26000 I have to remove 20% so 5200 which means I still had more than 20000 experience points remaining enough to gain the last level

Spoiler: Emulation checklist of the dishonorable dread pirate

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• Seamanship from Dread pirate 1: Skill mastery on profession (sailor)
• Two weapon fighting from Dread pirate 1 : Took the feat
• Fearsome reputation from Dread pirate : Skill focus (intimidate) , template bonus to intimidate
• Sneak attack 7d6 : Sneak attack 8d6
• Acrobatic charge from Dread pirate 4 : Same ability from Swashbuckler 7
• Steady stance from Dread pirate 4 : Sailor balance and hadozee racial bonuses to skills
• Scourge of the seas from Dread pirate 5: Same ability from Scarlet corsair 5
• Skill mastery from Dread pirate 8: Skill mastery from Exemplar 1 (same skills+ one for this build)
• Motivate the scum from Dread pirate 9 : Lion roar maneuver
• Hit points 10d6+10d8:10d10+4d6+6d8 on average is 80 vs 96 (average hp with constitution 136)
• Base attack 17:Base attack 18
• Saves +6/+14/+6: +13/+16/+7 in the reflex save is considered grace from swashbuckler and battle clarity with the base intelligence (the base saves is 10)

For hit points ,saves, and base attack and sneak attack I assumed a rogue 10/dread pirate 10

Spoiler: Sources

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Draconic creature template is from Races of dragon
Hadozee is from Stormwrack
Swashbuckler is from Complete Warrior
Rogue is from Player handbook
Scarlet Corsair is from Stormwrack
Exemplar is from Complete adventurer
Warblade and his maneuvers are from Tome of battle
Fighter is from Player's handbook
LA buyoff rules are from Unearthed arcana
Sailor balance is from Stormwrack
Two weapon fighting, improved two weapon fighting , skill focus are from Player handbook
Greater two weapon fighting, Improved feint and weapon finesse are from Player handbook
Daring outlaw and acrobatic backstab are from Complete scoundrel
Martial stance is from Tome of battle
Penetrating strike ACF is from Dungeonscape
Mimic ACF is from Exemplars of Evil
Craven is from Champions of Ruin
Shield of Blades ACF is from Player handbook II
Epic use of tumble (DC 40 for the 5 foot step to become 10 foot step) is from Oriental adventure

[AvatarVecna]

Second Build

Buffy CG Half fey human Bard 3/marshal 3/fighter 2 /Warchanter 10/Exemplar 1
What happens when an half fey bard finish on a ship for error and the ship life becomes funny for her? Easy that Half fey will becomes a captain of a ship while still being joyous and not so much serious about the pirate way , doing what she wants without anyone that blocks her from doing so

Spoiler: Stats

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Starting stats Strength 10, Dexterity 14 Constitution 14, Intelligence 14, Wisdom 10 ,Charisma 16
After the template Dexterity become 16, constitution 12, wisdom 12, Charisma 20
Each level up will boost charisma so at ECL 20 charisma will be 24

Spoiler: Build

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Level	Class	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Skills	Feats	Class Features
1st	Bard	+0	+0	+2	+2	Profession( sailor ) 4 , Perform (sing) 4, Tumble 4, Balance 4, Diplomacy 4, Appraise 4, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 , Bluff 4	Able learner, Melodic casting	IBardic music, Lore song ACF, Spellbreaker song ACF, fascinate, inspire courage +1
2nd	Fighter 1	+1	+2	+2	+2	Profession( sailor ) 5 , Perform (sing) 5, Tumble 5, Balance 5, Diplomacy 5, Appraise 4, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 4	Weapon finesse	Bonus feat
3rd	Fighter 2	+2	+3	+2	+2	Profession( sailor ) 6 , Perform (sing) 6, Tumble 6, Balance 6, Diplomacy 6, Appraise 4, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 4	Combat expertise , weapon focus (rapier)	Bonus feat
4th	Marshal 1	+2	+5	+2	+4	Profession( sailor ) 7 , Perform (sing) 7, Tumble 7, Balance 7, Diplomacy 7, Appraise 5, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5	Skill focus (diplomacy)	Skill focus (diplomacy) minor aura
5th	Marshal 2	+3	+6	+2	+5	Profession( sailor ) 8 , Perform (sing) 8, Tumble 8, Balance 8, Diplomacy 8, Appraise 7, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5		Major aura +1
6th	Marshal 3	+4	+6	+3	+5	Profession( sailor ) 9 , Perform (sing) 9, Tumble 9, Balance 9, Diplomacy 9, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 1	Lighting reflexes
7th	Bard 2	+5	+6	+4	+6	Profession( sailor ) 10 , Perform (sing) 10, Tumble 10, Balance 10, Diplomacy 10, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5
8th	Bard 3	+6	+7	+4	+6	Profession( sailor ) 11 , Perform (sing) 11, Tumble 11, Balance 11, Diplomacy 11, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4		Inspire competence
9th	War chanter 1	+7	+9	+4	+6	Profession( sailor ) 12 , Perform (sing) 12, Tumble 12, Balance 12, Diplomacy 12, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Skill trick Nimble charge	Song of the heart	Inspire toughness , war chanter music
10th	War chanter 2	+8	+10	+4	+6	Profession( sailor ) 13 , Perform (sing) 13, Tumble 13, Balance 13, Diplomacy 13, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 1 Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 1
11th	War chanter 3	+9	+10	+5	+7	Profession( sailor ) 14 , Perform (sing) 14, Tumble 14, Balance 13, Diplomacy 14, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 2 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 2 Intimidate 1		Inspire recklessness
12th	War chanter 4	+10	+11	+5	+7	Profession( sailor ) 15 , Perform (sing) 15, Tumble 15, Balance 13, Diplomacy 15, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 3 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 3 Intimidate 2	Charmed life
13th	War chanter 5	+11	+11	+5	+7	Profession( sailor ) 16 , Perform (sing) 16, Tumble 16, Balance 13, Diplomacy 16, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 4 Intimidate 3		Combine song
14th	War chanter 6	+12	+12	+6	+8	Profession( sailor ) 17 , Perform (sing) 17, Tumble 17, Balance 13, Diplomacy 17, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 5
15th	War chanter 7	+13	+12	+6	+8	Profession( sailor ) 18 , Perform (sing) 18, Tumble 18, Balance 13, Diplomacy 18, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 8	Protection devotion	Inspire awe
16th	War chanter 8	+14	+13	+6	+8	Profession( sailor ) 19 , Perform (sing) 18, Tumble 19, Balance 13, Diplomacy 19, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 10 Skill trick Never outnumbered		Singing shout
17th	War chanter 9	+15	+13	+7	+9	Profession( sailor ) 20 , Perform (sing) 18, Tumble 20, Balance 13, Diplomacy 20, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 14
18th	War chanter 10	+16	+14	+7	+9	Profession( sailor ) 21 , Perform (sing) 18, Tumble 21, Balance 13, Diplomacy 21, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 4 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 18	Protection devotion	Inspire legion
19th	Exemplar 1	+16	+14	+7	+9	Profession( sailor ) 21 , Perform (sing) 18, Tumble 22, Balance 13, Diplomacy 21, Appraise 8, Swim 4 Spellcraft 4 Bluff 5 Sense motive 5 Use magic device 5 Use rope 4 (cross class) Knowledge (royalty and nobilty) 5 Intimidate 22 Jump 5		Skill artistry, Skill mastery (balance, tumble , diplomacy)

Auras chosen : Marshal 1 Motivate charisma (minor aura), Marshal 2 Motivate care (major aura), Marshal 3 Motivate wisdom (minor aura)
LA Buyoff was used only for one time so the LA of Buffy is +1 instead of +2 like a normal half fey

Spoiler: Spells per Day/Spells Known

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Bard Level	0lvl	1st
1st	2/4	-
2nd	3/5	0/2
3rd	3/6	1/3

High charisma for the bonus spell slot is not included but at the ECL charisma is 20 while at ECL 20 is 24 without any items (so 2 bonus spell slot of 1° maybe 3rd if charisma is boosted with an item)
level 0 spells known
Prestidigitation , Mending, Summon instrument, Know direction , dancing light , Detect magic
Level 1 spells known
Inspiration boost (spell compendium), Share talents (player handbook II) , Vigilant slumber (Complete mage)

Spoiler: Half fey spell like abilities )

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Except where noted each one of the spells that is imitated by the spell like ability is in the SRD (in some cases without the character name like otto irresistible dance)

Hit dice	Spell like abilities obtained
1-2	Charm person at will, Hypnotism 1/day, Glitterdust 1/day
3-4	Detect law 3/day, Enthrall 1/day
5-6	Protection from law 3/day, Tasha hideous laughter 1/day
7-8	Confusion 1/day
9-10	Lesser Geas 1/day
11-12	Hold monster 1/day
13-14	Mass invisibility 1/day
15-16	Mass suggestion 1/day
17-18	Insanity 1/day
19	Otto irresistible dance 1/day

Many of them can be changed with another each day, these are the probably one that will be used but there are other options (see spoiler)

Spoiler: Alternative spell like abilities

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Instead of Glitterdust Faerie fire
Instead of Enthrall Sleep
Instead of Tasha hideous laughter Suggestion
Instead of Confusion Emotion (this is a 3.0 spell from the player handbook 3.0 so let’s ignore this confusion is better)
Instead of Lesser geas Eyebite (but it’s an evil spell it will be rare that it will be used)
Instead of Hold monster Dominate person
Instead of Mass suggestion Geas/quest
Instead of Insanity Mass charm (the revised version of this spell is in races of destiny)

Spoiler: Explanation

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Spoiler: About levels

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This build is based on buffing the member of the crew, even if Buffy after boarding the ship for error (and not knowing where she should fly to return home) . The race and the template are chosen because the half fey give some useful abilities (like flying and spell like abilities that aren’t the main point of the build but could be used), and the stats. Human because Able learner was needed so there weren’t many choices.
The start is as a bard ,even if with some ACF that can be more useful like lore song (to have a bonus sometimes when she need it) and spell breaker song (especially as on a ship it will be needed a concentration check to cast in many situations), and then learn some fighter levels for the feats. These feats are mainly for qualifying for a prestige class. After the fighter levels marshal levels are used because the aura are quite a big help, in diplomacy (and use magic device ) and for many skill checks, motivate wisdom especially for the profession sailor and survival that are quite used on a ship. The major aura is nothing so big but still can be useful sometimes but the major aura it is an interlude between the two minor auras. As Buffy work is to buff instead to fight she doesn’t take many feats to be stronger at fighting but to be better at fighting or as defensive option. Still her prestige class is a full BAB class the war chanter.
The war chanter usefulness is quite good ,as it gives Combine song (that is not bad) inspire toughness that as she advances in the war chanter gives more temporary hitpoints, and inspire awe that is quite a debuff on the enemies. Thanks to this debuff inspire recklessness can be used as it would be quite problematic if our ally would lower the AC too much. Singing shout it is not so useful , while inspire legion can be useful especially if she is played as a NPC rather than a PC as she could be the captain of a ships so it would buff the other members base attack (she arrives at 16 so is good giving three more attacks for the iterative) without many problem on the concentration (for example she could start with inspire courage and inspire toughness and then starting inspire awe and inspire legion for some good buff) The intimidate ranks and never outnumbered trick were taken to increase the synergy with inspire awe as it could be useful to frighten enemies even if they have more hit dice than Buffy.
The last level is one of exemplar as she need to take 10 on some skills, and depending on how many items she found skill artistry could be applied to diplomacy (without any item diplomacy reach a +44 so 54 while taking 10 so if she has an item that boost charisma of 6 she reach a +50 enough to change the attitude of a hostile enemies to helpful (there isn’t the problem of the malus of 10 for the full round action as Buffy can take 10) )or to tumble to reach a DC of 41 to make a 10 foot step instead of a 5 foot step . Profession sailor isn’t used as our profession sailor check already reach +30 if motivate wisdom is used instead of motivate charisma . The level 0 spells are not so useful while the level 1 spell can be quite useful , inspirational boost to increase inspire courage, Share talents to boost many of our skills, and vigilant slumber as it can awaken us in a certain condition and that is quite better than alarm if a good enough condition is given.
At the end Buffy can fight in melee as she has enough base attack but only after she used her song to buff herself and her companions and without using inspire legion(as that music require concentration so Buffy couldn’t attack

Spoiler: About feats

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The feats that weren’t used for qualifying are chosen for the following motivation
Melodic casting. Being able to cast spell or using magic items while singing AND being able to ignore concentration while focusing on perform (sing) is quite useful
Weapon finesse Basing on strength wouldn’t be good for fighting, the rare time that she goes in melee while buffed by her song
Lighting reflexes It is needed as a prerequisite
Song of the heart As she doesn’t advance in bard after the third level a buff to inspire courage is useful even if there is even inspirational boost
Charmed life. A reroll is never bad and for this we used lighting reflexes
Protection devotion. As she can buff the offensive capabilities but not so much the defensive one protection devotion is quite useful for a +7 to the AC (+8 with inspire care) and it was took two time to imitate in a better way fight to the death that is applicable two times

Spoiler: Important skills at ECL 20

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Profession sailor +22/+29 (21 ranks +1 wisdom +7 if motivate wisdom is used)) Perform (sing) +25/+32 (18 ranks + 7 charisma +7 with motivate charisma) Tumble +27(22 ranks +2 synergy +3 dexterity can take 10 every time ) Balance +18(13 ranks +2 synergy +3 dexterity can take 10 every time) Diplomacy +37/+44 ( 21 ranks +7 charisma +3 skill focus +6 synergy +7 if motivate charisma is used can take 10 every time) Intimidate +31/38 (22 ranks + 7 charisma +2 synergy + 7 if motivate charisma is used) Use magic device +12/+19 (5 ranks + 7 charisma ++ 7 if motivate charisma is used)

Spoiler: What Buffy can do compared to a honorable dread pirate

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• Seamanship from Dread pirate 1: Motivate wisdom
• Two weapon fighting from Dread pirate 1 : Not emulated
• Fearsome reputation from Dread pirate : Skill focus (diplomacy) , Motivate charisma
• Rally the crew 2/day: Inspire courage +2 (+3 with inspirational boost)
• Acrobatic charge from Dread pirate 4 : Nimble charge trick
• Steady stance from Dread pirate 4 : Buffy flies! There is no need for this ability
• Luck of the wind from Dread pirate 5: Charmed life feat
• Skill mastery from Dread pirate 8: Skill mastery from Exemplar 1 (only two skills balance and tumble)
• Fight to the death from Dread pirate 9 : Inspire toughness (for the hitpoints and diehard) +combine songs (as fight to the death boost rally the crew), with protection devotion and motivate care for the AC (it was taken two times because fight to the death is applicable two times)
• Good base attack: Buffy has a base attack of 16

Spoiler: Source

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For level 1 spells the source is near the spell while level 0 spells and the spell like abilities are in the SRD (except where noted)
From player handbook
Level 0 spells (each one), Human race, Bard, Fighter, Weapon finesse, combat expertise, weapon focus skill focus lighting reflexes
From Fiend folio
Half fey template
From Complete adventurer
Exemplar prestige class
From complete warrior
War chanter prestige class
From miniature handbook
Marshal base class
From Web
Charmed life
From Races of Destiny
Able learner
From Eberron campaign setting
Song of the heart
From Complete champion
Protection Devotion
From Complete mage
Spell breaker song ACF , Melodic casting
From Dungeonscape
Lore song ACF