Lv. 20 challenge!

[Admiral Squish]

My friend is hosting a Lv. 20 Build challenge. A couple different people, all making level twenty builds. These guys have no idea what they're doing. Seriously, he's making a level twenty EVOKER. So, I want to make two or three characters. One to humble them in the field of magic, one to humble them physically, and one just to have fun. So, I have until tomorrow to make three level twenties. No limits except WBL, and it must CRUSH all comers. I know how much you love this sort of thing, forum-dwellers, so enjoy yourselves! Let loose!

The general idea is a nondescript wizard of cheese, a lockdown build, and something else, which I won't need your help on.

Books available:
Complete Arcae
Complete Mage
Complete Adventurer
Complete Scoundrel
Races of Stone
Races of the Dragon
Player's Handbook
Player's Handbook II
Eberron Campaign Setting
Magic of Eberron
Races of Eberron
And anything in the SRD.

Be cruel. I really look forward to it.

[Kurald Galain]

This question should be in the FAQ...

[sikyon]

Is this like an arena challenge, or what?

[Signmaker]

Request to have one battleground be in a wide open plain, starting off half a mile or more away from each other.

Then build a Cragtop Archer with range abuse. Possibly tack on Kensai to be funny.

[Kizara]

Did you deliberately exclude Cwar from your list of allowed books, or is that an oversight? Its pretty random to exclude that but allow Cmage and Cscoudrel.

[Illiterate Scribe]

That's enough books for ULTIMAT ARTIFICER WTFPWNERY, isn't it? I mean, you're probably best off with a Tippy-esque batman, but artificer could still be amazing, and more original too.

[Admiral Squish]

I have no idea what the arena will be, and I'm making my bro a range-abuser as we speak. A Halfling on birdback.

It's an arena challenge, based on you having no idea what you're going to be fighting, where you're fighting it, or any other details. Be ready for anything.

[Admiral Squish]

Did you deliberately exclude Cwar from your list of allowed books, or is that an oversight? Its pretty random to exclude that but allow Cmage and Cscoudrel.

I don't own it, alas. Wish I did, but I can't ruin people with things I can't justify.

[Draz74]

I don't own it, alas. Wish I did, but I can't ruin people with things I can't justify.

Does that mean anything from ComWar that you can dig up online (e.g. Crystal Keep) is fair game?

Wish you had Dugeonscape or Draconomicon on the list.

[Admiral Squish]

Sure. If you can point me to a link, it's completely valid.

[Dr Bwaa]

Unless you're really committed to the wizard as your magic-user, why not make the simplest, most horrifying (but simplest) build I know of: Druid 10/Planar Shepard 10. Wild Shape into a Solar, take ten full-round actions a turn, and spam Wish until they cry.

[Swooper]

I'm no good at non-ToB melee builds, so let me just suggest a couple of wizard builds for you...

Abjurer 3/Master Specialist 10/Initiate of the Sevenfold Cheese 7
Straightforward and classy. Substitute a couple of Archmage levels for Master Specialist if you like.

Conjurer (or Transmuter if you like) 3/Master Specialist 2/Mage of the Arcane Order 7/Fatespinner 4/Archmage 4.
A bit more complex, but I like it. Get the Abrupt Jaunt alternate class feature from CM if you pick Conjurer.

Make sure you use Focused Specialist. Trust me, it's worth it. Drop Evocation, Enchantment and Necromancy, unless you wanna go for Enervation metamagic-Arcane Thesis cheese. For feats, just grab some metamagic and you can't really go wrong. Chain Spell and Quicken Spell are both good. Reach Spell and Sculpt Spell if you don't take Archmage. The rest of your feats might have to be spent on prerequisite feats, depending on what build you go for. Oh, and get two flaws from the SRD, just because you can. More feats never killed anyone (who took them).

Then proceed to win stuff via Foresight, Cellery Celerity and Timestop. Am I forgetting anything?

[Chosen_of_Vecna]

Nalthain.

He could be made better, but for now he's more then enough. f you want I'll give you the full list of buffs that he keeps on all the time.

[Swooper]

Unless you're really committed to the wizard as your magic-user, why not make the simplest, most horrifying (but simplest) build I know of: Druid 10/Planar Shepard 10. Wild Shape into a Solar, take ten full-round actions a turn, and spam Wish until they cry.

Don't think you can get both. You need to pick ONE plane as your focus, and I don't think any plane has both native Solars and 10x time acceleration. You can do one of them though, and that's quite broken enough thankyouverymuch.

[Draz74]

Then I'd say, for melee, you should go with a nice King of Smack build. Unfortunately, I can't point you to any source of the Warshaper PrC, but the build is still quite nice without it. In fact, I'll avoid the whole "polymorph cheese" side of the original.

Elan
Level 1: Psychic Warrior - Track, Overchannel
Level 2: Psychic Warrior - Talented
Level 3: Psychic Warrior - Combat Reflexes
Level 4: Psychic Warrior
Level 5: Psychic Warrior - Power Attack
Level 6: Psychic Warrior - Improved Natural Attack (claw)
Level 7: Psychic Warrior
Level 8: Psychic Warrior - multiattack
Level 9: Slayer - Cleave
Level 10: Slayer
Level 11: Slayer
Level 12: Slayer - Rapidstrike (claw)
Level 13: Slayer
Level 14: Slayer
Level 15: Slayer - Expanded Knowledge (schism)
Level 16: Slayer
Level 17: Slayer
Level 18: Psychic Warrior - Improved Rapidstrike (claw)
Level 19: Psychic Warrior
Level 20: Psychic Warrior - Robilar's Gambit

Powers:
L1: Claws of the Beast, Inertial Armor, Bite of the Wolf, Vigor, Prevenom, Expansion, Metaphysical Weapon
L2: Hustle, Body Purification, Psionic Scent, Psionic Lion's Charge
L3: Claws of the Vampire, Dimension Slide, Greater Concealing Amorpha
L4: Schism*, Energy Adaptation, Psionic Freedom of Movement
L5: Adapt Body
L6: Form of Doom, Dispelling Buffer

You have Claws of the Beast (7d6 damage or so, if you don't have other ways (e.g. obscure items) to buff them, and before you manifest Expansion!), Inertial Armor, Dispelling Buffer, Metaphysical Weapon, and Adapt Body up as all-day buffs (and you're also immune to anything mind-affecting). You only really need one round to buff yourself (Schism) before you start fighting; then your Schism can just manifest your other buffs on you for you.

Your full attack consists of 6 Claw attacks, plus a bite and four tentacle attacks at -2 penalties if you have the right buffs up. Any damage you deal with your claws, you heal half of, if you have Claws of the Vampire up. Get a high DEX; you will get tons of AoO's, largely from Robilar's Gambit. You have Psionic Lion's Charge and Hustle to help you get full attacks. Make sure an item lets you fly.

Get padded armor that has +10 worth of enchantments on it (e.g. Heavy Fortification), but only +1 actual bonus (it will be moot with your Inertial Armor).

[Dr Bwaa]

Don't think you can get both. You need to pick ONE plane as your focus, and I don't think any plane has both native Solars and 10x time acceleration. You can do one of them though, and that's quite broken enough thankyouverymuch.

Yeah, I don't think so either. I just didn't want to break my sentence :)

[Eldariel]

Without ToB and CWar, your best melee build would be something like Ranger 15/Scout 4/Cloistered Cleric 1. Pick up Swift Hunter, Knowledge Devotion and Travel Devotion. Be of a flying race. Profit. Seriously, you can't get proper lockdown build, you can't get proper charger (although cavalry charger is distantly doable), you're just out of luck in melee. Massive TWF Skirmish is the best you can do, although you could weave HiPS in there for Darkstalker abuse (of course, if Polymorph-line is allowed as it seems, none of that matters).

EDIT: You don't have Complete Champion. Strike the Swift Hunter; it won't be playable even vs. Melee.

Best caster? Take your pick:
-Druid 10/Planar Shepherd 10 - The most broken easy build. Just made of pure win. Could also be melee (Wildshape, Shapechange, Animal Growth (on your companion), etc.). Can't Celerity though, so probably weaker than the Wizard-pals.
-Artificer 20 - Has all spells in D&D at his disposal and some ugly Wand-abuse. Made of win. Could also be melee (Polymorph/Shapechange line, with all the boosts in the game).
-Abjurer 3/Master Specialist 10/IoSFV 7 - The strongest defensive character within the limitations; with Duelward et al. he has a decent chance at living opponent's first spells even though they're broken (would still lose to Planar Shepherd without Celerity-abuse). Breaks the game with Arcane Magic. Twin Spell Celerity is pretty amazing. Kaleidoscopic Doom is fun.


You don't have the books for Cleric-builds. I'd just go with either Artificer or Wizard, depending on which I were more familiar with. It all comes down to abusing broken spells more than your opponent. Too bad you don't have Races of the Wild; Elven sublevels are made for duels like this. Too bad you also lack the Killer Gnome-books (need Player's Guide to Faerun for Incantatrix).

Anyways, whatever you do, pick up Craft Contingent Spells, craft a few contingencies on yourself to make sure you can't die and go to town. Use those Immediate Action Counterspells to rapify casters and then unleash Gates, Disjunctions, Maws of Chaos, Time Stop Novas or whatever to win. Don't forget Greater Metamagic Rods to Maximize your Time Stops.


Planar Shepherd is incredibly broken, but the sad matter of the fact is that Arcane Magic tends to be even more so. Level 20 Caster Wars are Rocket Launcher Tag and the Celerity Wizard always goes first.

Also, only Arcane Magic has such numbers as Shivering Touch (Dex Nuke) and Enervation (Level Nuke). Metamagic either up a bit, True Strike up and you get to nuke any character in one hit with level 3-4 spells.

[ColonelFuster]

I heard a good idea a while ago.

Homebrew an item that gives you a constant True Ressurection effect, using an artificer (ECS) and the rules on page 285 of the DMG.

Elegant?

[Eldariel]

I heard a good idea a while ago.

Homebrew an item that gives you a constant True Ressurection effect, using an artificer (ECS) and the rules on page 285 of the DMG.

Elegant?

Three issues:
-Homebrew items are always subject to DM approval.
-The item has some ambiquity ruleswise.
-Disjunction.

Otherwise it's cool.