Gestalt Build Challenge Returns II: The Surprise [voting]

[dspeyer]

Well my last one got some interest, but the possibilities got kind of exhausted. Let's try something broader.

RETURN OF THE GESTALT BUILD CHALLENGE II: THE SURPRISE

It's expected that a gestalt character can be good at two different things. The challenge here is to create a character with two open talents and a surprise. The character must be good enough to be effective in both open roles, and the surprise must be powerful enough to turn an encounter. Furthermore, all three must be significantly different.

For example, a character who is known as a great warrior on an open battlefield and a deadly stealthy assassin might keep his ability to cast midlevel divine spells a secret.

"Gestalt Build Challenge" General Rules

We'll follow Duke of URL's old rules plus with a few minor changes.

For numeric attributes with progressions (such as BAB and saves) first determine at each level which progression the attribute follows, then count how many levels of each progression you have, then index into the progressions, then add them together. This means that a fighter 1 / sorceror 19 // wizard 20 has 1 level of good BAB and 19 of bad, giving +1 and +9 respectively for a total BAB of +10. Similarly, a character with 20 different marshal classes gets a base fort save of +12, not +40. It's not addressed in the gestalt or multiclassing rules, but this tends to make the most reasonable builds.

Disregard the clause about multiclassing penalties. We could never figure out how to apply it anyway.

If you are using multiple templates, you may only do so in a way which makes sense with what the template means. For example, you may only use one template that represents one parent being of a different race unless your base race is one where more-than-two parent reproduction is normal.

Well known cheese (pun-pun, omnificer, etc.) is banned.

Here are Duke of URL's old rules, for those who have forgotten them. Spoilered because they're long

Spoiler

Show

Unless otherwise specified in the specific challenge, the following rules and guidelines are always in effect:

• Gestalt builds; 28-point buy; use any WOTC 3.5 product (including Dragon magazine) except where noted (only 3.0 products with an official upgrade to 3.5 are allowed)
• Make all builds to ECL 20. However, indicate the minimum ECL the build is playable at (the level at which all LA and/or racial HD, if applicable, are accounted for) and label any level that indicates a "power break" where the build has a significant jump in power level. Provide a detailed description of how the build operates.
• Any race with a listed level adjustment is allowed (no racial progressions from Savage Species, please). LA and HD each apply to one side of the gestalt; you may include LA and HD on the same side as each other, or on other sides. No LA buyoff. LA is applied before racial HD, which must be paid off before class levels on that side. Examples: LA X / RHD Y / class Z / ... // class A / ... -OR- LA X / class Y / ... // RHD A / class B / ...
• Multiclass at will, but see "voting".
• Up to two flaws are allowed, but see "voting".
• Templates are allowed, but see "voting".
• Voting: Upon the close of entries for each challenge, members of the forum may vote in-thread for the build that best represents the goals set out by the challenge. The voting criteria should consist of:
  • Functionality: How well does the build do in its primary role as specified in the challenge?
  • Weaknesses: Does the build have any glaring weaknesses that can be exploited?
  • Playability: How much of the 1-20 level range can the build be played at and be effective?
  • Creativity: Clever use of races, classes, and/or feats that may not be "typical" choices
  • Cheese: Minimizing the number of cheese points
    • Using flaws (1 point each)
    • Ignoring mutliclassing penalties -- some DMs actually do enforce this in gestalt (1 point each)
    • Single-level dips that would require several pages of justification to RP properly (1 point each)
    • Templates that would require several pages of justification to RP properly (1 point per +1 LA)
    • Attempting to use more than one PrC at any given level (1 point each)
    • Attempting to use "dual progression" PrCs (1,000,000 points each)
    • Over-dependence on items (1 point per indispensable item)
    • Over-dependence on Diplomacy or Use Magic Device skills (1,000,000 points each)

Upcoming Challenges
Literary builds
Champions of Goodness

[CASTLEMIKE]

This means that a fighter 1 / sorceror 19 // wizard 20 has 1 level of good BAB and 19 of bad, giving +1 and +11 respectively for a total BAB of +12. Similarly, a character with 20 different marshal classes gets a base fort save of +12, not +40. It's not addressed in the gestalt or multiclassing rules, but this tends to make the most reasonable builds.

I don't understand this math:

F- 1, Sorc - 19 would have a BAB of (+10)//Wiz - 20 would have a BAB of (+10)

Where does +12 come from?

[dspeyer]

Um, you're right. I don't know what I was thinking when I typed those numbers. I'll go back and fix it.

[Talic]

Is the Tauric template banned?

If so, then open abilities would be: 100 strength, 80 con, etc etc, full casting ability.

Hidden ability? Ability to throw 440,000 ton objects for 35 million damage each? lol

Seriously, I plan on submitting an entry here shortly.

Expect The Terror of Mistyreed Vale within 24 hours.

[dspeyer]

Let's put in an entry, to make the idea clear:

Shadowstalker -- the traditional elf
Race: Spellwarped elf
Initial Stats: STR: 12 DEX: 18 CON: 16 INT: 20 WIS: 12 CHA: 10 (boost int)
Classes: ranger 1 / wizard 3 / elf paragon 3 / wizard 8 / alienist 5 // LA 3 / ranger 1 / swashbuckler 3 / rogue 3 / invisible blade 5 / ape-totem barbarian 5

Shadowstalker presents himself as a simple elf. He doesn't like to talk about his family's tradition of reckless magical experimentation on himself (which he's continued by contacting the outer plains), or about his adoption by the Ape Clan. As an elf, he practices the two great elven traditions: arcanism and woodcraft. He wears no armor, but always has a spell component pouch and a composite longbow in easy reach, and a pair of daggers in his belt "just in case".

As an arcanist, he casts as an 18th level wizard with various alienist bonuses and a very high intelligence.

As a scout, he has max ranks in all the standard skills (spot, listen, hide, move silently, survival and knowledge(nature)), plus decent swimming and a climb speed.

The surprise is that he's a rather effective tank. His daggers (if mundane and twf) attack at +20 doing d4+8 damage each, and he sneak attacks for 5d6 with feinting as a free action. His AC before magic is 19 (as good as you're likely to get without a shield) and his average hp/level is 7.7 (better than most paladins and reasonable for a fighter). And that's *before* he gets mad....

[dspeyer]

Hidden ability? Ability to throw 440,000 ton objects for 35 million damage each? lol

Tauric? It sounds to me like it's Hulking Hurler that needs to be banned, on the grounds of being ridiculously broken.

[Dode]

Alrighty,

Romulus Myrrhonkarnassis, "The Demon of Letters"
Build:Illumian Duskblade 20//Beguiler9/Swordsage 1/Arcane Trickster 10
Starting Ability Scores: STR: 16 DEX: 12 CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 10 CHA: 10
Final Ability Scores: STR: 32 DEX: 12 CON: 12 INT: 14 WIS: 10 CHA: 10
Power Sigils: Aesh+krau (+2 Str checks, +2 to caster level for spells and spell-like abilities, can use Str score to determine no. of bonus spells)
Maneuvers Devastating Throw, Shadow Garrote, Emerald Razor, Shadow Blade Technique, Assassin's Stance (+2d6 sneak attack)
Spells Per Day Duskblade: 6/13/13/13/10/8 Beguiler: 6/9/9/9/8/8/8/8/7/7/6

Equipment: Tome of Manual Exercise +5, Belt of Giant's Strength +6, uhhhh... some other stuff I'll fill in later?!?!?

=========================
Romulus was born one of the rare human-offshoot race known as Illumians, a studious, intellectual people. However, the sigil he was born under was a dangerous one, the symbol of Aeshkrau. Unlike his brethren, Romulus did not have to possess great arcane knowledge or mystic contemplation to wield magical power but instead could harness power by sheer physical might without the understanding necessary to use that power responsibly. Certainly, he didn't place any value in the education his peers placed so highly and in his late teens set off on his own as a self-taught equivalent of a Duskblade.

Outside of the Illumian sanctuary, it was not long before the powers that be took notice of this wandering oddity and as it happened, the first to act was a Order of Assassins who quickly offered him membership. Romulus took a liking to their "might makes right" philosophy and agreed after not much thought. The Order took it upon themselves to enhance his formidable "natural" magic with the more subtle Beguiler magic passed within their assassin schools. And he took to it very quickly; Romulus, despite most people's assumptions, was not a stupid person. He just preferred straight-forward solutions.

The months Romulus spent slaying others on contract soon became years and the Order grew more and more powerful (in no small part thanks to their exceptional recruit), the kingdom's monarch could no longer ignore the growing threat that the group posed. After buying off certain "known contacts" within the nest of assassins, the Royal Guard, backed by the nation's army, quickly cut off all escape routes of the Order and closed in on the Order, crushing the organization along with slaying nearly all known members.

One of the few unaccounted for was the whispered "Demon of Letters" (so named for the ultraviolet runes that float around his head like a halo), who fought his way out of an ambush and vanished like a shadow. It is said that he fled deep into the East where he learned arts unknown. But the following years have been peaceful and the king could finally sleep with both eyes closed. Or at least until lately, where the nobility's old contacts with the Order have been discovered, or at least the grisly remains of them.
=============================

{table]Level | Classes | Feat | Bonus Feat(s) | Class Features
1 | Duskblade 1 // Beguiler 1 | Battle Caster | | Armored Mage (Beguiler) Armored Mage (Duskblade, light), Trapfinding,
2 | Duskblade 2 // Beguiler 2 | | Combat Casting | Cloaked Casting,
3 | Duskblade 3 // Beguiler 3| Combat Expertise | | Advanced Learning, Arcane Channeling
4 | Duskblade 4 // Beguiler 4 | | | Armored Mage (Duskblade, medium)
5 | Duskblade 5 // Beguiler 5| | Silent Spell | Quick Cast 1/day, Surprise Casting (move action)
6 | Duskblade 6 // Beguiler 6 | Improved Feint | | Spell Power +2
7 | Duskblade 7 // Beguiler 7 | | | Advanced Learning, Armored Mage (Duskblade, heavy shield)
8 | Duskblade 8 // Beguiler 8 | | | Cloaked Casting (+2 to overcome SR)
9 | Duskblade 9 // Beguiler 9 | Power Attack | |
10 | Duskblade 10 // Swordsage 1 | | Weapon Focus (greatsword) | Quick Cast 2/day, Quick to act +1
11 | Duskblade 11 // Arcane Trickster 1| | | Spell Power +3, Ranged Legerdermain 1/day
12 | Duskblade 12 // Arcane Trickster 2 | Improved Bull Rush | | Sneak Attack +1d6
13 | Duskblade 13 // Arcane Trickster 3 | | |Arcane Channeling (full atttack), Impromptu Sneak Attack 1/day
14 | Duskblade 14 // Arcane Trickster 4 | | | Sneak Attack +2d6




15 | Duskblade 15 // Arcane Trickster 5 | Shock Trooper | |Quick Cast 3/day, Ranged Legerdermain 1/day
16 | Duskblade 16 // Arcane Trickster 6| | | Spell Power +4, Sneak Attack +2d6
17 | Duskblade 17 // Arcane Trickster 7 | | | Impromptu Sneak Attack 2/day
18 | Duskblade 18 // Arcane Trickster 8 | Arcane Strike | | Spell Power +5, Sneak Attack +4d6
19 | Duskblade 19 // Arcane Trickster 9 | | | Ranged legerdemain 3/day
20 | Duskblade 20 // Arcane Trickster 10 | | | Quick Cast 4/day, Sneak Attack +5d6[/table]


Well let's see,

As a caster, The Demon of Letters is a dual 20/20 spellcaster who can toss out any of the Beguiler's debuffs as a swift action thanks to the Duskblade's Quick Cast option multiple times per day. The reliance on a highly buffed Strength score for spells combined with the given large reservoir of spells-per-day of both Duskblade and Beguiler means that Romulus could cast spells for several combats without needing to actually.

As an assassin, he's a rather effective skill monkey, with 164 skill points, trapfinding and +7d6 sneak attack damage (if feinting or numerous stealth spells aren't options, he can impromptu sneak attack if need be), which he enjoys using with his Shadow Garrote ranged touch attack or Disintegrate.


As a surprise, he's a fully capable fighter as well full +20 BAB (along with WP: greatsword), can wear medium armor while casting (Battle Caster seems to apply to both Armored Casting class abilities) and can feint as a swift action. In addition to the respectable Duskblade combat buffs and attacks, he also has access to the very potent Beguiler spells like Displacement, Dimension Door, Greater Invisibility, Freedom of Movement, Power Word Stun and Haste, combined with class abilities that allow him to use them in an emergency.

[Chronos]

Tauric? It sounds to me like it's Hulking Hurler that needs to be banned, on the grounds of being ridiculously broken.

Trust me, Tauric needs to be banned, too. The reason Hulking Hurler is broken is that it gives you damage that scales exponentially with your strength score. For normal strength scores, it gives reasonable damage, but if you get a somewhat optimized strength, it gives you increasingly ludicrous damage. Talic's favored trick involves using the Tauric template to get a strength of 100 or so, which makes Hulking Hurler absolutely insane. But even without Hulking Hurler, 100 str is still pretty insane.

[monty]

Arhis, the Eternal Chord
Race: Evolved Gravetouched Ghoul Petal
Class: Bard 7 / Virtuoso 3 / Sublime Chord 10 // LA +2 / LA +2 / LA +16 (playable at level 2)
Initial Stats (before racial): Str 2 (10), Dex 22 (12), Con 12 (8), Int 18 (14), Wis 8, Cha 26 (18)
After Gravetouched Ghoul: Str 4, Dex 26, Con -, Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 28
At 20: Str 36, Dex 26, Con -. Int 20, Wis 12, Cha 65

{table]Level | Class 1 | Class 2 | Feat(s)
1 | Bard 1 | Petal LA 1 | Force of Personality
2 | Bard 2 | Petal LA 2
3 | Bard 3 | GG LA 1 | Song of the Dead
4 | Bard 4 | GG LA 2
5 | Bard 5 | Evolved 1
6 | Bard 6 | Evolved 2 | Mother Cyst
7 | Bard 7 | Evolved 3
8 | Virtuoso 1 | Evolved 4
9 | Virtuoso 2 | Evolved 5 | Extend Spell
10 | Virtuoso 3 | Evolved 6
11 | Sublime Chord 1 | Evolved 7
12 | Sublime Chord 2 | Evolved 8 | Metamagic Song
13 | Sublime Chord 3 | Evolved 9
14 | Sublime Chord 4 | Evolved 10
15 | Sublime Chord 5 | Evolved 11 | Quicken Spell
16 | Sublime Chord 6 | Evolved 12
17 | Sublime Chord 7 | Evolved 13
18 | Sublime Chord 8 | Evolved 14 | Chain Spell
19 | Sublime Chord 9 | Evolved 15
20 | Sublime Chord 10 | Evolved 16[/table]
Level 20 by numbers:
HP 20d12
Fort +6, Ref +17 (+9), Will +39 (+12)
AC 38, touch 20, flat-footed 28 (+18 NA, +8 Dex, +2 Size)
BAB +15, melee AB +30, ranged AB +25

His main abilities are threefold:
1. Pretty good arcane casting, with up to 9th level spells, although he doesn't get them until level 19. High Charisma means that enemies will have a rather hard time making their saves. Yes, that is 65 Charisma at level 20.
2. Good skill monkey; always at least 4+Int per level (and +5 Int most levels, for that matter).
3. Great party leader, again thanks to high Charisma.

The secret ability: Gets good in melee in later levels. By twelfth level or so, he's getting pretty damn strong - +2 to Str every level after fourth adds up, and until that gets good, his size bonus and Weapon Finesse will make it pretty easy to hit anyway. +1 natural armor every level plus ridiculous Dex and tiny size is going to make him hard to hit (touch AC of 20!), especially with good buffs and armor. A +5 chain shirt and a mithral buckler bring his level 20 AC to 48. Also, woo! Fast healing stacks. That's a lot of extra HP every round. 3 per evolution, more specifically, ending at 48 (that's more than the Tarrasque, although it's not regeneration). Undead gives d12 HD. Bit of damage reduction doesn't hurt, either. Only problem is AoO's from not having any reach, but that can be mitigated.


Other useful stuff:
Usual undead goodies - lots of immunities and stuff.
Sleep songs - not much, but they fit the fluff.
Ghoul fever - meh, but it can make things more interesting.
Paralysis - it's pretty easy to land a hit in most cases, and the DC is Cha-based, leading to some really nasty numbers at high levels.
Miscellaneous SLAs - because you can.
If you really want to, this build is great for Diplomacy abuse.

[Lochar]

Yes, the fast Healing stacks from the evolved undead template.

[monty]

Also, I seem to remember hearing somewhere about something that gives undead their Cha bonus to HP. Anybody know what that is? An extra five hundred hit points would hardly hurt the build.

[Duke of URL]

Is the Tauric template banned?

In the prior incarnation, it pretty much was -- essentially, I "houseruled" that the Tauric template could only be used to inherit the parent creature's base stats, not the adjustments from any class levels, templates, etc.

I'd also houserule the same in a game I DM'd if anyone seriously tries to use the template in the first place.

[monty]

All right, Faerie Mysteries Initiate gives him some more hit points, but I'd much rather get Cha instead of Int. Any way to switch stats, or some other way to get it?

[Talic]

Trust me, Tauric needs to be banned, too. The reason Hulking Hurler is broken is that it gives you damage that scales exponentially with your strength score. For normal strength scores, it gives reasonable damage, but if you get a somewhat optimized strength, it gives you increasingly ludicrous damage. Talic's favored trick involves using the Tauric template to get a strength of 100 or so, which makes Hulking Hurler absolutely insane. But even without Hulking Hurler, 100 str is still pretty insane.

Don't forget the 30 or so spell like abilities, the +20 insight bonuses to saving throws, attack rolls, skill checks, and the like, the ignoring of concealment miss chances for every attack, the 90 constitution score, and the host of other supernatural abilities, including a DR somewhere around 20, and fast healing.

[Talic]

Entry: The Horror of Mistyreed Vale
Build: Nymph/Fighter/Ghost Faced Killer/Lurking Terror // Gravetouched Ghoul/Evolved Undead
Cheese Points 2 (Reliance on 2 items - Tome of Leadership and Influence +1, Cloak of Charisma +6

The Tale:

Spoiler

Show

The folk of Glenbarrow Falls have a problem. A horror has come in the night, from somewhere in the quiet valley of Mistyreed Vale, and rips a villager, traveler, or adventurer to shreds almost every night. Adventurers have begun to come regularly to thwart it, and the villagers welcome such heroes; after all, no attacks come for several days after any try to seek out the terror. The adventurers, however, are never seen again.

The most chilling things about the attacks, are, they have, without fail, been successful. Not one victim has so much as made a sound. Worst of all, each morning, all that remains of the victim is their head, pristine, with milky white eyes, and an expression of shock on their face. The neck wound is, without fail, surgically smooth, and the remnants of the body are splattered around the room.

Luckily, for the villagers, the adventurers have started coming much more frequently, but every evening, just before dusk, every door in Glenbarrow falls is locked, and every window is latched. Even the town guard cease their patrols, for, after sundown, the town is watched by a pair of eyes none have seen and lived to tell of.

(Feel free to use this in any gestalt campaign you're running, starting at ECL 9)

{table]Level | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class Features | Feats | Misc
1 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | Cast As Druid 7 | Combat Casting | Race Mod: Dex +6, Con +2, Int +6, Cha +8
2 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | Blinding Beauty, Stunning Glance | | |
3 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | DR 10/Cold Iron, Low Light Vision | Dodge |
4 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | Unearthly Grace, Wild Empathy | | +1 Cha
5 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | | | |
6 | Nymph LA | Nymph RHD | | Weapon Finesse | |
7 | Nymph LA | Fighter 1 | | Improved Init |
8 | GtG LA | Lurking Terror 1 | Nat Armor +2, Bite/Claw 1d6, 1d4, Ghoul Fever, Paralysis, Turn Resist +2, Diet Dependent (Flesh), Deathly Power | Multiattack | GtG Stat Mod: Str +2, Dex +4, Int +2, Wis +4, Cha +2, Ability Adjustment Cha +1
9 | GtG LA | Lurking Terror 2 | Improved Darkvision | Power Attack |
10 | EU LA | GfK 1 | Ghost Step 1/day | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Greater Invis 1/day
11 | EU LA | GfK 2 | Sudden Strike +1d6 | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Greater Invis 2/day
12 | EU LA | GfK 3 | Frightful Attack 1/day | Lifesense | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Greater Invis 3/day
13 | EU LA | GfK 4 | Ghost Step 2/day | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Cha +1, Greater Invis 4/day
14 | EU LA | GfK 5 | Sudden Strike +2d6 | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Cloudkill 1/day
15 | EU LA | GfK 6 | Frightful Attack 2/day, GS (ethereal) | Darkstalker | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Cloudkill 2/day
16 | EU LA | GfK 7 | Ghost Sight, Ghost Step 3/day | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Cone of Cold 1/day
17 | EU LA | GfK 8 | Sudden Strike +3d6 | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Cha +1, Cone of Cold 2/day
18 | EU LA | GfK 9 | Frightful Attack 3/day | Contagious Paralysis | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Hold Monster 1/day
19 | EU LA | GfK 10 | Frightful Cleave, Ghost step 4/day | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Hold Monster 2/day
20 | EU LA | Lurking Terror 3 | Hide in Plain Sight | | Str +2, Cha +2, Nat Armor +1, Creeping Doom 1/day[/table]

Skill Ranks at Level 20
Escape Artist 9 + 7 = +16
Handle Animal 9 + 26 = +35
Heal 9 + 4 = +13
Sense Motive 9 + 4 = +13
Concentration 12 + 0 = +12
Hide 23 + 7 = +30
Listen 23 + 4 = +27
Move Silent 23 + 7 = +30
Spot 23 + 4 = +27
Intimidate 23 + 26 = +49
Tumble 23 + 7 = +30

Base Stats: Str 12, Dex 14, Con 8, Int 10, Wis 8, Cha 18
After Nymph: Str 12, Dex 20, Con 10, Int 16, Wis 14, Cha 26
After GtG: Str 14, Dex 24, Con -, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 28
At level 20: Str 36, Dex 24, Con -, Int 18, Wis 18, Cha 55
This factors in all templates and stat bonuses gained at levels divisible by 4.
With Cloak of Cha +6, and Tome of Leadership +1: Cha 62 +26 Cha Modifier.

AC: 10 + 7 (Dex) + 13 (Nat Armor) + 26(Cha Deflection) = 56 AC (43 touch, 49 Flat Footed)
Saves: Fort +38, Ref +42, Will +41
HP: 20d12 (135 at level 20)
BAB: +16 at level 20
Melee Attack Bonus: +29 at level 20
Ranged Attack Bonus: +23 at level 20

Attack Pattern: Claw +29 for 1d6+13 and paralysis
Full Attack: 2 Claws +29 for 1d6+13 and paralysis, and 1 bite +27 for 1d4+6 and paralysis and ghoul fever.

Ability Summary:
Casting as Druid 7
Unearthly Grace (Nymph): Add Cha mod to all saves and deflection to AC
Blinding Beauty (Nymph) Fort DC 39 , Any humanoid within 30 feet that views The Horror of Mistyreed Vale and fails this save is permanently blinded. The Horror can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
Stunning Glance (Nymph) Fort DC 39, Standard Action, Stun 2d4 Rounds
Dimension Door 1/day (Nymph) CL 7
Ghoul Fever (GtG) DC 49, from bite, Inc period 1 day, damage 1d3 con and 1d3 dex
Paralysis (GtG) DC 49, Bite or claw attack, Duration 1d4+1 rounds, elves immune
Deathly Power (Lurking Terror) +3 to undead DC abilities
Improved Darkvision (Lurking Terror) 90 feet Darkvision
HiPS (Lurking Terror): Ex ability, needs cover/concealment
Greater Invisibility 4/day (Evolved Undead) Will DC 40 (harmless)
Cloudkill 2/day (Evolved Undead) Fort DC 40
Cone of Cold 2/day (Evolved Undead) Ref DC 41
Hold Monster 2/day (Evolved Undead) Will DC 41
Creeping Doom 1/day (Evolved Undead)
Ghost Step 4/day (GfK) - Duration 1 Round, Activation: Swift, Effect: Invisible or Ethereal on Self
Sudden Strike (GfK) - +3d6 damage to targets denied dex
Frightful Attack 3/day (GfK) - Must Power attack for at least 1, if damage is dealt, Will DC 46. If Pass, victim is shaken for 10 rounds. If Fail, victim Dies of fear. Allies within 30 feet must make Will DC 46 or be shaken or Panicked.
Ghost Sight (GfK) - Can see invisible and ethereal creatures and objects as easily as material ones.
Frightful Cleave (GfK) - If victim dies from Frightful attack, gain additional melee attack against another target within reach, if flat footed, automatically Frightful attack, does not count against daily limit. Otherwise functions per cleave feat.
Contagious Paralysis: (Feat) any creature that touches a paralyzed target must save vs paralyzing attack as if hit by same attack (DC 49 or 1d4+1 Rounds)
Fast Healing: (GtG) 3/round if no stacking, 33/round if stacking

Main abilities: Undead Nymph - Blinding, Paralyzing, and Stunning Attacks, Diseases, Stealth, melee powerhouse.

Surprise ability: High DC fear based death attack, ethereal abilities, High DC spell abilities - Ghost Faced Killer, in other words. Everything in this class is pretty non-noticeable... Right up until it makes you poop yourself and die.

Lifesense allows to see creatures hiding, bypasses Darkstalker. Can see invisible/ethereal

Darkstalker allows to hide from Blindsense/Blindsight/Tremorsense/Scent. Immune to Mindsight and Lifesense by virtue of undead status.
HiPS allows hiding while observed with cover/concealment.

The Guy above with a caster based Evolved Undead has a higher Charisma (61, beats mine without items by 6 points, which, I suppose mine shouldn't have cheese, as I don't really NEED the +7 Cha from items... But I wanted to include the DC's in the stats). I do believe the Racial CC I put in, along with the Classial CC, makes up for it, with Blindness, Stunning, Paralysis (contagious for those clerics that wanna do some touch spell healing), Fear, and Death Effects. When Enemies are paralyzed, that's when the Power attack for 16 with a Heavy Pick 2 handed coup de grace at 4d6+64 (power attack) + 52 (strength) = Average Damage of 130, average fort save of 140, coupled with a second save, death for massive damage.

Primarily a villain, as anti-undead abilities are very limited. Still, full of fluffy goodness. Humanoids, creatures vulnerable to Fear, creatures vulnerable to stunning, creatures vulnerable to paralysis... That covers a lot of creatures.

[Glimbur]

Also, I seem to remember hearing somewhere about something that gives undead their Cha bonus to HP. Anybody know what that is? An extra five hundred hit points would hardly hurt the build.

It's Unholy something, possibly Unholy Toughness.

[Talic]

It's a racial ability, not a feat. Only some races get it.

[monty]

It's a racial ability, not a feat. Only some races get it.

Hmm, my race is pretty flexible; I picked it for the relatively low LA and RHD and Cha bonus. Are there any reasonably playable races with that ability?

[Talic]

Hmm, my race is pretty flexible; I picked it for the relatively low LA and RHD and Cha bonus. Are there any reasonably playable races with that ability?

They're all undead, luckily enough. Unfortunately, most have no LA listed, and are thus unplayable. I'll poke around the books when I get a second.

I went with Nymph personally, for my Evolved Undead, for the Cha bonus, and the host of abilities that key off charisma. Adding in Gravetouched Ghoul was icing on the cake for abilities.

And I was very pleasantly surprised that Ghost Faced Killer has only charisma based abilities too.

Add all of it together, and you have one of the very few builds that doesn't try to key intimidate off Str. Heh.

[dspeyer]

Phelps
Race: Succubus
Classes: Sorcerer 10 / ur-priest 2 / sorceror 8 // la 6 / rhd 6 / ur-priest 8
Initial stats: STR: 12 DEX: 12 CON: 14 INT: 18 WIS: 20 CHA: 30 (boost wis)

This one's pretty simple. Phelps claims to be a sorcerer a cleric of Hieroneous. She has the spells to back it up. The slightly lacking arcane side is explained as a brief dip in a skill-monkey class (and with 6 levels of outsider, she has the skills to back that up (including a maxed-out bluff). She always maintains undetectable alignment, prepares lots of healing spells and if necessary commands undead to run away as if turned.

The surprise, of course, is that she's a *demon*.

[Talic]

This goes to show you. In a battle of wills between demonic agents of temptation, seduction, and corruption...

And ...

Grossly evolved zombies...

Bet that most people can be convinced to hug the zombie first.

How's that for counterintuitive?

[monty]

This goes to show you. In a battle of wills between demonic agents of temptation, seduction, and corruption...

And ...

Grossly evolved zombies...

Bet that most people can be convinced to hug the zombie first.

How's that for counterintuitive?

Yours is a really hot zombie, at least (seriously, it's a nymph). Mine...I don't see it.

Edit: Probably the music. I mean, most of the great classic rockers were pretty ugly, but they sounded great.

[Talic]

Yours is a really hot zombie, at least (seriously, it's a nymph). Mine...I don't see it.

Edit: Probably the music. I mean, most of the great classic rockers were pretty ugly, but they sounded great.

Sounds about right. Certainly not boy band material. Yay for templates that can be applied repeatedly.

I mean, Necropolitan Elf with 20 levels of Evolved Undead and 20 levels of sorceror?

Assuming an 18 Charisma starting? And 5 stat boosts to Cha?

63 base Charisma, with no items, or books, or anything. 65 if you get 10 levels of Rimefire Witch.

This means, among other things, that:

Bonus spells per day:
for 18: 1/1/1/1
for 26: 2/2/2/2/1/1/1/1
for 34: 3/3/3/3/2/2/2/2/1
for 42: 4/4/4/4/3/3/3/3/2
for 50: 5/5/5/5/4/4/4/4/3
for 58: 6/6/6/6/5/5/5/5/4
for 62: 7/7/6/6/6/6/5/5/5

So, we're looking at 5 bonus level 9 spells. 53 total bonus spells. Yeah, it's almost doubling all your spells off stats.

Oh, and the 20 SLA's, the +20 Nat Armor, and the 48 strength minimum... If you start with an 8.

[monty]

I suppose it's abusing the LA guidelines a bit, but hey, it's not against the rules.

[monty]

Might be interesting to see what kind of Bluff craziness I could get out of that. With no significant adjustment to the build, getting a +5 tome and a +6 Cloak would bring me up to 72 Cha, for a bonus of 31. Throw in 23 ranks, a +30 custom item, and Glibness (woo untyped bonuses!), and I get a modifier of +104. With moderate optimization, it could probably get even higher.

*bluff* "You are a potato!"
"Wow, I never noticed that before."

[Chronos]

OK, I've got one:

Skald the Inspiring
Str 13
Dex 13
Con 10
Int 14
Wis 8
Cha 16

Minimum playable level: 1
Power break: 14 (full attack channel)
Cheese points: 0

Human Bard 9/Virtuoso 1/Sublime Chord 1/Virtuoso +9 (advance Sublime Chord) // Duskblade 10/Bard+1/Duskblade +3/Marshal 3/Crusader 3

Feats (in no particular order): Song of the Heart, Combat Expertise, Dodge, Mobility, Spring Attack, Whirlwind Attack, Words of Creation, Melodic Casting


Overtly, Skald is a warrior-poet, wading into battle alongside of the troops he's leading and surprising. He has nearly-full BAB and proficiency with most weapons to support his melee role, and has full bardic music (boosted by Song of the Heart and Words of Creation) plus virtuoso performances, three marshal auras, and White Raven and Devoted Spirit maneuvers and stances with which to inspire the soldiers fighting at his side.

The surprise comes when he goes nova and uses his whip to cast ninth-level touch spells on everything within 15 feet, or within 30 feet if he enlarges himself.

[dspeyer]

Oh, why not, one more. I think I'll put this one fluff-first, so the surprise can be surprising.

Brooz

Apart from eagle's wings on his back, Brooz looks like your typical barbarian meatshield. Two points short of full BAB, mostly d12 and d10 hit dice. High str and con. Greataxe, with lots of power attack. Disdain for grammar. Rage. The usual.

He augments this with a bit of divine magic, drawn (he says) from Kord. Mostly it's first and second level buffs, or a bit of healing, but occasionally he pulls out something more powerful, like righteous might or protection from energy.

He also makes an excellent scout, with nearly maxed out stealth, perception, movement and survival. The wings help too. Plus he can cast Freedom of Movement divinely, and has the power of turning invisible, though the latter is a secret he rarely reveals.

The surprise? Time Stop. Dominate Monster. Shades. Generally full beguiler casting. Also Miracle, and Resurrection without material components. And generally that this big, angry, ungrammatical meatshield is very smart indeed.

Race: half-celestial human
Initial Stats: STR: 18 DEX: 14 CON: 18 INT: 18 WIS: 14 CHA: 12 (put at least one point in wis, concentrate on int and str, but boost everything)
Classes: Beguiler 20 // LA 4 / Barbarian 12 / Holy Liberator 4
Important feats: Arcane disciple (luck and strength), power attack, iron will, lots of melee stuff
Notes: Wisdom for the high-level arcane disciple comes via Owl's Wisdom from Holy Liberator if equipment isn't available. The resurrection comes as a half-celestial SLA.

[monty]

I made some significant changes to mine; let me know if there's a mistake somewhere.

[Chronos]

Technically, petals aren't eligible for the Faerie Mysteries Initiate feat, which is elf-only.

And while not "mistakes", per se, the build could probably be improved by combining Virtuoso with Sublime Chord, the way I did: That gets you more and better bardic music, more skill points, and a bunch of extra bardic music-like abilities, at the cost of the Sublime Chord bardic music abilities and one level of bard casting (the SC casting stays at full). You could probably also find a better feat than Lyric Spellcasting: With that charisma score, you don't really need to worry about picking up a couple of extra spell slots.

[monty]

Was Virtuoso ever upgraded to 3.5? I can't seem to find it outside of Song and Silence.