Zinc Saucier Optimisation Challenge 2: electric boogaloo

[motoko's ghost]

Welcome one and all to the second zinc saucier challenge, where playgrounders come to test their skill in the art of beautiful and bizarre (and bizarrely beautiful) builds.

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

For this first challenge get ready to call out your daily specials as its the Player's handbook's Bard

Our challengers will have 2 weeks to build a complete build from lvs 1-20 using a 32 point buy and all official 3.5 material(excluding dragon magazine, but including any WOTC online enhancements) with the abilities and feel of a Bard without actually using any levels in it.
Entries Must be submitted by 6th Feburary 5:00PM GMT

Contestants will be judged and awarded a score out of 5 in each of 5 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)
* Fluff (How well the characters back-stories and classes mesh)
* 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.

Please do not post details of your build on the board before it is ready, so as not to spoil the surprise for others.
Sauciers can submit as many builds as they want but please dont use leadership, as we dont want to overfeed the judges


Also it comes with double prize money.

Previous challenges;

1. Soulknife

EDIT: please dont just use prestige Bard, you'll tank your creativity score

[The Underlord]

This could be fun. But I want to judge, if possible.

[motoko's ghost]

Okay I'll put you down for judging.

[The Underlord]

For this first challenge get ready to call out your daily specials as its the Player's handbook's Bard

Our challengers will have 2 weeks to build a complete build from lvs 1-20 using a 32 point buy and all official 3.5 material(excluding dragon magazine, but including any WOTC online enhancements) with the abilities and feel of a soulknife without actually using any levels in it.:

huh? copy and paste error

[motoko's ghost]

huh? copy and paste error

Okay, fixed now

[DonutBoy12321]

Is there any format for entries?

[motoko's ghost]

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.

Yeah, as long as we can see how the build was built it shouldn't matter too much if you dont have it all in tables or whatnot.

[DarthPeleus]

Are we trying to mimic the exact class features or the "flavor" of a bard?

Will any, swashbuckling, inspiringly handsome jolly adventurer type do? Or does it have to be more specific?

[motoko's ghost]

Are we trying to mimic the exact class features or the "flavor" of a bard?

Will any, swashbuckling, inspiringly handsome jolly adventurer type do? Or does it have to be more specific?

You get points for capturing both the "feel" of the bard as well as its abilities(or similar ones anyways) try looking up zeratul&the emperor's new soulknife from the first contest for an idea of what I'm talking about

[The Underlord]

Captureing at least some of the feel of the bard espeically the musical part(poetry works or any perform skill, I couldn't think of a better term) will be relevant to me.

[grarrrg]

I don't plan on entering, but can we all assume that Prestige Bard won't be allowed?

[motoko's ghost]

EDIT: please dont just use prestige Bard, you'll tank your creativity score

I don't plan on entering, but can we all assume that Prestige Bard won't be allowed?

EDIT NINJA'd

[grarrrg]

EDIT NINJA'd

Actually your edited time beat mine, so the NINJA'd is on me

And for good measure

[motoko's ghost]

Actually your edited time beat mine, so the NINJA'd is on me

And for good measure

Thats what I meant.
P.S:

[ShneekeyTheLost]

Mmm... finding a source of Bardic Music is surprisingly difficult. This'll be interesting.

I don't know if I'm going to be a contestant or a judge yet, but I'm definitely going to be involved as this unfolds...

[Enterti]

Minor nitpick, optimization has a z not an s. Also the Iron chef/desert challenges use roman numerals rather than arabic.

That said I'm interested in seeing how this one turns out, hopefully the builds will all actually be trying to accomplish the goal unlike last time.

[Coidzor]

Hmm, finding a source of bardic music that won't tank one's creativity score for using warrior skald(and counting off for using 3.0 material to boot :/) or prestige bard or tank one's material used score by using heartfire fanner from dragon magazine is going to be tough.

Interesting concept though.

[motoko's ghost]

Minor nitpick, optimization has a z not an s. Also the Iron chef/desert challenges use roman numerals rather than arabic.

That said I'm interested in seeing how this one turns out, hopefully the builds will all actually be trying to accomplish the goal unlike last time.

Ah but that the Zinc Saucier spirit, Dare to be Different(also I havent slept in 48hrs, get off my case)

I'm also really quite interested to see what people come up with.

Just remember It doesn't have to replicate all of the class abilities and most importantly, have fun!

[Derjuin]

So we just PM to you our entries, right? I've never really participated in one of these challenges before...

[motoko's ghost]

So we just PM to you our entries, right? I've never really participated in one of these challenges before...

Yup.

That's alright, this is only the second time I've really participated in one.
friggin "real life" and computer viruses stopping me from submitting

[Jheska]

Colour me intrigued as a contestant. Build is finished, just doing write ups, explanations and rounding out backstory.

[motoko's ghost]

Excellent! looking forwards to it.

EDIT: received the first build, Forwarded it to the underlord(as the builds are submitted/new people volunteer to judge I'll send on the build to the judges ASAP/send all the builds so far to them)

[The Gilded Duke]

I have the build mostly fleshed out, just need to work on flavor and such. Trying to avoid making another Demonblade.

[smasher0404]

I'm getting a build under way, it even gets all of the bards features in without bard

[kulosle]

I don't know if I will be involved in anyway due to time restraint but I look forward to the results. I do have a small idea for a character. If I get inspired then I'll join.

Oh question: If we replicate a specific type of bard such as one focusing on spell casting, support, melee, etc, would I lose points? Or should I being trying to replicate the basic overall bard?

[motoko's ghost]

I don't know if I will be involved in anyway due to time restraint but I look forward to the results. I do have a small idea for a character. If I get inspired then I'll join.

Oh question: If we replicate a specific type of bard such as one focusing on spell casting, support, melee, etc, would I lose points? Or should I being trying to replicate the basic overall bard?

As long as I can see that you've attempted to create a bard build and as long as you manage to capture most of the bard abilities, you'll do fine.

[DementedFellow]

So I can think of a base class that has abilities that would cover most of the bards abilities. Are you looking for a cool and inventive way to get the abilities of the bard without taking levels in bard or the abilities to act like a bard without being one?

[Coidzor]

I have the build mostly fleshed out, just need to work on flavor and such. Trying to avoid making another Demonblade.

Demonblade, eh? Rather auspicious name, that.

[IdleMuse]

In as a contestant, I just love this contest. Replicating class features using obscure content is like, what I do in builds even without prizes.

I'll be up for judging if I can't put decide on what build to submit, for this and future incarnations.

Also, Optimisation is spelt with an S where I'm from...

[The Gilded Duke]

Demonblade, eh? Rather auspicious name, that.

One of my entries last time. Focused too much on power, and only had a vague resemblance to soulknife and it ended up getting a poor response. Combined planar binding rules with the possession rules from Eberron and Vile Darkness to force demons into his weapons, getting the whole shifting weapons abilities of the soulknife, but besides that was just a built for power DMM Cleric.