He's good, bad, and ugly, all in one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DustieDustie, The Thri-Kreen With No Name
Bloodbath Bill stumbled into the old barn, desperate eyes glancing around the wide enclosure as he stumbled into one of the old stalls lining the sides. The hay was damp, and smelled musty- that was normal, that was fine. Grasping his broken arm, he collapsed against the side of the stall. When did this go wrong? The stickup went off without a hitch; he and his posse had made off like the bandits they were. They had enough money to last for at least another three months; quite a feat, given their standard living.
And then, out of nowhere, as they were getting back to the hideout, it struck. Bill didn't know what it was- no one there did. It was all a blur. A mass of limbs and a jacket had burst out of the underbrush, lightning fast, and got Billy, before incapacitating Mighty Nelson within seconds. There was no hesitation after that- they ran. Bill got hit a half dozen times in the arm- it was broken for sure, but he got away. The others- the others weren't so lucky. It got them. It got all of them. He lost it- he knew he did. His breathing had slowed by now, and the pain had faded into a dull throb. He could get away- start anew. Maybe fall in with Black Heart Jones' gang- they had worked together in the past, and maybe- *snap*
Bill eyes darted up at the noise. It was here. It was following him. Taking up the rusted shovel leaning on the wall, he crept up to the door- maybe he could get a jump on it, and then-
A rasping, insectile voice appeared from behind him, causing him to jump. "Bloodbath Bill, your days as an outlaw are over."
The Build
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Dustie, The Thri-Kreen with No Name
Psionic Thri-Kreen 4/Totemist 4/Swordsage 2/Justiciar 10
Starting Stats:
Before racial modifiers: Str 16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Cha 8, Wis 10
After racial modifiers: Str 18, Dex 18, Con 16, Int 10, Cha 4, Wis 12
(Stat bonuses from levels go to Strength.)
The Level-by-Level Breakdown:
SpoilerShow{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1st|Thri-Kreen RHD|+1|+0|+2|+3|Gather Information 2, Hide 4|Multiattack|Deflect Arrows, Thri-Kreen Racial Abilities
2nd|Thri-Kreen RHD|+2|+0|+3|+3|Gather Information +.5, Hide +1, Search +.5||
3rd|Level Adjustment|+2|+0|+3|+3|||
4th|Level Adjustment|+2|+0|+3|+3|||
5th|Totemist 1|+2|+2|+5|+3|Survival +4|Skill Focus (Gather Information)|Wild Empathy, Illiteracy
6th|Totemist 2|+3|+3|+6|+3|Gather Information +1, Search +.5, Survival +1||Totem Bind (Chakra)
7th|Swordsage 1|+3|+3|+8|+5|Gather Information +.5, Search +1, Hide +3||Quick to Act +1, Discipline Focus (Weapon Focus)
8th|Totemist 3|+4|+3|+8|+6|Gather Information +.5, Search +1.5|Track|
9th|Totemist 4|+5|+4|+9|+6|Gather Information +.5, Search +1.5||Totem's Protection
10th|Swordsage 2|+6|+4|+10|+7|Gather Information +.5, Search +.5, Hide +4||AC Bonus
11th|Justiciar 1|+7|+4|+10|+9|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +2|Psychic Renewal|Bring 'em Back Alive, Nonlethal Strike +1d6
12th|Justiciar 2|+8|+4|+10|+10|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +2||Improved Grapple, Crippling Strike
13th|Justiciar 3|+9|+5|+11|+10|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1||Exotic Weapon Proficiency (Manacles), Street Savvy +2
14th|Justiciar 4|+10|+5|+11|+11|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1|Martial Stance(Crushing Weight of Mountains)|Nonlethal Strike +2d6
15th|Justiciar 5|+11|+5|+11|+11|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1||Hog-Tie
16th|Justiciar 6|+12|+6|+12|+12|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1||Street Savvy +4
17th|Justiciar 7|+13|+6|+12|+12|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1|Martial Study (Dancing Mongoose)|Nonlethal Strike +3d6
18th|Justiciar 8|+14|+6|+12|+13|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1||Improved Hog-Tie
19th|Justiar 9|+15|+7|+13|+13|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1||Street Savvy +6
20th|Justiciar 10|+16|+7|+13|+14|Gather Information +1, Search +1, Hide +1, Survival +1|Power Attack|Intuition, Nonlethal Strike +4d6[/table]
Meldshaping
SpoilerShow{table=head]Level|Class|Soulmelds|Essentia|Chakra Binds
5th|Totemist 1|2|1|0
6th|Totemist 2|3|2|1
8th|Totemist 3|3|2|1
9th|Totemist 4|4|3|1[/table]
Maneuvers
SpoilerShow{table=head]Level|Class|Maneuvers Known|Maneuvers Readied|Stances Known
7th|Swordsage 1|Burning Blade, Distracting Ember, Cloak of Deception, Sudden Leap, Counter Charge, Fire Riposte|4|Child of Shadow
10th|Swordsage 2|Mountain Hammer|4|Assassin's Stance[/table]
The Legend
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Level 5:
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Thri-Kreen 4/Totemist 1
Dustie was born to be great. This much was known from the very moment of his hatching. As he was brought out into the world, the first cracks spidering out of the egg, the earth shook. Thunder rumbled on the horizon, and dust clouds billowed over the horizon as he came. As his clutch watched in awe, the storm grew ever louder and the cracks kept growing, until at last the storm had died down, and the young Thri-Kreen crawled out of his egg. It was at this time that the clutch first saw what was in the storm. Dozens of white-topped... things appeared in the dust clouds, led by prey-animals that the clutch had never seen before. Out of the things stepped... they didn't know. It looked like a molted Thri-Kreen, with two arms instead of 4, but it could stand and gesture with no difficulty. It was an odd creature. It was at this point that the clan noticed Dustie, and they knew his destiny. He would go to these creatures, and he would spend his life there. He was groomed by the tribe to learn how to learn from others, learning the basics of picking up details from others and gathering information from the very day he was born, and soon after was taught the sacred art of binding his soul to the land itself.
Years would pass before he would master the basics of the techniques, before he would be allowed to scout for the clutch's Hunters, and he faced trials and tribulations beyond what any would have expected of him. But that's another story.
SpoilerShowThis is weakest point in Dustie's build, at the very beginning of his career. Here, his lack of BAB makes him as skilled as spellcasters in combat, with defensive options that help him survive in combat from the Psionic Thri-Kreen levels, such as Greater Concealing Amorpha.
However, at this level, he is almost unmatched as a scout– between a high dexterity, the Chameleon psi-like ability, the Kruthik Claws soulmeld, and Hide as a racial skill, Dustie is able to sneak around unseen (though perhaps not unnoticed altogether).
Level 7:
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Thri-Kreen 4/Totemist 2/Swordsage 1
Dustie grew up nice and strong- stronger, quicker, hardier than the other members of his tribe. He was a born fighter, and mastered the technique of bonding the totem-beast of his tribe, the Girallion, to his main Chakra the earliest of anyone else his age. The time swiftly came that he was able to become a man, and to lead his first Hunt- which he did with great aptitude.
But other things come with adulthood- namely, responsibility. Dustie was born to meet with the human tribe, and once he was grown he was responsible for fulfilling his destiny. With a heavy heart, he left his tribe, to enter the hive of the alien creatures.
There, he was astounded by the place. There were solid dwellings made of trees, fighting and laughing and strangers. He tried to learn about the town, to try to see what was there. People shunned him, and left him alone. But he had to find his destiny. Eventually, he found something he knew- he found skinned prey-beasts, the meat roasted and the skins hung out by vile liquid. This is where he would learn about the humans.
He found out that there were Hunters of this place, too. They brought in the prey-beasts, which they called Buffalo, he was told. They brought in 3 or 4 Buffalo each time they went out. Mighty Hunters, then. Dustie went to find them; this was something that he knew, a place to enter this new society, and learning the skill of these hunters, who could take 3 or 4 Buffalo per night! He followed them on their next Hunt, and was unprepared for what they saw. They were no real Hunters! They didn't fight the beasts with spear and wit alone. They tricked the beasts, with fire and shadow, before shooting the things where they stood. There was no justice in that! They didn't respect the animals, merely slaughtering them for food. Disgusted, Dustie left the field group, and went home to his clutch. There was no place with the humans.
Something stayed with Dustie that day, though. He had seen enough violent deaths at the hands of the prey-beasts. He could figure out a few tricks of these... butchers, could he not? He could save his clutch-mates' lives. He would just make sure to respect the Hunt-Beasts, to fight them like they deserved. Then it would be alright...
SpoilerShowAt this level, the build is beginning to come together. Dustie now has 7 natural attacks- 4 from his claws, one from his bite, and two more from his Girallion arms soulmeld. However, he has an unfortunately low attack bonus due to the level adjustment and lack of BAB from Swordsage and Totemist 1. However, the maneuvers he gains from the level in Swordsage more than make up for this. Distracting Ember and Cloak of Deception, in particular, allow him to raise his attack bonus to match Rogues, or exceed them in the case of high dexterity opponents. Against opponents with a low armor class and high hit points, such as the prey animals Dustie often hunts, the Burning Blade maneuver adds huge amounts of damage over the attack sequence- about 7d6+21 damage, if all attacks hit.
Finally, Swordsage adds one last key maneuver for Dustie- the Sudden Leap maneuver. In order to properly get off all of his 7 natural attacks, he needs to be in melee combat range. Sudden Leap, when combined with his 18 in Strength, 40ft base land speed, and +30 racial bonus, can allow him to close into melee combat range in a Swift action, giving the ability to move across the battlefield and full attack someone- a power usually reserved for Charger builds.
Level 11:
SpoilerShowThri-Kreen 4/Totemist 4/Swordsage 2/Justiciar 1
Time passed, as it is wont to do. Dustie lived a good life out on the plains, but he grew restless. The few tricks he picked up from the butchers made hunting far too easy now- he was the best hunter in clan history, and he felt less of a thrill from the Hunt. Not from overuse, either- the herds had started disappearing, showing up in smaller and smaller numbers, or not at all. Dustie had to follow the tracks they left, at times, to find the herd, rather than being able to see them from his home. To make matters worse, the humans' city had been growing. More and more of them were swarming the plains, tearing up the prairie grass and growing foreign plant in their place. Dustie knew that it was a sign. He had to go back, and fulfill his destiny. Whatever it was.
When Dustie entered the town, it was in a state of disarray. Doors were bolted shut, and there were sounds of fighting from the Saloon. Dustie barged in, seeking the source of the commotion. There, in the center of the room, was a brawler. As Dustie watched, dumbfounded, he slammed a man into the floor, threw another against the wall, and chucked one out onto the street behind Dusty. The man was a machine, and was clearly disturbing the peace. There was only one thing to do.
The thrill of combat was invigorating. Dodging blows, following up with an array of quick punches when the opponent left an opening, only for the foe to dodge many of them- it was the thrill that combat in the open plains had lost long ago. In the end, in a moment of triumph, he expended the focus he was unknowingly holding the whole battle to cause his fists to light up a second time in battle- both to his surprise and his opponents. In a quick finish, he knocked the man unconscious- in a way, it was a shame. He enjoyed the fight, more than any Hunt he had performed in a long, long time. A man walked up behind him and touched him on the shoulder. "Well now," said the sheriff, "That's some fine fight you got there, Dustie. How abouts we get this man in jail, and then we can talk about the bounty."
After the conversation, it all became clear. Dustie had seen the light, and held his destiny in his hands. Not only could he easily feed his entire tribe with the wealth that the bounty brought, there were dozens of men like the one he fought tonight out there, all his match or better. Dustie left his old life behind. He was born anew, casting off his Thri-Kreen name, and living the life of the bounty hunter. He was only known by the name the Sheriff gave him that night in the bar to those outside of his clutch. And soon, legends of a nameless Bounty Hunter, known to the few who knew of him as Dustie, came to be born.
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Dustie finally qualified for his first level of Justiciar, which has brought quite a lot more material to the table to play with. First and foremost amongst the new tricks to play with are Assassin's Stance and Nonlethal Strike. These are reliable boosts to the damage of each of Dustie's attacks- 3d6 per attack for 7 attacks is no small amount of damage tacked on. However, as it is conditional damage, the ways that Dustie has to add it on should be noted.
First, he still has a huge hide bonus- between the Kruthic Claws and the Chameleon power, Dustie can probably start most encounters unseen, and can fire off a rapid assault in the first round of combat by closing into range with Sudden Leap. One possible tactic is to delay your initiative on the Surprise round to about 100 or so in the following round- as RAW says that you can "Act Normally" in the round, you get your full attack against any opponent that didn't act in the surprise round- given your hide check, that would be most of them.
Secondly, he has the Maneuvers Cloak of Deception and Distracting Ember to ensure Sneak Attack/Nonlethal Strike damage in at least two rounds of combat against any creature Sneak Attack and Nonlethal Strike can be applied to. These do require Swift actions, and so can't be used in the first round of combat with Sudden Leap; however, on just about any other round of combat, this tactic works.
Finally, against opponents already flanked or who aren't vulnerable to Sneak Attack damage, Burning Blade still provides a considerable damage boost in combat- the damage has been upped to 1d6+5 damage per attack, which is, on average, two point of damage less per attack than the 3d6 points of Nonlethal Strike + Sneak Attack damage.
The last point of interest here is the 11th level feat- Psychic Renewal. At first glance, this looks like an odd choice- Thri-Kreen qualify by virtue of their racial power point, but it seems to be a worse version of Sudden Recovery, a relatively subpar feat. However, it is, in reality, Dustie's Maneuver Recovery method. At this level, Dustie can easily afford a Rainbow Ioun Stone; this provides him with an extra 5 power points per day. However, given that Dustie doesn't have maneuvers that go above second level, and in fact relies on mostly first level maneuvers, means that he can recover one maneuver each encounter as a Swift action- a great improvement over the Swordsage's maneuver recovery method. This can give Dustie another round of Sneak Attack, give him another round of bonus damage against opponents immune to Sneak Attack, or the ability to close distance rapidly in the event of a chase.
Levels 15+:
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Now, it was at this time that Dustie became the Bounty Hunter of legend that you know and love- I won't bother you with the tale of the time he wrestled Alligator Steve to the floor with his bare hands, and manacling those tiny arms behind his back, or about the time he broke every single bone in Granite McGee's body before that man fell to the floor; you already know those tales. He is a legend, a great hero of the west- and only a few years ago, he disappeared, leaving naught but the memory of him. He will never be forgotten, the Thri-Kreen with no name. He was born at the birth for the battle for the west- and died after it was tamed.
SpoilerShowFifteenth level is the last keystone of Dustie's build, where the last missing piece of Dustie's techniques come into place. Over the last 4 levels, Dustie gained the Improved Grapple feat, the Crushing Weight of Mountains stance, and finally, the ability Hog-Tie. All of these combine beautifully together, with the right synergies.
The first synergy between the grapple abilities gained at these levels and the rest of the build is Dustie's Girallion arms soulmeld. Dustie had been more or less ignoring the base bonus of binding it for most of his career- but now, that bonus comes back with a vengeance. When Dustie invests all of his essentia in the Soulmeld, he gains a +10 Competence bonus on Grapple checks, which is a huge advantage over most of his humanoid foes, and it helps bridge the gap in grapple checks between Dustie and larger foes.
The second main synergy is that making a grapple check takes an attack action- something that Dustie has plenty of per attack sequence. Each round, Dustie can make 7 attempts to draw his Masterwork Manacles and/or attempt to pin his opponent- and on each successful grapple check, the subject takes 2d6+1.5x Dustie's Strength modifier damage. Additionally, the multiattack feat proves to be a great boon here. Normally, when a character continues to use attack actions in a grapple, their bonus on the grapple check gets lower and lower. However, because of the multiattack feat, Dustie's grapple checks after the first suffer a straight -2 penalty across the board, giving him a huge edge when it comes to winning a grapple.
The last synergy with grappling comes with another one of the Justiciar's class features- Crippling Blow. Normally, this causes relatively small penalties over the course of a combat. However, with Dustie's 7 attacks per round (9 attacks once per encounter, with Dancing Mongoose), all of which having a great chance of hitting, the stat damage quickly adds up against unprepared characters. The stat damage can cause some large penalties in a grapple after the 2 or 3 rounds of Nonlethal strike that Dustie can usually get off each combat, potentially dealing way over 10 points of Strength damage in that time frame (21 in optimal conditions), giving -5 or far worse penalties to his opponents' grapple checks- allowing him to easily dominate the grapple.
The stat damage also has another use- against sneaky or roguelike characters, who could easily escape a pin or get out of manacles, stat damage is a good way to pin them down to be brought to justice- after they suffer damage to strength, the gear they carry can easily add up to become a Medium or Heavy load- which imposes a rather low Maximum Dex Bonus on their armor class. From this state, combat becomes significantly easier.
Adaptations
SpoilerShowIf your DM will allow you, one of the first things you should do with Dustie is to take the LA Buyoff option from Unearthed Arcana and the SRD. This allows Dustie to take more class levels rather than be bogged down the LA that would otherwise just fluff up his level without giving him that much benefit. If you do use this option, consider giving Dustie either two additional levels of Swordsage or two additional levels of Totemist- Swordsage is a good choice at later levels, as a high initiator level means that higher level maneuvers are granted, which is generally good news for Dustie. Some maneuvers, such as Pouncing Charge and Dancing Mongoose (taken in this build) are perfect for Dustie; however, take care to try to select Boosts and Counter for him to use. He wants to be full attacking each round, and Strikes generally do not allow for this. Alternatively, two more Totemist levels give Dustie the ability to bind a second Chakra, and give access to the Hands, Feet, and Crown Chakras.
If you are able to take more Swordsage levels, I recommend changing the build a bit. If you take a level of Swordsage right after you gain the Hog-Tie ability, rather than after finishing Justiciar, you can free up the feat slot that is currently holding the Martial Study(Dancing Mongoose) for a another feat. Some options are Hidden Talent, if that is allowed, to grand Dustie some basic Manifesting ability to compliment his psi-like abilities and give more uses for his Psychic Renewal feat. If this is disallowed by your DM, taking Power Attack at this level and investing ranks into Jump rather than Survival allows you to take Leap Attack at level 18, which can drastically increase your damage in conjunction with the Pouncing Charge Swordsage Maneuver.
Recommended Equipment:
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Dustie isn't very reliant on much equipment, needing Light armor at best, no enchanted weapons, and so has a lot of flexibility in what he buys. However, a few suggestions for him are:
Ring of Counterspelling- A weakness of this build is Dispel Magic effects, which unshape soulmelds. Protecting against such attacks are a good idea.
Rainbow Ioun Stone- This is necessary to properly use the Psychic Renewal feat. Take it at 11th level, and no later.
An Amulet of Mighty Fists grants bonuses to each of Dustie's many natural attacks at a relatively low investment. If you can combine this with an Amulet of Health as per the rules in the Magic Item Compendium, the added Constitution helps shore up your weak Fortitude save and increase your hit points.
Grappling Tentacle- clocking in at 20,000gp, this graft grants a +5 Untyped bonus to grapple checks to complement the bonuses granted from Girallion Arms.
Belt of Giant Strength- Strength is an important stat for melee characters, and items that boost Strength are important.
Cloak of Resistance- While Dustie's base Reflex and Will saves are high, he doesn't have much else in the way of bonuses there, and his Fortitude save is low- which could spell his end without something to boost it.
Sources: SRD, Expanded Psionics Handbook, Tome of Battle, Magic of Incarnum, Fiend Folio (for the Grappling Tentacle).