Keyrock, Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zdx_lpBr3j...n%2BLawyer.jpg
Race: Neanderthal
Build Stub: Human Paragon 2/Forsaker 4/Shadowsmith 8/Forsaker +6
Multiclass Penalty: No.
Languages: Common, Dwarven, Giant, Orc, Legalese
Alignment: LN
Ability Scores:
Ability |
Score |
Racial |
Points |
Strength |
14 |
+2 |
4 |
Dexterity |
10 |
-2 |
4 |
Constitution |
14 |
+2 |
4 |
Intelligence |
16 |
-2 |
16 |
Wisdom |
8 |
|
0 |
Charisma |
12 |
|
4 |
Ability Increases:
Level 3: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 14, Int 16, Wis 8,
Cha 13 (Forsaker)
Level 4: Str 14, Dex 10,
Con 16, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 13 (4HD, Forsaker)
Level 5: Str 14, Dex 10,
Con 17, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 13 (Forsaker)
Level 6: Str 14, Dex 10,
Con 18, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 13 (Forsaker)
Level 8: Str 14, Dex 10,
Con 19, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 13 (8HD)
Level 12: Str 14, Dex 10,
Con 20, Int 16, Wis 8, Cha 13 (12HD)
Level 15: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 16, Wis 8,
Cha 14 (Forsaker)
Level 16: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 20,
Int 18, Wis 8, Cha 14 (16HD, Forsaker)
Level 17: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 8,
Cha 15 (Forsaker)
Level 18: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 8,
Cha 16 (Forsaker)
Level 19: Str 14, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 8,
Cha 17 (Forsaker)
Level 20:
Str 15, Dex 10, Con 20, Int 18, Wis 8,
Cha 18 (20HD,Forsaker)
Spoiler: Backstory
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"Ladies and gentlemen of the Jury, I'm just a caveman. Your world confuses and frightens me. And I can tell you, if I found a magic ring, I would try to destroy it. But that's just me. In the world I come from, I believe invisible demons can get inside common everyday objects and they will then destroy my soul. But you know what? You are not cavemen, and that is not the world you live in. You have the benefit of several million years of evolution, and you all know how to safely live in a world with magical devices that can levitate heavy objects, prepare food, or even clean your... what do you call it, clothing?"
"This case involves a magic ring that was stolen from my client. We even had Elrond, son of Earendil and Elwing, who was an eye-witness at the battle on the slopes of Mount Doom where Isildur, son of Elendil, cut the magic ring from my client's finger. They do not deny that the ring was stolen from him. We even had Mr. Bilbo Baggins testify that he found the ring, Gandalf identified it and informed him of who it belonged to, and we have Mr. Baggins own testimony that he didn't even try to return it. Didn't even try! Just... threw it into a volcano."
"Now I ask you... is that fair? You find a golden ring, you know it's not yours but you don't even bother to find out who it belongs to... and then someone tells you who the owner is, but you don't even try to return it? Or even ask if they want it back? You just throw it into a volcano? Is that fair?"
"Of course not. We know it's not fair. It's also against the law. Not my law! These are your laws, set down by High King Elendil Voronda when he founded Arnor and Gondor at the end of the Second Age. If you steal something, you should give it back. If you steal something and destroy it, then the owner should be compensated for his loss. That's all my client is asking for, just fair compensation for his loss."
"Is that too much to ask? A magic ring, a ring of invisibility... not even a major magic item, just 7,500 gold pieces. And that's all my client is asking for, just the cost of one magic ring. You are all fair, decent people. I know that, because I'm a caveman. I know that you're not cavemen. You have the benefit of several million years of evolution. You have founded empires, established laws, and created a fair and civilized society... a society that terrifies me, but still, a very civilized society. You know, in your heart of hearts, that my client deserves to be compensated for his loss. That's all we're asking, just 7,500 gold pieces."
"Oh, and also, 38.6 million gold pieces for unrecoverable research and development expenses, mutilation and loss of a finger, and 3019 years of pain and suffering."
Spoiler: Build Progression
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Level |
Class |
Base Attack Bonus |
Fort Save |
Ref Save |
Will Save |
Skills |
Feats |
Class Features |
1st |
Human Paragon 1 |
+0 |
+0 |
+0 |
-1 |
Bluff 4, Craft:Weaponsmith 4, Diplomacy 4, Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 2, Know:Planes 2, Profession:Lawyer 2, Sense Motive 4, Literacy 2 |
Able Learner, Great Fortitude (Flaw:Shaky), Lightning Reflexes (Flaw:Weak Will) |
Adaptive Learning (Profession:Lawyer) |
2nd |
Human Paragon 2 |
+1 |
+0 |
+0 |
+0 |
Bluff 5(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 5(+1), Diplomacy 5(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3(+1), Know:Planes 3(+1), Profession:Lawyer 3(+1), Sense Motive 5(+1) |
Iron Will |
Bonus Feat |
3rd |
Forsaker 1 |
+2 |
+2 |
+0 |
+2 |
Bluff 6(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 6(+1), Diplomacy 6(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 4(+1), Sense Motive 6(+1) |
Toughness |
Ability Bonus +1 (Cha 13), Fast Healing 1 (10 rounds), Forsake Magic, SR 11 |
4th |
Forsaker 2 |
+3 |
+3 |
+0 |
+3 |
Bluff 7(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 7(+1), Diplomacy 7(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 5(+1), Sense Motive 7(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Con 16), DR 3/+1, Magic Destruction, SR 12 |
5th |
Forsaker 3 |
+4 |
+3 |
+1 |
+3 |
Bluff 8(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 8(+1), Diplomacy 8(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 6(+1), Sense Motive 8(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Con 17), Fast Healing 1 (20 rounds), Natural Weapons, SR 13, Tough Defense (Natural Armor +3) |
6th |
Forsaker 4 |
+5 |
+4 |
+1 |
+4 |
Bluff 9(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 9(+1), Diplomacy 9(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 7(+1), Sense Motive 9(+1) |
Master Manipulator |
Ability Bonus +1 (Con 18), DR 5/+2, SR 14 |
7th |
Shadowsmith 1 |
+6 |
+4 |
+3 |
+4 |
Bluff 10(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 2(+2), Craft:Weaponsmith 10(+1), Diplomacy 10(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 10(+3), Sense Motive 10(+1) |
|
Touch of Shadow, Mystery: Mesmerizing Shade 1/day |
8th |
Shadowsmith 2 |
+7 |
+4 |
+4 |
+4 |
Bluff 11(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 6(+4), Craft:Weaponsmith 11(+1), Diplomacy 11(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 11(+1), Sense Motive 11(+1) |
|
Shroud of Shadow |
9th |
Shadowsmith 3 |
+8 |
+5 |
+4 |
+5 |
Bluff 12(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 10(+4), Craft:Weaponsmith 12(+1), Diplomacy 12(+1), Gather Information 2, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 12(+1), Sense Motive 12(+1) |
Thick-Skinned |
Shadowcraft (Basic), DR 7/+2 |
10th |
Shadowsmith 4 |
+9 |
+5 |
+5 |
+5 |
Bluff 13(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 13(+3), Craft:Weaponsmith 13(+1), Diplomacy 13(+1), Gather Information 3(+1), Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 13(+1), Sense Motive 13(+1) |
|
Armor of Shadow +2 |
11th |
Shadowsmith 5 |
+10 |
+5 |
+5 |
+5 |
Bluff 14(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 14(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 14(+1), Diplomacy 14(+1), Gather Information 6(+3), Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 14(+1), Sense Motive 14(+1) |
|
Widen Shroud, Mystery: Voice of Shadow 1/day |
12th |
Shadowsmith 6 |
+11 |
+6 |
+6 |
+6 |
Bluff 15(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 15(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 15(+1), Diplomacy 15(+1), Gather Information 9(+3), Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 15(+1), Sense Motive 15(+1) |
Roll With It |
Shadowcraft (Enchanted), DR 7/+2 and DR 4/- |
13th |
Shadowsmith 7 |
+12 |
+6 |
+6 |
+6 |
Bluff 16(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 16(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 16(+1), Diplomacy 16(+1), Gather Information 12(+3), Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 16(+1), Sense Motive 16(+1) |
|
Armor of Shadow +4 |
14th |
Shadowsmith 8 |
+13 |
+6 |
+7 |
+6 |
Bluff 17(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 17(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 17(+1), Diplomacy 17(+1), Gather Information 15(+3), Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 17(+1), Sense Motive 17(+1) |
|
Shadow Craft (Armor) |
15th |
Forsaker 5 |
+14 |
+6 |
+7 |
+6 |
Bluff 18(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 18(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 18(+1), Diplomacy 18(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 17, Sense Motive 18(+1) |
Thick-Skinned (x2) |
Ability Bonus +1 (Con 20), Fast Healing 2 (30 rounds), DR 9/+2 and DR 6/-, SR 15 |
16th |
Forsaker 6 |
+15 |
+7 |
+8 |
+7 |
Bluff 19(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 19(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 19(+1), Diplomacy 19(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 18(+1), Sense Motive 19(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Int 18), DR 11/+3 and DR 6/-, Slippery Mind, SR 16 |
17th |
Forsaker 7 |
+16 |
+7 |
+8 |
+7 |
Bluff 20(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 20(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 20(+1), Diplomacy 20(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 19(+1), Sense Motive 20(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Cha 15), Fast Healing 2 (40 rounds), SR 17 |
18th |
Forsaker 8 |
+17 |
+8 |
+8 |
+8 |
Bluff 21(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 21(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 21(+1), Diplomacy 21(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 20(+1), Sense Motive 21(+1) |
Thick-Skinned (x3) |
Ability Bonus +1 (Cha 16), DR 15/+4 and DR 8/-, SR 18 |
19th |
Forsaker 9 |
+18 |
+8 |
+9 |
+8 |
Bluff 22(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 22(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 22(+1), Diplomacy 22(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 21(+1), Sense Motive 22(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Cha 17), Fast Healing 3 (50 rounds), SR 19 |
20th |
Forsaker 10 |
+19 |
+9 |
+9 |
+9 |
Bluff 23(+1), Craft:Armorsmith 23(+1), Craft:Weaponsmith 23(+1), Diplomacy 23(+1), Gather Information 15, Intimidate 2, Know:Arcana 3, Know:Planes 3, Profession:Lawyer 22(+1), Sense Motive 23(+1) |
|
Ability Bonus +1 (Cha 18), DR 17/+5 and DR 8/-, SR 20 |
Spoiler: Levels 1-6
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The first few levels are a bit rough for Keyrock, what with being frozen in ice for several million years, and then getting defrosted only to find that the world around him is overrun with the more evolutionarily successful races of elves, dwarves, humans, and halflings. Even worse, they have this strange new technology that terrifies the mammoth-loving crap out of him: magic! Some pointy-eared treehugger wiggles his fingers or waves around a stick and actual flaming FIRE OF THE GAWDTHINGS shoots out!
So Keyrock did what any reasonable unfrozen caveman would do: he finished his law degree and then set out to destroy all the demon-cursed devices that terrify him. Taking Human Paragon levels here allows him to get his skill points arranged to pursue his professional career as a lawyer. This does not exactly lend itself to any established party role, but he can act as the party face who occasionally hits things with a club, if your party is the sort that thinks it's a good idea to have their primary negotiator as someone who occasionally smashes up their loot because magic items frighten him. Keyrock goes into Forsaker not so much to help his legal career but because it allows him to act more like a caveman. He also takes up Craft: Weaponsmith because we know that's one skill cavemen valued highly, and it's a good idea to have a back-up trade just in case Keyrock finds himself in an area that does not have a lot of business for someone in a legal profession.
If you would prefer a less lawyer-ish or caveman-ish Forsaker, it is possible to get into Forsaker at level 1 with a Human and one flaw: Forsaker 10/Shadowsmith 10 makes for an interesting build with no base classes. Keyrock takes two flaws: Shaky (his tribe hadn't quite worked out how projectile weapons work) and Weak Will (he frightens easily). Forsaker allows him to work without relying on too much magic: Fast Healing to avoid cure spells, Spell Resistance to shrug off adverse spell effects, and Damage Reduction to mitigate having to rely on mostly mundane armor. Keyrock uses the Ability Bonus mostly to buff his Con score, which he can add to his AC as a Natural Armor bonus.
At 6th level, Keyrock takes the Master Manipulator feat, which gives him two additional Diplomacy options: "Captivating Speech" for softening up the Jury for Bluff checks, and "Trap of Words" to dupe witnesses into revealing incriminating information on cross-examination.
Spoiler: Levels 7-11
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At 7th level, Keyrock heads into Shadowsmith not necessarily because he likes dealing with shadows (he doesn't) but because he's discovered a loophole! Forsakers must give up using spellcasting, SLAs, and magic items, but the rules don't say anything about Supernatural abilities! And most of Shadowsmith's class abilities are (Su). Touch of Shadow (Su) and Shroud of Shadow (Su) aren't all that useful (Keyrock uses them mostly to prevent disgruntled clients from tracking him back to his cave) but he can use them without losing his Forsaker abilities! At 9th level, Keyrock gets Shadow Craft (Su) for basic items, and he uses this mostly to create primitive weapons. This allows him to smash things that frighten him even when inside a courtroom, since most courtrooms have that annoying "no weapons" rule. And since masterwork weapons made out of special materials are non-magical, he can create those: adamantine greatsword, dragonfang spears (Draconomicon p. 117), Kakita katana (Oriental Adventures p. 127), rimefire ice harpoons (Frostburn p. 80), elvencraft shortbow made out of serren (BoED p. 38), and so forth. For general-purpose skull-smashing, Keyrock favors a masterwork greatclub made out of rimefire ice. That Kakita katana is very tempting as a two-handed martial melee weapon... but Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer Samurai might be stretching things just one sketch too far.
At 10th level, he gets Armor of Shadow (Su), a +2 deflection bonus that stacks with his Natural Armor bonus. At 11th level, he gets Widen Shroud (Su), which allows his companions to benefit from his Touch of Shadows ability... which is a good thing, since he's not much of a climber, they can do all that climbing stuff instead (within 10' of him, I guess).
Keyrock also gains the ability to cast a limited number of shadow mysteries... but since that counts as spellcasting, he can't use them intentionally without losing all his Forsaker abilities for at least a year. For such a minor spell effect 1/day... not really a big loss.
Spoiler: Levels 12-14
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### SWEET SPOT ### At 12th level, Keyrock can now use Shadow Craft (Su) to create magic weapons. This means he can start every day by making a +1 weapon, smash it, and enjoy the full benefits his Damage Reduction for the rest of the day. Due to ability score increases, his Con is now high enough to get Roll With It, which gives him another source of Damage Reduction (2/-). He took Think-Skinned back at 9th level, and here he takes advantage of another loophole, as the wording of Thick-Skinned does not differentiate between different sources of damage reduction: it increases all sources of DR by +2, as he successfully determined in Keyrock vs. Baker, 13 F.C.G. 399, 427 (588 CY).
Speaking of DR... Keyrock has left the 3.0 notation intact, as "DR 7/+2" looks slightly more impressive than "DR 7/magic". In 3.5, the enhancement bonus of a magic weapon has no effect on whether it bypasses DR: it either counts as magic or it doesn't. The 3.5 Update Booklet recommends replacing the higher-plus DR categories with a special material, such as adamantine, but does not specifically address the Forsaker's DR abilities. By RAW, the DR offered by Forsaker would be considered "DR X/magic", unless you can convince a sympathetic DM to switch it to something more likely to offer more meaningful protection at higher levels. Roll With It addresses this, as "DR X/-" continues to work even against magic weapons, and also allows Thick-Skinned to work even if the DR from Forsaker isn't functioning.
Keyrock continues to be a capable party face, a competent lawyer (Sharn City of Towers p. 132 has rules for legal debates), and no longer needs to rely on the party treasury to sacrifice magic items. In combat... he can hit things! With a stick or a rock! (If he's not frightened, that is.)
At 13th level, Armor of Shadow (Su) improves to +4, and at 14th level, Keyrock can use Shadow Craft (Su) to create light armor. As a Forsaker, this would have to be non-magical, but the wording of the ability says he "can give an enhancement bonus to", so presumably he can choose not to add an enhancement bonus. The text also says, "The armor you craft automatically has the improved shadow special ability", but I am assuming this only applies to magical armor with an enhancement bonus, as per the DMG you cannot add an armor property to armor that doesn't already have at least a +1 enhancement bonus. That being said, Keyrock can create any non-magical light armor... including armor made out of special materials. This means he can create shadow-silk hide (ToM p. 155), chameleon leather (Serpent Kingdoms p. 148), dragoncraft serpentscale mail (Draconomicon p. 117/Serpent Kingdoms p. 148), dreamhide (Secrets of Xen'drik p. 136), sharkskin (Stormwrack p. 106), spidersilk (FR Underdark p. 66), or a breastplate made out of darkleaf/firebrass/glassteel/mithral/sentira. When he's not looking for armor with a specific effect, such as a Hide bonus or energy resistance, Keyrock creates dragoncraft serpentscale mail for himself. The armor bonus (+5) stacks with Armor of Shadow (+4) and Tough Defense (+5) for a non-magical AC of 24.
Sadly, Keyrock chooses not to complete his last two levels of Shadowsmith, as they don't add anything meaningful to the build other than speeding up Shadow Craft (Su) to a swift action. Keyrock bills by the hour, so if it takes a little longer to create something, so much the better.
Spoiler: Levels 15-20
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Keyrock's signature "gimmick" comes online at level 12, and unfortunately there aren't a lot of interesting things for him to do after that. He spends the rest of his career finishing off Forsaker, but pretty much everything after 12th level improves his existing abilities rather than adds anything new. Oh... he gets one new thing: Slippery Mind, which allows him to reroll a failed save against an enchantment effect. I couldn't figure out anything interesting to do with a caveman lawyer after taking Master Manipulator, so I took Thick-Skinned two more times. This increases his Forsaker DR up to 17/magic and Roll With It up to DR 8/-. If you would prefer to maybe do something with Diplomacy, consider swapping in Skill Focus and going into Exemplar for Jumplomancer-shenanigans. If you would prefer more of an investigative caveman lawyer, then consider swapping in Track or Investigate and finish off with Watch Detective (Masters of the Wild) or Master Inquisitive (Eberron Campaign Setting).
Spoiler: Sources
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Frostburn: Neanderthal
Masters of the Wild: Forsaker
Player's Handbook II: Master Manipulator
Races of Destiny: Able Learner
Savage Species: Thick-Skinned, Roll With It
Unearthed Arcana: Human Paragon, Shaky, Weak Will