Iron Chef Optimization Challenge XI

[Draz74]

Very interesting the abundance of psionics in this one.

That was my main reaction to seeing the competiton, too. Ironic considering I was advocating a Complete Psionic Secret Ingredient this round.

It's some tough competition, that's for sure. It will be interesting to see what the judges say. There's one build that, if I were a judge, I would grade very highly in three categories ... but tank in Use of Secret Ingredient.

[WinWin]

Just skimmed the new entries.

They were posted between AEST 4.30-5.30 pm(GMT +10/11). Great for me, as I just got home. Understandably, those in other time zones would prefer the other submission deadline.

Scoring is going to be challenging. Originality is the hardest to gauge, especially with the poplular use of Stonelord, Psionic Compression and Swordsage. Those who detailed the UoSI will fare better in that category and power can be subjective when dealing with a niche build.

Any 'deductions' I give to a score in a category should be considered to be in a state of flux. If there is an issue, please address it though the chairman and I will modify the score accordingly.

[Thurbane]

...any updates on the judging?

[Kesnit]

I plan to get my judging in over the weekend. I had hoped to get to it before now, but school and real life got ahead of me.

[Keld Denar]

I had insurance inspections all this week. I didn't even have time to do my NORMAL work, much less slack off a bunch on the internet. Blind date tomorrow and hiking on Sunday means early next week for judging for me. I'll do all my reading this weekend though, to make it easier. Any of the new judges want a copy of my word template for ezjuding?

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Too bad the stay-at-home, have no life, single 16 year olds generally aren't the kind you want judging

[WinWin]

I have 3 and 1/2 done. 6-ish to go. Keeping my rulings consistent is harder than I thought it would be.

I have a botany assignment to finish over the weekend, which pushes back my estimate by a couple of days. I should have them done by early next week. That should still give plenty of time to resolve any issues with my scoring.

[BobVosh]

Any of the new judges want a copy of my word template for ezjuding?

Sure. Curious to see it.

...any updates on the judging?

I unfortunatly got called into work to do a double today, since a CERTAIN someone decided to quit by not telling anyone and not showing up. Upon arriving the internet was down, etc. Still at work for hour 12, out of 16. :(

So this means probably monday day (around 1-3pm central) for me, since I doubt I can get it done by tommorrow alone as I am busy all sunday.

Especially since I didn't even notice this Moudo build that appeared before what I thought was the first entry until today. O.o Sneaky Ozy is sneaky.
This is all of them right? I'm going to feel bad to miss one.

[Ozymandias9]

Sure. Curious to see it.


I unfortunatly got called into work to do a double today, since a CERTAIN someone decided to quit by not telling anyone and not showing up. Upon arriving the internet was down, etc. Still at work for hour 12, out of 16. :(

So this means probably monday day (around 1-3pm central) for me, since I doubt I can get it done by tommorrow alone as I am busy all sunday.

Especially since I didn't even notice this Moudo build that appeared before what I thought was the first entry until today. O.o Sneaky Ozy is sneaky.
This is all of them right? I'm going to feel bad to miss one.

Yes, that's all of them. And sneaky Ozy was just trying to group them up together for easy reading.

[BobVosh]

Yes, that's all of them. And sneaky Ozy was just trying to group them up together for easy reading.

He is as clever as he is treacherous. :P

Also sneaky.

Also generous to host, btw. thx ;D

[Lilithgow]

I had a vague plan and intended to bust in all 'SURPRISE' like with my build. Then I didn't build it at all, because I realized that I'm far more of a concept guy, and half the crunch I wanted doesn't actually exist.

For future reference guys, and suggestions on a flaw that makes a character blind? My non-build sort of faulted at the start line over that one.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

For the anxious competitors

Judging Estimated Times
BobVosh: Monday 1-3 Central
DaragosKitsune: This week
Keld Denar: After wednesday
Kesnit: Over the weekend
WinWin: Early next week

[BobVosh]

I had a vague plan and intended to bust in all 'SURPRISE' like with my build. Then I didn't build it at all, because I realized that I'm far more of a concept guy, and half the crunch I wanted doesn't actually exist.

For future reference guys, and suggestions on a flaw that makes a character blind? My non-build sort of faulted at the start line over that one.

Closest I know of is gooky eye from WotC. Oracle from paizo's pathfinder has a blind path...sorta. More like an extreme close vision. 1 level lets you have darkvision 15, nothing beyond that. (Maybe 30)

[Lilithgow]

See, I wanted to make a blind gnome who fought with with blind/tremor/thought reading sense in a bubble of darkness. Paired with some black pearl of doubt for silly AC.

I thought it was cool, but I didn't really feel like putting the legwork in when I couldn't even make him blind. Why would you work to make something good when you can't even make him suck first?

[true_shinken]

See, I wanted to make a blind gnome who fought with with blind/tremor/thought reading sense in a bubble of darkness. Paired with some black pearl of doubt for silly AC.

I thought it was cool, but I didn't really feel like putting the legwork in when I couldn't even make him blind. Why would you work to make something good when you can't even make him suck first?

Someone could have cast blindness on him.

[Lilithgow]

See? I entirely forget to think that it could have been something someone did to him, rather than an option I could have taken. Rrr.

Well, live and learn! Thanks, True_Shinken!

[Lord Bingo]

What is with all the non-gnome entries in this challenge?

[true_shinken]

What is with all the non-gnome entries in this challenge?

Stoneblessed class. Makes you count as a gnome at level 3.

[OMG PONIES]

Though some entries didn't note the language requirement, it seems they all have the INT to cover it.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Stoneblessed class. Makes you count as a gnome at level 3.

Which may just hurt some Originality scores...

[Amphetryon]

Which may just hurt some Originality scores...

If using Stoneblessed hurts Originality, and sticking with the expected Gnome hurts Originality....

[The Vorpal Tribble]

If using Stoneblessed hurts Originality, and sticking with the expected Gnome hurts Originality....

Yeeeeeah...

So what's more original, doing something original with a gnome, or using the same trick to get out of using a gnome and then doing something original with that.

Just glad I'm not a judge this round

[DaragosKitsune]

I, as a judge, understand that there weren't many options. What I don't understand is the lack of Gnome subraces. Chaos Gnome, for one.

[The Vorpal Tribble]

Chaos Gnomes, Ice Gnomes and Whisper Gnomes... though none may have fit the concepts.

[Ozymandias9]

When I actually looked at the class myself, the first thing that occurred to me was using the capstone with Scorpion Parry and/or Ghostly Defense and Blurring Armor. Someone attacks you, and instead hits their ally. And they gets a sneak attack.
Not particularly amazing, but it would be hilarious to use against a party as a GM.

[Gametime]

Chaos Gnomes, Ice Gnomes and Whisper Gnomes... though none may have fit the concepts.

The Dragonborn one was a Whisper Gnome, if memory serves.

[OMG PONIES]

I thought about (and avoided) a few racial things for fear that the other contestants may use them. Also, Lillithgow, you could have had a gnome warlock/swordsage with Earth Sense. If memory serves me, Earth Sense gives you a limited form of tremorsense, warlock would allow you to keep up a bubble of darkness all day long, and swordsage would give you Pearl of Black Doubt and some shadow-themed maneuvers.

Of course, he would have been MAD as all get out, needing at least a 13 in CON and INT for Earth Sense and Combat Expertise, at least a 13 in WIS (Earth Sense again) but probably higher (swordsage bonus to AC), a high DEX, and a decent CHA.

[ForgottenCode]

Although I didn't have time to finish it, mine was going to be a dragon-descended lesser svirfneblin Dragon Shaman (overall LA of +1) (with some rogue levels thrown in) to get into Blade Bravo. She was from a small community in the Underdark, that was next to a huge underground lake where a green dragon had made its home. Here's the history I managed to write:

Spoiler

Show

For as long as anyone in the underground lakeside community of Uron could remember, there had been a dragon living in the lake. The Great Dragon of the Lake didn’t often show itself, but the townsfolk of Uron knew he existed, and through his priesthood they knew his moods and his wishes.

The legend said that many centuries ago, the Great Dragon had chosen this lake as its home, and on viewing the Svirfneblin town that now rested on his lair’s borders, had decided to eliminate the potential threat to him and his horde by killing all the gnomes.

The beast had emerged from the lake and attacked without provocation and the community hadn’t been ready for it. Scores of gnomes died before any kind of defence could be mounted. Even then, however, there was nothing much the townsfolk could do. Although the Great Dragon had been significantly younger then, he was still a true green dragon and more than capable of defeating every gnome in the village, armed or not.

Some stayed and fought to no avail and other fled. The town would have surely perished were it not for the actions of a young woman named Rania. She was a seamstress’s daughter and without question the most beautiful girl in all of Uron. Ignoring her mother’s cries to stop her, she threw herself into the Great Dragon’s path and begged him to stop killing them.

Her pleas shouldn’t have mattered. And yet when the dragon stared down at her, a tiny creature begging for her people’s lives, something happened. The creature had been about to breathe a cone of chlorine gas when he closed his mouth and stared at the girl. The noise of battle petered off as the townsfolk recognized something had changed.

For what seemed like an eternity but was in reality only a few moments, no one breathed as the Great Dragon locked eyes with the young woman. She was no longer crying, and her expression had changed from one of horror to one of wonder. The dragon extended a claw towards her, palm up and without words passing between them she climbed up on his hand. His claws carefully closed around her. Without another sound, the Great Dragon spread its wings and retreated back to his lair, his prize in hand.

Life in the town gradually returned to normal when it became obvious that the Great Dragon was not going to return to finish the job. The dead were burned and over the next year, the town rebuilt. On the first anniversary of the attack, Rania walked out of the lake.

She looked nothing like the young middle class woman she had when she’d been carried away. Well, her beauty still shone true, but she had a much more confident stride and she was dressed in a green dress that was somehow not wet from the lake, and a tiara of emeralds and diamonds rested on her coifed white hair. In fact although the sentries had seen her walk out of the lake, it looked like she’d just stepped out of a king’s court.

Her mother rushed up to her to greet her long lost daughter but Rania completely ignored her. She declared herself priestess of the Great Dragon Adzerak and demanded that her master had decreed that there was to be a temple built in the town in his honor. As long as the people of Uron worshipped him and no other, they would no longer have to fear the Great Dragon. They could go about their lives in peace and know that if they were faithful that in times of great danger, the Great Dragon would arise from the lake like a vengeful god and strike down their enemies.

The clerics of Garl Glittergold protested of course, but the city council eventually ruled in Rania’s favour. Although some weren’t happy with their forced change in religion, most realized that by appeasing the dragon they would survive. And in the harsh environment that existed around them, they had long ago learned that sacrifices had to be made for long term survival.

If people are interested, I can go on about what I was going to write about to finish off the history and then move to the present.

[OMG PONIES]

Hmm, Dragon Shaman would have netted you some originality points, methinks.

[ForgottenCode]

I would have liked to finish it. But RL takes precedence.