Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XVIII

[Zaq]

It could be Extra Animal Companion.

[true_shinken]

Guyus, I got word from Grynning that he won't be able to cook up scores this time; RL takes precedence and all.
Is anyone up for judging?

[Tam_OConnor]

Well, I volunteered earlier, and I don't have any papers tomorrow: I'll get on it.

EDIT: Halfway done!

[Tam_OConnor]

Just to keep everyone informed, my judging criteria:

Spoiler

Show

Originality: Relying on one of the classes the prestige class description recommends will generally earn you a three. Using well-known combinations (Ex. Wiz 5/PrC 10/Archmage 5, Shock Trooper) will merit deductions, while new and original stuff will obviously earn more. At the same time, though, we're showcasing builds, not characters. If you get too Special Snowflake, then a deduction is possible.

Power: I judge on a relative scale, as per Zeal's PrC tier ranking. Building on a wizard chassis won't automatically earn you more points; it'll just raise into competition with other prestige classes for wizards (it might score you points on originality, though).

Elegance: How easy is it to follow the progression of your build? Generally, it's possible to recoup lost points by explaining the in-game logic behind your dips, or unfinished PrCs, or what have you. Rule mistakes will generally hit you here.

Use of Secret Ingredient: What do you do with the secret ingredient once you're in it? What new tricks do you find lurking in the crunch? I also tend to be unforgiving with later entry.

And the judging:
Skullface

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Well done on Darcy; it's a way of dealing with LA that we haven't seen before in these competitions (+0.5). Additionally, I certainly wasn't expecting a krenshar as a base (+0.5). However, ranger entry is expected (+0.0), and taint just begs to be abused (-0.5; "Hurt me, hurt me!" "No.").
Power: 3.5; Tainted cheese for high save DCs is powerful, that can hardly be denied (+1). But at the same time, Skullface's BAB is ruinous. In part, natural weapons make up for it, as does Weapon Finesse. Arcane strike will help, sure, but that's taking away from the tainted spells (-0.5).
Elegance: 1.5; Ordinarily, I'd complain about all the ranger variants. But you do make clear that they're not required, and it's not like you're getting anything from them. I agree with you on the Fangshield variant, but I'm prefacing that with 'any reasonable DM,' and that's sliding around the contest rules (-0.5). And then we come to tainted scholar. ...Scholar? Skullface the [i]scholar[/]? It's a lovely gouda, but it doesn't fit fluff-wise (-1). The krenshar is listed as cohort only in the SRD, but I don't see any errata to that effect, so you're in the clear there. The image of Skullface learning to ride is amusing, though.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5; Going off the absurdity of a pseudo-feline riding a horse, you're not making use of fast mount feature. It's a relatively minor point to be sure, but it's not like the class has some many features you can just not use a few. You use the spell list to fuel arcane strike, and breaks out some enchantments for tainted augmentation, but other than that? At the same time, though, I'm reluctant to judge too harshly. All the levels are there, and you're matching the intent well. Late entry (-0.5).
Notes: Total build?
Total Score: 11

The Creeper

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Don't see bamboo spirit too often. Likewise, fleshwarper was not something I expected (+0.5). Ranger, however, was.
Power: 2; So the Creeper chases you...and then? How does he motivate his prey to keep running, rather than take a stand? His BAB isn't terrible, but he also doesn't have something like arcane strike and natural weapons to make up for it (-1).
Elegance: 2; Which Aberrant Blood feature did he take? For a more important question, what grafts do you recommend? Without even giving us an idea here, it feels incomplete (-1). I'm not really sure on Fleshwarper either; the Creeper feels more like he should have something similar to the Barghest Feed ability, something less artificial than class levels.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.5; Synergy between Starspawn and the Creeper's boosted base land speed is nice (+0.5). Again, you have all the levels, but nothing's seizing me by the neck and shouting 'I'm unique and awesome!'
Notes: Total build? Going to assume that 20th level, you meant 'Dark Hunter 10'.
Total Score: 11

Perpetua

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; The beauty of the psionic classes is that I always end up anticipating the wrong one. Or maybe I just like Lurks (+0.5).
Power: 2; I've never really grokked the over-channeling rules, and I've barely glanced at ardent, so I'll leave the legality of the metafaculty trick to others. Perpetua is facing the same problem as Creeper is, though. She can find her victims and catch up to them, but what does she do at that point (-1)?
Elegance: 2.5; Not really getting where Earth Sense and Earth Power come into the equation fluff-wise (-0.5). Queen of Air and Darkness, though I dimly recall Greyhawk fluff that she'd been trapped inside of a huge black diamond.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3; Late entry (-0.5). Finally, someone who actually puts more than the required ranks in Ride! And mentions the synergy with phantom steed to boot (+0.5)
Notes: You know what would have been great for this? Jaunter from Expedition to the Demonweb Pits. If, you know, there was a psionic version of it. Full build? Suggested magic items? Thanks for the complete source list and adaptations.
Total Score: 11

Reek

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 4; I know I've never seen Beast Heart Adept before, and Warlock is the base, even if Wilderness Rogue supplies the skill points (+1).
Power: 4; You're making use of Handle Animal and Use Magic Device. It's a fairly broad base, but you cover it well (+1).
Elegance: 2; Assumed LA buy-off (-0.5). Desert goblin? Ummm, where's the bit in the story where you convince me this wasn't just for the stat modifiers? The Beast Heart Adept dip isn't sitting well, either. (-0.5).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5; Late entry (-0.5). See, this is where I'd expect Fleshwarper instead of Unseelie Dark Hunter. It would cut into Reek's wild empathy, so I can see why he didn't take it. And admittedly, Reek excells as master of beasts. You're actually making use of the mount speed bonus and Ride, though your monstrous mount is going to get really fragile really quickly.
Notes: Full build? Gets a little demanding with the equipment near the end.
Total Score: 12.5

Tamalin

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Haven't ever seen Moonsea Sentinel actually used before (+0.5). On the other hand, killoren archer-ranger might have popped up once or twice before.
Power: 2.5; Magic Disruption is what, a DC 18 or 19 Concentration check? It's an immediate action, and it still might not be worth the time. Similarly, Tamalin's dire badger companion? What's the point of aerial speed and mobility if he's going to tie yourself to a ground-pounder (-0.5)?
Elegance: 2.5; Not really meshing the CE Queen of Air and Darkness with a mostly CG knightly order, much less NG/LN Mystaran rangers. Additionally, how is Tamalin's CL for dimensional anchor boosted? The Order of the Shooting Star bonus benefits ranger casting only (-0.5).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5; Tamalin wants to be an aerial combatant. But he's relying on a fragile mount instead of boosting his own flight (with say, Aerial Avenger from the Dragon Compendium). And while the Dark Hunter spells or movement increases aren't objectionable, they just don't seem to mesh. The picture you've painted really just doesn't feel like a member of the Wild Hunt (-0.5)
Notes: Full build? Text says +18 BAB, table says +17.
Total Score: 11

Faltino

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Still haven't really looked at the Tome of Magic, so stuff from there is always a bit of a surprise (+0.5).
Power: 3; Again with the presentation of a melee fighter with a BAB of +13. Sure, charging helps, but still... am I missing something here? Did BAB +16 stop being worthwhile and I missed it (-0.5)? Aside from that, lion's charge is a neat, powerful spell (+0.5).
Elegance: 2.0; Ummm, for someone who's a mounted charger, did you perhaps consider putting more than five ranks in Ride (-0.5)? The Chameleon dip is obviously vital; in fact, it can hardly be called a dip, which is why I'm not docking you for it. What I'm really leery on is your using non-permanent means to qualify for Dark Hunter (-0.5).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3; Like you said, there really isn't all that much to synergize with. However, you do your best to explain why, lay out what synergies you have, and I'm giving you points on sheer chutzpah (+1). At the same time, though, it's Chameleon and lion's charge that's doing all the work (-0.5). Late entry (-0.5).
Notes: Full build?
Total Score: 11.5

Ogar

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 4.5; I quote: "a stack of bears" and I turn a bewildered gaze upon you. And then I give you lots of points (+2). And take some of them away for illumian aeshkrau stuff (-0.5).
Power: 4; Charging, fear-stacking, self-buffing, arcane-striking unbearable double terror (+1).
Elegance: 2.5; Ranger dip (-0.5). The separation between Obtain Familiar and Improved Familiar is a little painful, but there's not really a way to fix that. Not if you want to share the spells, which is a nice trick. You justify your variant classes, so no complaints there.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5; Bear Warrior and Mounted Fury are doing most of the heavy lifting here (-0.5), but it's not like Dark Hunter is really hindering you (besides the minor BAB hit).
Notes: Full build? Didn't feel like a Beardfist at all, for which I commend you.
Total Score: 13.5

Tamlaine

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Hardly ever see Knights, which is a pity, because they get some nice stuff (+0.5). Silverwood Arcanist is completely new to me (+0.5). But the reach weapon battlefield control is an old hat (-0.5).
Power: 3; Capable semi-gish; nothing ridiculous, but solid.
Elegance: 2; By taking Silverwood Arcanist, you're wasting the spell progression of the last five levels of Dark Hunter, which is a shame (-0.5). Ranger dip (-0.5).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3; You're using everything it offers, and you've got the flavor down (I'll leave out the differences between Seelie and Unseelie, and the distinction between an elven knight and an elven hunter, but I'm picky). But you're not doing anything more with it.
Notes: [Pedantic]You can't ride a tiger, their spines aren't rigid enough.[/Pedantic] Full build? Equipment wish list? [RHPS]Damnit! Janet! I love you...[/RHPS] Nerd cred points gained for riffing on my second favorite Child ballad.
Total Score: 11.5

The Loyal Servant

Spoiler

Show

Originality: 3.5; Ninja, considering the Wis-based casting, wasn't completely unexpected. Totemist was, but it's not the focus of the build. Crinti Shadow Marauder is nice to see, especially when Teflammar Shadowlord gets all the press (+0.5). Dragonborn anthropomorphic owl... and we've crossed the line of 'too far.' I'm a substitute judge, though, and you didn't have my 'too special is too much' clause, so I'll let it slide.
Power: 4; The breath weapon/blink shirt/shadow pounce combination is very nice, especially with entangling exhalation (+1). But the low BAB makes me cry a little bit (not as much as others, though, because you're not intended as a front-liner).
Elegance: 2; See, the problem with Dragonborn is it says to me 'I only took this race for the stat bonuses' (-0.5). Again with the flying creatures riding flying mounts, which still confuses me. You're not from Dambrath, and I'm not seeing the required ranks in Knowledge (Dambrath local) (-0.5).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.5; Unfortunately for one of your points, ninjas keep their Wis to AC even when flat-footed, so uncanny dodge is less useful to them. You do make some observations about the Dark Hunter class features that no one else pointed out (+1). Late entry (-0.5).
Notes: Full build?
Total Score: 13

Conclusions and overall comments

Spoiler

Show

So there you have it, the quick and dirty judging. Just a reminder to everyone that I haven't actually played unmodded 3.5 in a long time, so don't hesitate to point out things I might have missed.

Anyone remember this line? "You will need to present your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build." Anyone? Buhler? Am I the only one who reads this as 'have a complete stat block somewhere?'

A delight to judge, and congratulations on solid builds and accompanying fiction, everyone.

[BobVosh]

Was this the fastest judging ever, or what by Tam? 9 hours.

[Thurbane]

Agreed - Tam, great job. You really stepped into the breach - well done.

[Zaq]

I concur, and not just because I like what you said about my build. Well done, sir!

[kestrel404]

Yay! More judging! One more and we can kill this turkey. Who's left that's still working?

Edit - Wow! Nine hours? That's awesome! I'm impressed, even more considering how even handed you were on the scores.

[OMG PONIES]

Dang, Tam. That is some impressive speed.

Tallies after two judges (before disputes)
{table=head]ENTRY|PLACE|TOTALS|AVERAGE
The Loyal Servant|GOLD|28|3.5
Reek|SILVER|27|3.375
Skullface|BRONZE|22.5|2.8125
Tamlaine|BRONZE|22.5|2.8125
Faltino|Fifth|22|2.75
Ogar|Fifth|22|2.75
Perpetua|Seventh|21.5|2.6875
The Creeper|Eighth|19|2.375
Tamalin|Ninth|18.5|2.3125[/table]

[Thurbane]

13+ days from the reveal and counting...is this the record?

[Talbot]

Tonight or Sunday for me, depending on how awake I'm able to stay.

[Amechra]

I hope today...

The suspense is killing me.

[gbprime]

13+ days from the reveal and counting...is this the record?

Not yet. Iron Chef 17 was 21 days from submission deadline to reveal.

[BobVosh]

Ya but there was a TON of submissions for that. (It was the assassin one right?)

Nope, dilettante. No clue why then lol.

[Talbot]

Yeah, it's not gonna happen tonight. But tomorrow actually has a puncher's chance as I'm getting sick and therefore will be home instead of out having fun tomorrow.

[T.G. Oskar]

Ya but there was a TON of submissions for that. (It was the assassin one right?)

Nope, dilettante. No clue why then lol.

Complexity. Assassin was pretty simple to judge; it was a pretty solid class, with solid spellcasting, good skill points, nice set of skills and sneak attack, so it wasn't so hard to work with. Compare with Ardent Dilettante, where the class had quite a bit of stuff to work with that barely synergized with each other, and you might figure why that happened. Compared to, say, Drunken Master (the only other IC I judged), it took me quite a lot of time, and it had actually few entries (compared to Assassin which had about 16 entries or so).

So yeah; Dark Hunter IS pretty difficult to deal with, mostly because of what it offers, so expect having tough judging. That goes without mentioning that the bar for judging has been raised quite a bit, and most people are trying judging for the first or second time so they might take some time.

[kestrel404]

OK, I know that there are only 2 judges in so far, but the scores here are...really low. The 1st and second placers are averaging between 3.5 and 3.3? And 3rd place is averaging UNDER 3!

I mean, yes, the secret ingredient was tough, but I really didn't think it was THAT tough.

[Amphetryon]

OK, I know that there are only 2 judges in so far, but the scores here are...really low. The 1st and second placers are averaging between 3.5 and 3.3? And 3rd place is averaging UNDER 3!

I mean, yes, the secret ingredient was tough, but I really didn't think it was THAT tough.

I won the Vigilante IC with a composite score of less than 4 per category. Some contests - and some judging groups - simply set a different standard.

[true_shinken]

I won the Vigilante IC with a composite score of less than 4 per category. Some contests - and some judging groups - simply set a different standard.

I think no contestant got a composite score above 3 on Use of Secret Ingredient in the GSA contest. Tough one, that.

[Nerdanel]

The low scores make me think access to special mounts and such was supposed to be a class feature of Unseelie Dark Hunter, but wasn't included because of a bad writeup.

The things I could have done with a nightmare... "You didn't kill my mount, you killed my mount's astral projection." "I so can take my mount down the steep stairs into the cramped dungeon." "I'll gallop in stealthily." "Good luck getting into melee range without some form of teleport." Among other things.

[Urpriest]

The low scores make me think access to special mounts and such was supposed to be a class feature of Unseelie Dark Hunter, but wasn't included because of a bad writeup.

The things I could have done with a nightmare... "You didn't kill my mount, you killed my mount's astral projection." "I so can take my mount down the steep stairs into the cramped dungeon." "I'll gallop in stealthily." "Good luck getting into melee range without some form of teleport." Among other things.

It's a class intended for NPCs. I believe it even says so in the writeup. NPCs can get powerful mounts and pets simply by raising the encounter level. For example, Spider Eaters are described as a common bandit mount, but nobody (well maybe the Beast Heart Adept, haven't looked at them) has a class feature that gives control of them. They're an NPC mount.

[dextercorvia]

I guess I never gave criteria. So I might as well now. I started at 3 and added for impressive things and deducted for less impressive things. I was very harsh on Ranger or Ranger dips (-1 to -1.5 in originality depending on what else it was paired with). There were a number of mistakes in qualification and application, which hurt elegance. for sure, and power if I thought that the key tactics would be delayed or prevented because of that.

I judged power based on how effective a build was at its primary tactic compared to common PO builds and whether it improved as a result of the SI.

UoSI was judged based on how well the build took advantage of all the class features -- so poor spell selection, and not mentioning class features was penalized here.

[Talbot]

I'm working now. It's likely to take me a while as I haven't done it before and also have a whore of a headache. But it's happening. Sorry about the tardiness.

[true_shinken]

I'm working now. It's likely to take me a while as I haven't done it before and also have a whore of a headache. But it's happening. Sorry about the tardiness.

Nevermind, dude. Keep it going!

[Talbot]

I feel like an *expletive deleted*, but it's just not gonna get done tonight. I'm making (slow) progress, but *excuses excuses excuses*. If somebody else wants to jump in I don't mind, otherwise I'll keep trying to finish but until I get over this *debilitating illness* it's gonna be slow going. This was not my plan, sorry.

[kestrel404]

Just so this doesn't get lost while the judging continues.

[dextercorvia]

Hey Shink, I know you usually wait until after the judging, but if you wanted to post my challenges, I could handle them while we wait for Talbot.

[true_shinken]

Hey Shink, I know you usually wait until after the judging, but if you wanted to post my challenges, I could handle them while we wait for Talbot.

I was thinking about doing just that. Yeah, I will.

Disputes

Tamalin vs dextercorvia

Spoiler

Show

Dire Boar was a typo left over from from an earlier version where Wild Cohort is obtained earlier. It's a Dire Badger.

Tamalin's damage comes from Favored Enemy, from the number of extra actions gained from having both a Mount and a Wild Cohort (with Multiattack and Haste), and from using spells to make enemies more vulnerable to him while being less able to hit him. He's not the main damage dealer in the party, and this is stated in the writeup. He's a scout, a controller and a harrier, who has a good enough BAB to remain relevant as an attacker and a good enough set of HP and saves to stand up to some punishment. Deducting points from him for not being a heavy hitter is akin to deducting points from a Necromancer for not blasting well.

Ogar vs dextercorvia

Spoiler

Show

Hey there. I feel like dextercorvia has made a few errors in judging Ogar, so I'd like the chance to respond to him.

dextercorvia:

I disagree with some of your assessments about Ogar and her build. First, you claim that "Krau Sigil does not work that way," but I don't see what you mean. The Krau sigil raises your caster level. The Improved Familiar feat checks your caster level. I honestly don't see any other way to read this.

As for being a bear riding a bear, please allow me to direct you to p.80 of the PHB:

If you attempt to ride a
creature that is ill suited as a mount (such as most bipedal creatures),
you take a –5 penalty on your Ride checks.

You do suffer a penalty for riding something the same size as you, but Ogar's Ride check is high enough that the penalty is hardly an issue.

You are also mistaken in saying that Ogar's new STR score does not give her additional spell slots. There is not, in fact, a general rule stating that temporary ability score boosts do not give extra spell slots. If you look at PHB p.7-8:

The ability that governs bonus spells (see Chapter 3:
Classes) depends on what type of spellcaster your
character is: Intelligence for wizards; Wisdom for clerics,
druids, paladins, and rangers; or Charisma for sorcerers and
bards. In addition to having a high ability score, a spellcaster
must be of high enough class level to be able to cast spells of
a given spell level. (See the class descriptions in Chapter 3
for details.) For instance, the wizard Mialee has an Intelligence score of 15, so she’s smart enough to get one bonus 1st-
level spell and one bonus 2nd-level spell. (She will not actually get
the 2nd-level spell until she is 3rd level wizard, since that’s the min-
imum level a wizard must be to cast 2nd-level spells.)
If your character’s ability score is 9 or lower, you can’t cast spells
tied to that ability. For example, if Mialee’s Intelligence score
dropped to 9 because of a poison that reduces intellect, she would
not be able to cast even her simplest spells until cured.

No mention of temporary stat boosts there. On p.10, we see:

When an ability score changes, all attributes associated with that score change accordingly.

On p.179, dealing with spontaneous spells, we can see:

A sorcerer’s or bard’s class
level limits the number of spells he can cast (see these class
descriptions in Chapter 3: Classes). His high Charisma score (see
Table 1–1: Ability Modifiers and Bonus Spells, page 8) might allow
him to cast a few extra spells.

In the Rules Compendium, p.139 deals with spontaneous spellcasting. It says:

Some characters can cast spells, but they don’t need
spellbooks, nor do they prepare their spells. They can cast
any spell they know using a daily allotment of spell slots.
These characters are called spontaneous spellcasters. Such
a spellcaster’s class level limits the number of spells he can
cast. A high ability score might allow such spellcasters to
cast a few extra spells, and the class defi nes the ability score
that governs spellcasting. A spellcaster must have a score of
at least 10 + a spell’s level in the ability score that governs
spellcasting to cast that spell.

Nowhere does it say anything about temporary boosts. Where does this conception come from? I submit that it most likely comes from the spells Eagle's Splendor, Owl's Wisdom, and Fox's Cunning. For example:

Owl’s Wisdom
Transmutation
Level: Clr 2, Drd 2, Pal 2, Rgr 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, M/DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min./level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The transmuted creature becomes wiser. The spell grants a +4 enhancement bonus to Wisdom, adding the usual benefit to Wisdom-related skills. Clerics, druids, paladins, and rangers (and other Wisdom-based spellcasters) who receive owl’s wisdom do not gain any additional bonus spells for the increased Wisdom, but the save DCs for their spells increase.
Arcane Material Component

A few feathers, or a pinch of droppings, from an owl.

It's true that if someone cast Owl's Wisdom on Ogar, she would not get extra spells. However, this is because the spell Owl's Wisdom itself says so, not because of any general rule to that effect. (Notably, Bull's Strength lacks any such restriction.)

Finally, Arcane Strike works just as well with natural weapons as it does with manufactured weapons. From Complete Warrior, p.96:

When you activate this feat (a free action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity), you channel arcane energy into a melee weapon, your unarmed strike, or natural weapons.)

Please reconsider some of your comments and scores in light of this new information. Thank you.

Skullface vs dextercorvia

Spoiler

Show

A dispute regarding dextercorvia's judging of Skullface:

While Krenshar gives full BAB, this is because it is a Magical Beast. Unseelie Fey turns the character into a Fey (and does not bestow the Augmented subtype which would indicate that BAB would remain the same), reducing him to half BAB for racial hit dice.

Also, a dispute on behalf of at least one other build, but potentially for Skullface as well: Arcane Strike explicitly adds damage either to a single weapon, an unarmed strike, or natural weapons plural, so it will apply to all attacks for natural weapon based builds.

Perpetua vs dextercorvia

Spoiler

Show

• While metafaculty comes late in the game and runs a risk of failure against [/i]mind blank[/i] (et al), I would argue that Perpetua is the only submission in this round that doesn’t suffer a 100% chance of failure against mind blank. I chose to take this power at level 20 because it is a fitting “double capstone,” if you will. The ability is thematically similar to discern location, but much more powerful. Discern location is for daily use, while metafaculty is for the rare cases when your daily Discern Location is thwarted by mind blank. I chose this power because it seemed to provide a boost not only to Power, but to Use of the Secret Ingredient as well.
• I’m not sure if you accounted for Perpetua’s chaotic surge when calculating her average damage per round. If I did my math right (and I’m no good with statistics), that class feature brings her average to 80.875 for Energy Ray as a ranged touch attack. Another thing worth noting, though, is that Energy Bolt can dish out the pain to multiple targets in a round. I hope that this may provide a slight boost to Power.

Perpetua vs Tam O_Connor

Spoiler

Show

• Once Perpetua finds and catches up to her victims, she has two main tactics. The first is to use charm to make them friendly, encourage them to take her hand (or use suggestion if necessary), and immediately teleport or plane shift back to the Queen. The second, if they prove hostile, is to blast them into oblivion with chaotic surged energy rays and energy bolts, then return to the Queen with their corpse.
• Sorry for not mentioning the fluff for Earth Sense; I thought I had it in Perpetua’s backstory. Essentially, she viewed it as the pinnacle of her sense training as part of the Hunt. First, she gained low-light vision, then darkvision, then scent, and rounded it off with Earth Sense (a limited blindsense).

[vikingofdoom]

Point of defence for dextercorvia against Ogar: You need to rest for 1 hour to ready all your spell slots, or a proportional amount of time for less than full slots (minimum 15 minutes). With your CL 10 Bull's Strength (lasts 10 minutes), your spell would wear off before you have your new spells readied. While you may be correct that you do have additional spell slots, they're unusable until readied, which you can't do. As such, that trick doesn't work to give you more spells to use.

[Tam_OConnor]

Perpetua vs Tam O_Connor

Power: So what do you do against creatures with strong will saves and a bunch of resistances, like say, most outsiders? It's nice that you're not locked into any one energy type, but there are likely going to be a few panicked rounds as you try to figure out what works. Having ranks in Knowledge (the planes) helps, but you don't exactly keep it up. It's worthy of a boost, but not for the full point. Revised Score: 2.5

Elegance: Ah, I see the progression now. Thank you, that clarifies things wonderfully. Probably a bit unfair of me to hit quite so hard on what is essentially fluff. Revised score: 3

Revised Total Score: 12