Iron Chef... Appetizer Edition! (e6)

[Amechra]

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef... EPIC 6. Here in Optimization Colosseum, contestants will endeavor to create an optimized and flavorful character using a specified D&D 3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient". D&D 3.5 BASE CLASS as the "secret ingredient"

Contestants: You will need to present your build at at least one of the following points: 3rd level, 6th level, after 5 feats, after 10 feats, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build. Feel free to present as many of these as you like, and please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability at all of the levels you didn't show. The rules are as follows:

Menu: For most challenges, the "special ingredient" will be drawn from Core plus Completes. There will, from time to time, be special challenges that showcase secret ingredients from other books--for example, the XPH.

32 point-buy is the presumed creation method, but we have generally allowed other levels of point-buy.
If you do use a different point-buy, please make your case for its necessity in your entry. Keep in mind that for using exceptionally large or small point-buys may warrant deductions in elegance and/or power.

Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt are not allowed, as they create a different playing field.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 11:59pm CUT on Saturday, May 7th 2011 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, Amechra. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying.

Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient, which must make up half the build, at least.

Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue. However, this is e6, so unless you want to be smacked, I advise a lack of characters with spells of levels higher than 3. Just saying.

Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category. Other things that will cause lost points here are excessive multiclassing, and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, will lose you points.

I am going to have to ask the contestants to PM me about any disagreement with the judges. Under no circumstances is a contestant to defend themselves inside the thread, since it breaks anonymity.

Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!

Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their entry.

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NAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack<br>Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features

1st|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

2nd|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

3rd|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

4th|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

5th|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

6th|New Class Level|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|

+x

|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
[/table], along with a list of the first 10 bonus feats you are taking after you complete your 6th level.

Code

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[b]NAME OF ENTRY[/b]
{table=head][b]Level[/b]|[B]Class[/B]|[b]Base Attack<br>Bonus[/b]|[b]Fort Save[/b]|[b]Ref Save[/b]|[b]Will Save[/b]|[B]Skills[/B]|[B]Feats[/B]|[b]Class Features[/b]

1st|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

2nd|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

3rd|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

4th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

5th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities

6th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
[/table]

For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)

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Spells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]Level|0lvl|1st|2nd|3rd

1st|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-

4th|-|-|-|-

5th|-|-|-|-

6th|-|-|-|-[/table]

Code

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[SPOILER][b]Spells per day/Spells Known[/b]
{table=head][b]Level[/b]|[b]0lvl[/b]|[b]1st[/b]|[b]2nd[/b]|[b]3rd[/b]

1st|-|-|-|-

2nd|-|-|-|-

3rd|-|-|-|-

4th|-|-|-|-

5th|-|-|-|-

6th|-|-|-|-[/table]

For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.

Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until the "reveal," in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.

Leadership is banned; we're producing a meal, not a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners.

So! Who wants to sign up as a contestant, and who wants to sign up as a judge? Looking for about 5 judges and as many contestants as feel like playing!

This week's special ingredient is:
Complete Psionic's's Divine Mind
We will have trophies for 1st through 3rd places, as well as a special trophy for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM.

Allez optimiser!

Judges


Contestants


The Builds


Past Competitions

Iron Chef I: Entropomancer
Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent
Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage
Iron Chef IV: Stonelord
Iron Chef V: War Chanter
Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks
Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept
Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist
Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord
Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar
Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo
Iron Chef XII: War Mind
Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante
Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song
Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master
Iron Chef XVI: Assassin
Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante
Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter
Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate

[Cog]

I have half a thought for how to approach this. I'll try entering this time around.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I may very well have to try this. I actually LIKE the Divine Mind, crappy as it is.

EDIT: In the sources, you never said anything about un-updated 3.0 - what's the verdict on that? Or is it the same as in regular ICO?

[flabort]

I like the Name.
I said I'd join a base class IC, but...
Unless I can find that class free online somewhere (highly unlikely, I think WotC only let a couple base classes out), I can't join.

Cool, though. If I could join, I most definitely would.

[Kuulvheysoon]

I like the Name.
I said I'd join a base class IC, but...
Unless I can find that class free online somewhere (highly unlikely, I think WotC only let a couple base classes out), I can't join.

Cool, though. If I could join, I most definitely would.

I'd say that you could probably reconstruct it just by looking around and asking about specifics... then I remembered the specific aura effects that are Divine Mind EXCLUSIVE (they're literally only printed in the class description). But they're very much psionic Paladins, up to and including Divine Grace.

[Zaq]

Good hell, you're actually doing this.

You know, I once played a Divine Mind as an NPC. He was part of a group of enemies who all had aura-style buffs (the idea is that they would work really well as a team, but if the PCs could splinter the group or sufficiently focus fire to make a couple of them drop, they'd be much easier to kill). He existed for a single encounter. I got bored with him before all was said and done, and no, I didn't get bored with the other NPCs in that group, even though few of them could do terribly much more than he could.

I can promise that I will be watching this with interest. I can promise nothing else.

[Cog]

The "after 10 feats" benchmark is effectively +2 levels and so has level 7 WBL to distribute, right? Or should we pretty much be ignoring gear?

[Amechra]

Un-updated 3.0 is allowed. And we tend to ignore gear.

[OMG PONIES]

In like Flynn...as a competitor for now. Are we doing it where you get UoSI points for taking all 6 levels in the SI, or just that you have to use 3 levels?

[Amechra]

I would say that 3 gets you about a midpoint score, with more or better use of the features giving more points; the 3 level minimum is to prevent going Divine Mind 1/Tier 1 class 5, or some such.

[rogueboy]

I'll put myself in as a competitor, at least for the time being. Biggest question is whether I'll have the time to put together a build or not, but I'll certainly try.

[Zaq]

Crap, guys. Crap. I thought of a build. It's a terrible build. I mean, a really terrible build. One might even go so far as to call it delightfully terrible, assuming that not too much changes between my current idea and the final product.

If (and that's a big if) I can bludgeon it into a readable format by the due date without impacting my judging duties in the main Iron Chef contest . . . I'll enter. We shall see if this actually happens.

Hmm. It looks like I have to dive into FR or perhaps Eberron to get a deity with the domains mantles I want. What's the best place to briefly read up on FR/Eberron deity fluff? I've never been able to make myself care about the Eight Hundred Myriad Gods on the High Plain of Heaven that FR seems to have. I know slightly more about Eberron, but I don't really want to spend too much time looking at deities when I could be working on the build.

[Kuulvheysoon]

Crap, guys. Crap. I thought of a build. It's a terrible build. I mean, a really terrible build. One might even go so far as to call it delightfully terrible, assuming that not too much changes between my current idea and the final product.

If (and that's a big if) I can bludgeon it into a readable format by the due date without impacting my judging duties in the main Iron Chef contest . . . I'll enter. We shall see if this actually happens.

Hmm. It looks like I have to dive into FR or perhaps Eberron to get a deity with the domains mantles I want. What's the best place to briefly read up on FR/Eberron deity fluff? I've never been able to make myself care about the Eight Hundred Myriad Gods on the High Plain of Heaven that FR seems to have. I know slightly more about Eberron, but I don't really want to spend too much time looking at deities when I could be working on the build.

Well, Wikipedia's not too bad for DnD deities. Also, need be, you can ask me - I've pretty much memorised Faiths of Eberron and Faiths and Pantheons (the major 'religious' books of FR and Eberron).

I'm kind of a sucker for divine fluff, what can I say?

EDIT: Also, my build? Craptastic. It's probably at least as bad as yours (we shall have to compare after, if your idea does not change). I have no idea how it'll score, but I'll be damned if I wouldn't want to play it. It actually looks fun.

[OMG PONIES]

So, do we have any judges?

[kestrel404]

Ooh, I just came up with a nice little build (of course, the build kind of has to be little...).

I hope someone decides to be a judge soon.

[dextercorvia]

I'll judge this.

[Zaq]

I'm in this one for sure. My build's about 75% done or so. I keep giggling while I'm writing it. That's probably both a bad sign and an awesome sign. Definitely not a good sign, though.

So, who's gonna judge this? You're not gonna let Mr. dextercorvia do this all by his lonesome, are you? Come on, it'll be easy!

[dextercorvia]

A little late, but here are my criteria, such as they are.

I should mention that I'm not a big fan of many of the E6 specific feats. Prestige feats especially, I find to be poorly balanced. Taking too many will result in a hit in elegance. Other than that, make sure it is legal, I hit illegal builds in elegance and power. UoSI is a double whammy, whatever you take has to enhance the SI, without making me wonder why you didn't take X instead of the SI.

[Amechra]

I'd judge, but I'm chairman, and I would probably get accusations of bias due to my knowledge of who made what build...

Know any good judges I could ask?

[Zaq]

Hmm. I've encountered a setback . . . not so much in the build itself, just in my writeup thereof. The deadline's Saturday evening, right? If so, it shouldn't be a problem. If it's earlier? Well, I'll try. I've come this far. I'll just have to find an extra hour in my schedule somewhere.

[Kesnit]

I'll judge. I've been taking a break from judging ICO since I haven't been familiar with some of the recent SI's, but I am familiar with this class.

I'll give my criteria this afternoon.

[kestrel404]

Build submitted.

I look forward to seeing what everyone else came up with.

[OMG PONIES]

Ah, yes, my two favorite words:

Build. Submitted.

Yesterday, really, but I didn't get a chance to post. I'm working on my second submission now; we'll see if it's worth anything.

[true_shinken]

I'll be judging this, for great justice.

[OMG PONIES]

I'll be judging this, for great justice.

This makes me happy inside.

[Akal Saris]

I'd be glad to judge this as well, bringing the count to a quartet.

[Amechra]

Is there a rule against the chairman submitting a build? Potentially as a "this is what I was thinking of", which wouldn't be scored?

Because I feel like doing this, and don't want to be yelled at.

[dextercorvia]

I'm no veteran, but I wouldn't have a problem with it, so long as it isn't being judged. You might want to wait until the results are tallied, so that there is no possibility or appearance of it affecting the judging.

[Amechra]

Shall do. I won't post it if I see someones build that's like mine, though.

[kestrel404]

Actually, I don't really see a problem with the chairman submitting a build. The only time a conflict of interest could come up is when disputes are being resolved, and I can't see anyone being petty enough not to pass on valid concerns to the judges anonymously.