Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXII

[Amphetryon]

And from Theodore Logan:

On originality, you mentioned mindbender and hoardstealer were standouts (ted was the only of either) so why did he lose points in this category?

as far as power, darkstalker and HiPS with move silently/hide maxed throughout mean that he'll flat out avoid combat most of the time. mindsight lets him see if there are any enemies nearby and maxing int lets him lessen the chance of being stunned.

font of inspiration was avoided so as to not get a deduction in elegance/originality. practiced spellcaster is there to help with duration on some of the stealth spells from temple raider. mindless undead, for example, do not detect on mindsight, so the "invisibility to undead" would gain more use by being 40 minutes longer per casting, especially since as you said temple raider doesn't give many spells/day

[Z3ro]

On originality, you mentioned mindbender and hoardstealer were standouts (ted was the only of either) so why did he lose points in this category?

Because the rest of the build was a skill focused human/factotum, which is about as unoriginal as you can get for this contest. Without those your score would have been even lower.

as far as power, darkstalker and HiPS with move silently/hide maxed throughout mean that he'll flat out avoid combat most of the time. mindsight lets him see if there are any enemies nearby and maxing int lets him lessen the chance of being stunned.

Sure you can avoid fights, but in them you're really weak and that's part of what I judge on. Remember that power also includes versatility; it's great that you can avoid a fight, but if you can't end one, you lose points (and as almost everyone in the contest has at least some stealth, good avoidance is not enough to get a power bump).

font of inspiration was avoided so as to not get a deduction in elegance/originality. practiced spellcaster is there to help with duration on some of the stealth spells from temple raider. mindless undead, for example, do not detect on mindsight, so the "invisibility to undead" would gain more use by being 40 minutes longer per casting, especially since as you said temple raider doesn't give many spells/day

Oh, I understood what it did, but not why you took it over font of inspiration. Ironically, I would not have deducted for font of inspiration (and might have even given another bump for elegance for following the theme). Such is why we have multiple judges.

Is it just me, or are a lot of people questioning my judging this time around?

[mattie_p]

Z3ro, I had no doubts you would come through. I do appreciate the rapid judging.

At this point I'm looking over past IC competitions, and then attempt to guess (and probably fail to) the next SI. Any hints you wish to reveal, Chairman?

[Venger]

Is it just me, or are a lot of people questioning my judging this time around?

I'd chalk it up to timing more than anything else. you were the quickdraw again this round, so people were anticipating your judgings. plus it's reading week for the chefs in college/high school, so less of the pool is in school.

it's also because you're the only judge so far, probably. I'm sure there'll be questions asked of other judges too.

[mattie_p]

Z3ro, you are a complete volunteer, and you seem to know your stuff. IMHO, your responses have been appropriate, and the time lapse between Chairman PM postings and your response indicate that you put some thought into the judging and have a perspective of the build at hand when you respond(at least by my point of view). You seem to have anticipated questions. Don't let the haters (which may or may not include me) get you down.

We all want our entries to win (otherwise, why enter?) and if we, as competitors, feel slighted we want justice to be done.

In other words, rock on, good judges, rock on!

[Amphetryon]

Is it just me, or are a lot of people questioning my judging this time around?

My experience as chairman thus far would indicate two contestants out of eleven asking for a clarification is a pretty small number, honestly. I believed your rationales for your scores were as you explained before I posted the concerns, if it makes any difference.

[Z3ro]

My experience as chairman thus far would indicate two contestants out of eleven asking for a clarification is a pretty small number, honestly. I believed your rationales for your scores were as you explained before I posted the concerns, if it makes any difference.

Alright, I feel better then. Just never had such questions about my judging before.

[Xodion]

Alright, I feel better then. Just never had such questions about my judging before.

I think the most important thing is to remember that they aren't personal. Everybody has a different idea about how rules work, what is and isn't important, etc, so a few people wanting to make sure everyone is on the same page interpretation-wise seems fairly reasonable to me. I congratulate you on your previous judgments if you managed to avoid any questions at all, as there always seem to be a few for every judge, and mostly they just come down to misunderstandings that are easily resolved.

This is one of the reasons I am wary about having a go at judging, but I will be bearing this all in mind. I'm also worried that I will 'get it wrong' somehow, though I'm not actually sure how you would do this

[Kesnit]

This is one of the reasons I am wary about having a go at judging, but I will be bearing this all in mind. I'm also worried that I will 'get it wrong' somehow, though I'm not actually sure how you would do this

I wouldn't worry too much about that. I've had people question my judging, but no one has been hostile.

No judge judges the same way; everyone has their own criteria, what we look for, what we do/don't like. As long as you are consistent for all entries, there is no way to get it "wrong."

[mattie_p]

Thanks, kestrel404, for making the table that I am now updating with the results of the first round of judging:

{table=head]Rank|Name|Race|Classes|Score
1st|Zed|Human|Bard 5/Human Paragon 3/TRoO 10/Warblade 2|16.0

2nd|Eglath|Goliath|Ranger 5/TRoO 8/Master of Many Forms 4/Divine Seeker 2|15.5

3rd|Dolus|Human|Human Paragon 3/Warlock 7/TRoO 10|14.0

4th|Aundair|Human|Archivist 2/Ranger 3/Extreme Explorer 5/TRoO 10|12.5

5th|Theodore|Dark Human|Factotum 5/Mindbender 1/Hoardstealer 3/TRoO 10|12.0

6th|Aasterinian|Silverbrow Human|Swordsage 4/Barbarian 3/Ranger 3/TRoO 10|11.5

7th|Tia|Changeling|Rogue 2/Divine Bard 8/TRoO 10|11.5

8th|Star|Changeling|Rogue 2/Factotum 3/Thief-Acrobat 4/TRoO 10/Exemplar 1|11.0

9th|Durbein|Desert Dwarf|Paladin 3/Master Inquisitive 2/TRoO 10/Deepwarden 5|10.0

10th|Arminel|Human|Human Paragon 1/Paladin 5/TRoO 10/Divine Seeker 4|10.0

11th|Unnamed|Tiefling|Rogue 6/Disciple of Mammon 7/TRoO 7|9.0[/table]

[TerrickTerran]

Thanks for the table, I like being able to see the characters and their classes without having to refer back to their builds.

[Empedocles]

Just a heads up, I'll be judging this weekend (sorry it's taken me so long ).

[Amphetryon]

Random survey question: What's everyone's opinion on having the next contest be for a setting-specific ingredient?

[Aeryr]

Works for me.

Even if I cross my fingers that it doesn't have a lot to deal with dragon marks, I am really unfamiliar with those. But of course, I trust your choosing capabilities as a SI, so go ahead

[DemonRoach]

Random survey question: What's everyone's opinion on having the next contest be for a setting-specific ingredient?

Adaptions allowed at all?

Regardless, Chairmans choice

[Venger]

Random survey question: What's everyone's opinion on having the next contest be for a setting-specific ingredient?

That would be fine.

[Occasional Sage]

Setting-specific? Sexy.

[Menteith]

Random survey question: What's everyone's opinion on having the next contest be for a setting-specific ingredient?

Good with me. Looking forward to it!

[Zeb]

A Forgotten Realms SI would compel me to stop lurking and start working on a build...

[Kuulvheysoon]

So long as it's Eberron, Forgotten Realms or Oriental Adventures, bring it on!

[TerrickTerran]

setting specific should be fun.

[mattie_p]

If I have the setting available and I find the time, rock on, good chairman!

*Note to self, start diving through setting splatbooks for obscure classes that get no love*

[Venger]

So long as it's Eberron, Forgotten Realms or Oriental Adventures, bring it on!

maybe it'll be yakuza. that'd be fun

[Aeryr]

Wait no, it's going to be the inquisitor, from the dragonlance campaign setting.

[mattie_p]

Wait no, it's going to be the inquisitor, from the dragonlance campaign setting.

Ooo, Dragonlance, the bane of my existence! I'd have to pass on that.

[Toy Killer]

I spose Bone Knight is out of the question, huh? since the Full casting progression and being a little too friendly for just full cleric builds?

[Amphetryon]

I spose Bone Knight is out of the question, huh? since the Full casting progression and being a little too friendly for just full cleric builds?

It's also been discussed an awful lot on various forums. The one I have in mind sees a bit less discussion.

[Venger]

It's also been discussed an awful lot on various forums. The one I have in mind sees a bit less discussion.

solar channeler?

[Yorrin]

I've no objections to setting-specific. FR, Eberron, Dragonlance, and OA are the only ones I think would get any significant volume of entries, though.

[Kuulvheysoon]

If I have the setting available and I find the time, rock on, good chairman!

*Note to self, start diving through setting splatbooks for obscure classes that get no love*

The worst part about setting-specific PrC stacking is the fluff. Trying to make multiple fluff requirements fit can be a nightmare.