Results 31 to 60 of 262
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2012-09-09, 04:34 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2006
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- Sunnydale
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
You might note that the example Justiciar, Sharsek, (Complete Warrior, pages 48-49) is illegal because he fails to meet the entry qualifications for the prestige class. Rangers don't get Gather Information as a class skill, so at Ranger 6 Sharsek can have a maximum of (6 + 3)/2 = 4½ ranks. 5 ranks are required for Justiciar entry. The City Slicker feat (Races of Destiny, page 150) could fix that problem.
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2012-09-09, 06:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2011
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Edit: Thank you Menteith
God, I'm so out of my depth here, this is going to be fun.Last edited by Careless; 2012-09-09 at 07:09 PM.
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2012-09-09, 06:50 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Minnesnowta
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Careless, you might want to PM those questions to the chairman and delete your post, though I can answer one of them for you;
"Does the Urban Tracking Feat count for Justiciar's prerequisites? Not unless someone can link to an official WotC ruling saying it does. " (post #13)Last edited by Menteith; 2012-09-09 at 06:51 PM.
There is the moral of all human tales;
'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
First freedom and then Glory - when that fails,
Wealth, vice, corruption - barbarism at last.
And History, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page...
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2012-09-09, 09:00 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
- Location
- The Great White North
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
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2012-09-09, 09:19 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Please refrain from listing entry methods into the PrC, as they could both count as speculation and negatively impact an entry's score with appearances of unoriginal concept.
Thanks.
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2012-09-09, 10:45 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-09, 11:30 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
- Location
- Utah
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
You can call me Draz.
Trophies:
Spoiler
Also of note:
- Winning Entry of Gestalt Build Challenge IV
- 3rd Place in Iron Chef XI (Blade Bravo)
- Judge of Iron Chef XXIII (Divine Champion)
I have a number of ongoing projects that I manically jump between to spend my free time ... so don't be surprised when I post a lot about something for a few days, then burn out and abandon it.
... yes, I need to be tested for ADHD.
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2012-09-09, 11:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 12:28 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Nov 2011
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
hmm...i have a couple ideas. and one that should definitely be unique.
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2012-09-10, 07:17 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2011
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Woo boy. Justiciar. Somehow I was under the impression that it was already used as an ingredient in another competition? I suppose I was wrong.
I actually have one lying around somewhere, used in an old campaign of mine. I might just go dust him off. He was singularly useless though, if I recall. Although I do have an exam coming up in two weeks. Sigh. Damn real life.Awesome fremetar by wxdruid.
From the discomfort of truth there is only one refuge and that is ignorance. I do not need to be comfortable, and I will not take refuge. I demand to *know*.
So I guess I have an internets? | And a trophy. | And a music cookie (whatever that is).
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2012-09-10, 08:09 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
- Location
- The Great White North
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
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2012-09-10, 08:23 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- Runite
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
To further elaborate, Dusk Giant is a creature from Heroes of Horror who has an ability called Cannibalize (IIRC) which allows them to eat sentinent creatures and increase their HD momentariliy, Polymorphing into one would allow you to break some level-based caps such as maximum skill points per level, which would allow Sharshek to get the required ranks in Sense motive despite being cross-class for most of his levels.
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2012-09-10, 09:17 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
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- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Nope, I was clear on that, as I was on him not qualifying for justiciar. Honestly, I just assume sample characters don't qualify until I see explicit proof to the contrary rather than the other way around since it's so common.
Oh, now I understand what you guys were talking about. Polymorphing does indeed give the cannibalize ability, which is bafflingly sorted under special attacks instead of special qualities.
However, dusk giant does call out the specific benefits you get from your extra HD: str, con, NA, hp, BA, saves, and feats. it doesn't mention skills, though the sample greater and lesser have a lot more skills. are they capable of advancing and gaining HD normally? do they gain skills anyway as a normal part of gaining hD?
this trick is indeed pretty hilarious, and seems much in the spirit of Do the Wight Thing to get rid of troublesome racial HD.
it's also nice to know that even WotC ignores that whole "if you lose the prereqs, you retroactively unqualify for a PrC" that CWar introduced.I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 09:33 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
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- Runite
- Gender
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2012-09-10, 09:58 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 10:09 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
So I have never entered one of these before, and I admit that lawful characters are not traditionally my baliwick, but I think I have a viable build for this class. Is it strictly based on levels and feats and features and backstory, or am I equipping the character as well? If so, do I just use the WBL chart in the DMG and update his equipment every level?
~Othar wanted me to know so that I would tell men that Othar the Storm-Rider had died well, and I had told him to keep a tight hold of his sword so that Othar the Storm-Rider would go to the feast hall in Valhalla where all warriors who die bravely go after death. These days, although I am old and feeble, I always wear a sword, so that when death comes I will go to that far hall where men like Othar wait for me. I look forward to meeting them.~
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2012-09-10, 10:12 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
- Location
- Runite
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
You don't have to equip it all (in fact if your character is reliant on a particular magic item, you will likely get penalized by the judges); but you can and generally it is useful to proved an idea of good items for the build (for example if your build uses Hexblade curse, you can mention that Hexbands would make the build stronger)
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2012-09-10, 10:21 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
welcome to the contest! hope you enjoy your stay.
go to the first post and look at some of the earlier entries to see what's expected and check out the chart.
you're expected to give levels, skills, feats, features, and backstory, as laid out on the chart in the OP.
you don't need to give a complete breakdown of every piece of equipment that your guy/gal has, and that is in fact discouraged for taking forever to read and having your character rely on gear rather than class features (thus showing off how cool the SI is) it also assumes WBL, which some judges take umbrage with
as long as your build doesn't rely on a specific piece of equipment to be functional at all, there's nothing wrong with listing a piece of equipment or two under an adaptation/notes section.
don't give an equipment list at every level, it'll take forever and lose you a ton of points.I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 10:29 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jun 2009
- Gender
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2012-09-10, 11:01 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
If a piece of gear your character character relies on, or that makes a nice combination with your build's features, definitely mention it. Or if your build relies on doing something unintuitive, mention that (like primarily boosting Wisdom instead of Strength on your Paladin).
But if it's just the Bag of Tricks picked as a whimsical toy, the Cloak of Resistance that every character is obligated to wear or a magic sword whose specific enhancements don't really matter, you don't need to list that, it's probably not worth mentioning.
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2012-09-10, 02:51 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I'm just throwing a question out here but what do you guys think makes a good/bad SI? Personally speaking, many of my least favorite competitions have had SI"s with lots of 1/day SLA's so that might be something.
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2012-09-10, 02:54 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2009
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- Runite
- Gender
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2012-09-10, 02:58 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I would agree with this. Stuff like stonelord is (to me) very difficult to optimise, since even though you may be able to boost its SLAs, they're still 1/day. I personally like the classes that you look at and say "wow. I wish I could play one of those, if only x were different"
it tends to be ones with really interesting flavor behind them, even if the mechanics are a little lacking. acolyte is a good example of this. it is one of the SLAs=class features holdovers from tome and blood, but the idea of binding a fiend to your skin is so awesome that I'd always liked the idea even if mechanically it didn't do a lot.I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 04:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2012
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Class features that involve big build-diverging decisions are always more fun than ones that don't (eg. a Fleshwarper with plant grafts is going to be getting different benefits out of the class than a Fleshwarper with yuan-ti grafts; I get much more of a kick out of that than Alienists, all get essentially the same thing).
1/day abilities are usually also a huge turn-off, since it's generally impractical to invest any resources in making them stronger or using them uniquely.
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2012-09-10, 04:44 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I dunno about this. In theory it's true but in practise it doesn't seem to work out that way (see the animal lord competition where most of the contestants used snakelord and the mythic exemplar competition where most of the contestants used Imdastri).
Also, fleshwarper doesn't seem like a good secret ingredient to me. Most of the actual abilities are small boring bonuses and what stops people from picking the same best grafts instead of themed ones? After all, one of the abilities of the fleshwarper is to gain access to a multitude of different types of grafts that normally are impossible to access to (for creatures not of a specific type).
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2012-09-10, 04:59 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2011
- Location
- Minnesnowta
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
- Classes with unique mechanics. Shadow Sentinel's resource system is a good example of this.
- Classes that offer choice within themselves. This could be bonus feats, mutually exclusive ability choices, or classes that offer different benefits based on how they're entered.
- Classes without significant entrance requirements. I find that alignment requirements especially give me trouble, as I can have trouble "forcing" an alignment on a character I've envisioned for a mechanical reason.There is the moral of all human tales;
'Tis but the same rehearsal of the past.
First freedom and then Glory - when that fails,
Wealth, vice, corruption - barbarism at last.
And History, with all her volumes vast,
Hath but one page...
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2012-09-10, 05:25 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I agree with this. that's part of what makes jaunter so popular in IC.
Classes that offer choice within themselves. This could be bonus feats, mutually exclusive ability choices, or classes that offer different benefits based on how they're entered.
Classes without significant entrance requirements. I find that alignment requirements especially give me trouble, as I can have trouble "forcing" an alignment on a character I've envisioned for a mechanical reason.I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 06:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
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2012-09-10, 06:13 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2011
- Location
- Texas
- Gender
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
well, as mentioned in the last thread, I think kensai would be kind of fun as an SI. it's got unique capability with its weapon stuff, customization within it, so 2 kensais are very unlikely to look the same, and it doesn't advance casting and isn't widely used. it requires 2 feats, but isn't especially difficult to get into.
the disciples/thralls of x from vile darkness also very rarely see play, and I've always wanted to do something with mammon or grazz't's people.
bloodhound would be fun for the same reason justiciar is fun: unique abilities and deceptively complex criteria to fulfill.
I know it's a little on the bland side, but I actually kind of like yakuza, and think that it's general enough that we could see a lot of different approaches to it
darkrunner is also lackluster in the same way that drow judicator was (to me anyway)
I really like fatemaker, but am not sure if its 10 levels of unique progression would discourage its use as an SI. assassin has that and it got used, so I don't think that'd rule it out entirely. I'm not sure why, but I never see people use fatemakers.
primeval, as discussed last time, is not too great and sees little use, but could be fun, and since everyone would choose their own primeval form, there'd be a lot of differentiation.
twisted lord is a class that I always thought was kind of good, but sees little use due to its obscurity. it's ridiculously easy to qualify for, and is the only class besides exemplar and uncanny trickster I've seen to give 8 points/lvl.
that's about all the 10 level, non-full casting, fun, relatively easy to enter PrCs that haven't been featured on IC I can think of right now. how about other people?
tl;dr:
kensai
thralls/disciples, especially mammon/grazz't
bloodhound
yakuza
darkrunner
fatemaker
primeval
twisted lordLast edited by Venger; 2012-09-10 at 06:15 PM.
I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-10, 06:18 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Dec 2006
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII