Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground LVIII

[Kuulvheysoon]

Due to recent... suggestions and concerns about the judging process (from all three parties - judges, participants and Chair), next round will be delayed until MONDAY as I finish up some new judging guidelines.

And with that, here's the final round of disputes for Iron Chef LVIII.

Spoiler: Tim Proctor disputes

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Lawrence "Curly" Andmo Dispute Responses

Mechanus Gear nor is Heavy Armor an exotic armor it's heavy, and everyone got Mithril. Looking at the books I see no indication that either are exotic.

Regardless of whether Mechanus Gear is exotic armor or not, my question still stands--why are 3 builds allotted Mechanus Gear while the other 18 are not? This is a question of consistency. I apologize for incorrectly ascribing the "exotic" category to mechanus gear, but if it's basic heavy armor why is it only prescribed 3 builds and not all entries with heavy armor proficiency? Likewise, why aren't builds that are proficient in the use of shields being prescribed tower shields for the additional AC? I am unable to see a consistent way that armor was prescribed from build to build.

Regarding grammar you literally wrote "Assume Supernatural Ability, which allows you to take on the Supernatural (Su) abilities of your Alter Self forms." As written and as read means 'all', had you written it appropriately you wouldn't have got dinged.

While I appreciate the grammarian's touch, I don't recall any other builds being deducted for grammar. As a matter of consistency, then, I'd ask that you remove this deduction in my case as I've proven to you that the deduction was not caused by my use of a questionable interpretation, but differences in how we interpret generic plurals with definite articles.

Regarding defeating a foe, you're right Antil shouldn't have gotten the +.0.05, bonuses were reserved for winning rates of 1 or higher, that was an error.

My original question remains unanswered--if a .7 winning rate equals a 70% chance of success, how could a build have a winning rate of greater than 1 (or 100%)? Also, while you mention that an error was made on Anti's build, you did not indicate how that error is going to be resolved. Would all builds with a .7 rate receive the same errant bonus, or would it be removed from Anti's build? It seems unfair to punish Anti for a mistake made by the judge.

Regarding ASF, Death peeps ignore it and you are relying on items for it. They have a class feature that allows them to function with armor and cast spells... you don't.

Incorrect; I do have a class feature that allows me to function with armor and cast spells--the Spellsword's ASF reduction. I have used items to further enhance this ability, while others used a class feature that made this ability entirely redundant. I received no adjustment to my UoSI for supplementing a class feature through use of items, while these other builds received a bonus for entirely ignoring a class feature of the Secret Ingredient in favor of something stronger. I find that puzzling. Would a duskblade have received a bonus in UoSI since they can channel spells without having to use a move action?

The main cause for dispute, however, was that you scored contrary to your own criteria. You simply wanted to see how much ASF could be reduced, to which I responded "110%, the most in this round of competition." There was no mention of the requirement that further reductions be from class features. If you want to clarify your criteria for future rounds that's one thing, but here I'm only asking you to adhere to the criteria you had previously posted.

Tim,

Thank you for taking the time to address my previous disputes. Seriously, at this point I'm just being nitpicky, so you are free to tell me to piss off, although I'd be curious to hear your thoughts. If you'd prefer to move this out of the realm of disputes, then I'm happy trading PMs once the contest is over.

Polymorph and Alter self (into outsider or aberration) are significantly more useful than fiendform from a utility standpoint, that is why those points where awarded. Basically the options with fiendform are very limited.

They are limited in selection of forms, but alter self does not change your stats or provide any additional abilities, and only provides bonuses such as natural armor and natural attacks. It also caps out at forms of 5 HD. Polymorph is obviously a heck of a lot more versatile than fiendform, no argument there - but even polymorph does not give, for example, the SLAs, Supernatural abilities or special qualities of the chosen form, which fiendform does.

Regarding Fey Bloodline, this is an elegance ruling about what I would expect a reasonable DM to rule on, and I think they would have problems with the 'spirit' of the rules. There was no deduction to power or an FtQ but simply a 'questionable' aspect. It's not a literal RAW disagreement, but a RAI disagreement/question.

Regarding the Foe, I didn't score for the Redcap but the Kobold and wanted to point out the issues with the storyline as written, and I agree that is why I used a kobold warrior instead of something stupid.

Understood on both counts. Thanks for clarifying.

Regarding armor use, Antil got a bonus because they spent 2 feats for armor use, Mekihl got an award for Suel Archanamach adding +10%, this build didn't 'add' anything to the SI and while I understand the dependency on it, it's not the same as 'adding on it'.

I guess I'm a bit confused here. Antil gets a bonus because of spending two feats for heavy armor proficiency? Halfdan the Black already has heavy armor proficiency, as does every build in this contest. I'm not sure why spending feats to gain heavy armor proficiency makes Antil's build get more use out of the ASF reduction than any other build.

Regarding Channel Spell, Anh got points for getting two people with a channel spell via the Master Thrower trick, not because the spell used. As you can see in the other disputes this section wasn't about what spell you used but adding to the spirit of the ability. Again, this is about feats, class abilities and such that 'add on', instead of the spell used, the spell used is calculated in power with the spell level available.

OK, I suppose that makes sense. I guess I was confused by the inclusion of enervation under your list of reasons why you provided a bonus. That being said... Halfdan DID spend feats, class abilities and such to improve his Channel Spell. Specifically, he could not have accomplished the move action geas-channeling trick without taking Arcane Disciple (Domination), and he could not have accomplished the dweomer of transference immunity to magic trick without being a naturally psionic creature. These aren't tricks that are reflected in the level of the spell; they're tricks that specifically work because of Halfdan the Black's build choices.

Finally, you seem to have missed this part of my previous dispute:

"Versatility/Other 0.15 Stealth (invisibility, silence)"

Other builds were given boosts for things like summoning (Aurelius Deadfather) and polymorph/alter self (several builds), but Halfdan was not given this same boost despite mentioning summoning, binding and fiendform uses in his tactics.

The polymorph section was addressed above, but not the summoning/binding issue. Is there a reason why Aurelius received a bonus in this regard, but Halfdan the Black did not?

Thanks again, both for judging and for reviewing my disputes.

I originally wasn't going to say anything, but there has been a lot of challenging already and there were a few things I wanted clarification on.

With regards to UOSI:Channel Spell, Anti can deliver Channel Spell at a range of 60 ft with Whirling Blade, and as a swift action with Quickened Whirling Blade. In addition, Quickened True Strike works with Channel Spell and can guarantee hits in a lot of situations. Since the theme of your judgment of Channel Spell seemed to be what you could do to help use it, as opposed to what you channeled with it, I think these are valid concerns because they are pretty powerful options (The "Landing Spells" sections detailed a lot more options with similar purposes, but these are the most potent.)

I'm also a little sad to lose extra points for not getting Multi-Channel when the idea at high levels is to channel Anti-Magic Field which sort of makes channeling other things... questionable, but I can understand that's just part of the rubric.

Whatever you decide, thanks for your time.

@Tim

Questionable Rules Doesn't Atrophus already have a minion who worked for Orcus (Gorguth)? How would Orcus feel about someone dedicated to Atrophus becoming his Thrall? Can you serve two masters?
Qualification -
Other -3.1 Bonus feats for being dedicated to elder evils are like a flaw and without them there are FtQ issues so I can't ignore them.

Elder Evils describes Thralls of Juiblex who are dedicated to Zargon, so there is precedent for being dedicated to an Elder Evil and being the Thrall of a Demon Lord. Gorguth's rebellion is described as a rash decision as a result of Gorguth being tired of Orcus' incessant plotting, and making rash actions without thinking tends to be playing directly into the hands of schemers. It's also hard to really see how the coming of the World Born Dead isn't in Orcus' interests.

That seems mostly irrelevant though, since you're penalizing Elder Evil feats as if they were flaws. I disagree with this interpretation, as dedication to an Elder Evil places restrictions on a character's alignment, and therefore advancement options, that flaws do not, and feel this is unreasonably punitive, but you're within your rights to judge that way. I only ask that if you're going to treat Giorre as having used flaws, you treat him as having used flaws. I would argue that either of the following two options would be fairer ways of adjudicating given your treatment of Giorre's dedication to Atropus.

1) I only need two of the bonus vile feats to qualify for Thrall of Orcus, and the rest are basically window dressing. Would I have scored better had I just taken two flaws to qualify for Thrall of Orcus, or do the lost originality points/UoSI points for longer feat chains account for more than I'd get back for having fewer 'flaws'?

2) I provide guidelines in my adaptation section for what to take with flaw feats, and as my Elegance can't go any lower, it would be a straight bonus to my score. It'd add 3 feats that no one else took for an originality boost, would add 36 to my max damage with the Green Dragon polymorph form you used, and would add what arguably works as a second means of conveying a channeled spell to multiple targets (Steel Wind) and a boost to my primary means of conveying channeled spells (an extra 5 ft of reach on Area Attacks), which should result in a boost to UoSI.

@Tim Proctor: It was just brought to my attention that you awarded the first 4 builds with 1 point for taking all ten levels of Spellsword, but after that you only awarded 0.5 points. Accidental?

Spoiler: Rama/Ikeren disputes

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Players handbook page 62 have this to say about the cap on skill points

Regardless of whether a skill is purchased as a class skill or a cross-class skill, if it is a class for any of your classes, your maximum rank equals your total character level +3.

which makes many of your stated issues with Elegance (and all of your issues with UoSI, and prehaps even slightly on the Power) invalid and needing of a review, as held together with Able Learner it ends up with a "once a Class Skill, always a class skill" for all intends and purposes

You put a 0 in USI for qualification issues, I guess because the lack of Knowledge (Arcana) indication.
While is totally my fault not indicating that Dragon have Knowledge (any) as class skill, and Rohl can get it getting third racial HD, may you please reconsider?

Even if you don't, I would also like to know your opinion of the other sides of USI you didn't mention.

Thank you

@Ilkeren

You use the armor stuff in the standard way, and your bonus feat is Power attack, which you also don't capitalize on.

Minor point of order. Power Attack is a prerequisite feat both for Area Attack (arguably the most important feat in the build) and Beloved of Demons (not particularly important, but also a thing Giorre takes).

@Rama

Being a Thrall to Orcus and Dedicated to Atropus at the same time could be an issue for DMs. A small deduction is warranted. +.50 points

As I noted in my dispute to Tim, there is precedent for Demon Lord Thralls being dedicated to Elder Evils - specifically a Cult of Juiblex headed by Thralls of Juiblex seeking to bring about Zargon in the relevant campaign outline in Elder Evils - and bringing Atropus to the world is a direct advancement of Orcus' portfolio and interests.

Synergy is difficult to determine, with spells not presented. The Enervation/Arcane Thesis could make a nasty channel spell punch, but other alternatives are unknown. The potential fit is there, but it could be clearer. +.75 points
The SI is somewhat overwhelmed by the necromancy pervading the build. It seems like the other aspect is more key to the concept than is the SI. +.50 points

Other alternatives are basically "anything other than enchantment from level 1-8 on the Wizard list." I didn't call them out specifically, because they weren't any different from what any other Wizard or Sha'ir could do with the SI. Calling attention to, say, the fact that say, a Spellsword can circumvent the casting time of Mineralize Warrior (Underdark) and compel 2*CL worth of enemies to serve them for a year and a day with a no save, non-Mind Affecting spell didn't seem right, because it's something my build can do by virtue of having access to the Sor/Wiz list and levels in Spellsword, which is true for a lot of the builds here. The Wizard spell list is enormous, versatile, and incredibly powerful. It can essentially do anything, yes that too, if the day's adventures seem likely to warrant it. That's what T1 casting is. For the purpose of the build write-up, it only seemed to make sense to discuss his go-to spells for everyday evil. Which I did. I said that he would Polymorph into the biggest, baddest thing he could (and said what those things were) and use Fell Drain Blade of Blood and Fell Drain Moilan Enervation to convey large numbers of negative levels.

Moreover, I said that by casting the Blade of Blood and channeling the Enervation into the improvised weapon that was to be used for Area Attacking, and hence that a) those negative levels would be bestowed on all the enemies up to two sizes smaller than the polymorph form I was using within a semi-circle of radius equal to my reach (so probably a lot of them) and that if I used undead sturdy enough to whether the initial blow and the Blade of Blood damage, they would receive healing and temporary HP from the Moilan Enervation and hence that I could worry less about collateral damage to my own side.

That was incidentally also why I emphasized the undead so much. Minionmancy is an important aspect of Wizard power, and it was important to have something that would handle the huge area of bludgeoning damage, negative levels, and negative energy that I would be laying down on a regular basis reasonably well.

@Rama

[*]Unfortunately, we have a qualification issue. Needs 2nd level spellcasting, only has first level spells. As such, UotSI score set to 0.00

I use Improved sigil (krau) to heighten my first level spells to 2nd in order to qualify then requalify with 2nd level spells from Suel Arcanamach

Thanks for judging Ikeren and Rama. I'm really grateful, and I hope these disputes don't seem too confrontational.

Elegance: Channelling into an Elvencraft Bow and then shooting the channelled arrows is pretty ambiguous, and I'm not certain DM's would allow it. Otherwise, it's a pretty darn clean and straighforward build.

For reasons discussed later (see Elegance) I can’t bring myself to call the SI an enhancement of power. Your main attack I just don’t see working with the channel spell ability, thus you’re losing power. +0.00 points

I don’t really buy your argument with the elvencraft longbow. That would allow you to channel spell if you were using it as a quarterstaff (which the bow allows), but doesn’t let you make any arrow you shoot qualify as a melee attack for channel spell. I think you’d have issues getting that to fly at a table. +0.00 points

I am not claiming to shoot channeled arrows or to be making a melee attack. The Channel Spell feature says this...

Channel Spell (Sp): At 4th level, a spellsword can channel any spell he can cast into his melee weapon. Using this ability requires a move action, and the spellsword uses up the prepared spell or spell slot just as if he had cast the spell. The channeled spell affects the next target that the spell sword successfully attacks with his weapon (saving throws and spell resistance still apply). Even if the spell normally affects an area or is a ray, it affects only the target. The spell is discharged from the weapon, which can then hold an other spell. A spellsword can channel his spells into only one weapon at a time. Spells channeled into a weapon are lost if not used in 8 hours.

Emphasis mine. If the Elvencraft bow is a melee weapon (it is) and if shooting someone in the face is successfully attacking with the weapon (I really don't see how it could not be), then the requirements for Channel Spell going off are satisfied. The only place in which the melee aspect and ranged aspect of Elvencraft Bows are segregated is in the application of magical enhancements, which are a Defined Game Thing that does not include this class feature. You're within your rights to say that it goes against RAI or that DMs might look askance at it, but the RAW is unambiguously in my favor.

If we assume your longbow interpretation is accurate…there is some synergy with the mechanical abilities of the SI. Although since you’re ranged, the armor benefits are largely irrelevant as well. +.75 points

Adamantine armor would grant damage reduction to increase sturdiness against enemy archers trying to deal with Amueli (especially non-dedicated archers), but I didn't mention it in the write up and it's a significant enough increase in expense that I'll concede that point.

Ikeren,

Thanks for judging! I don't have too many comments, but I did want to clarify a couple of points regarding Halfdan's elegance:

Whether you get bonus spells based on charisma from 1-3 on a prestige class with 4th+ casting is pretty iffy even when you add them via a feat --- so no, I'm not sure you get glitterdust --- which also makes it unclear if you even actually qualify for spellsword.

Just to be clear, Halfdan the Black does NOT get bonus spells from Charisma from 1-3. That's not how he's qualifying.

Fey Bloodline gives him spells known, not spells per day. They add a number of spells to his spell list, even though he does not have the ability to cast many of those spells. The feat is pretty clear that it automatically adds those spells known at each spell level at the time you take the feat - unlike, for example, the heritage feats from PHB2, which instead says that you do not gain the spells known until you gain access to spells of the appropriate level.

So, once he knows the spells, Halfdan is using his 4th-level spell slots to cast his spells from levels 1-3. Per the SRD:

A spellcaster always has the option to fill a higher-level spell slot with a lower-level spell. A spellcaster who lacks a high enough ability score to cast spells that would otherwise be his or her due still gets the slots but must fill them with spells of lower level.

Even though the spell is being cast out of a 4th-level spell slot, it is still a 2nd-level spell (otherwise the Heighten Spell metamagic would be useless, since you could just cast out of higher level slots). In this way, Halfdan can cast arcane spells from levels 1-3.

I also think you're deliberately misreading dweomer of transferance:

I'm certainly not using it in its intended fashion - it was obviously intended as an out of combat way for a spellcaster to recharge a psion's power points. However, I believe what I'm doing is correct by RAW.

Much of what you're referencing is from the spell's "flavor text," if you will. XPH did not put flavor text in italics, like many subsequent books. Instead, the first paragraph includes a couple of lines describing the spell, followed by the crunch. For example, look at the other spells on page 219:

Glossolalia says, "You utter shrieks of nonsense and gibberish that thinking creatures find distracting and confusing. The spell effects only creatures with Intelligence scores of 3 or higher. Any such creatures within the spell's area must succeed on..."

Mental Pinnacle says, "For a brief time, you achieve the mental domination of a powerful psion, able to lash out at enemies using only the power of your mind. You revel in your new mental powers to the point that you disdain using spells, even in the form of magic items. You gain a +4 enhancement to..."

So again, with both of the other spells on the same page, there are a couple of sentences of second-person description that depict how the spell appears from the outside, followed by the actual crunch of the spell. So, with Dweomer of Transference, we have much the same - a line of second-person description, followed by what actually happens in the spell:

"With this spell, you form a radiating corona around the head of a psionic ally, then convert some of your spells into power points. When you finish casting dweomer of transference, a red-orange glow surrounds the psionic creature's head. For the duration of the spell, any spells cast at the subject don't have their usual effect, instead converting themselves harmlessly into psionic energy."

However, regardless of whether it works by RAW, I can understand that a DM might not allow it to work in their game, so the deduction is fair. I would like to point out that the build still is an effective build without the dweomer of transference magic immunity.

Thanks again for taking the time to judge!

To all judges, a thousand gratitudes upon you. Judging can be a thankless job at the best of times, and you guys have given it your all this time.

[sideswipe]

i hope dysprosium can get his scores in on time. im very interested in what he has to say.

[dysprosium]

next round will be delayed until MONDAY

i hope dysprosium can get his scores in on time. im very interested in what he has to say.

With this extension I should be able to finish. I could probably still get it done by Friday but this gives me more breathing room.

[Ingus]

With this extension I should be able to finish. I could probably still get it done by Friday but this gives me more breathing room.

What? A delay? You're gonna get a 25% cut on your salary wage for judging.

[Sian]

What? A delay? You're gonna get a 25% cut on your salary wage for judging.

Well, given that if anything he's getting a negative wage (time loss), then i don't think he minds

[OMG PONIES]

Due to recent... suggestions and concerns about the judging process (from all three parties - judges, participants and Chair), next round will be delayed until MONDAY as I finish up some new judging guidelines.

You're going to tempt me with a new round and new judging guidelines? Monday's gonna be a good day . Also, let me know if you want any input from an old head like myself. Also, let me know if you don't.

And with that, here's the final round of disputes for Iron Chef LVIII.

A spot of wishful thinking, or a moratorium from the Chair? because I've got others ready to go...

Well, given that if anything he's getting a negative wage (time, sanity, and dignity loss), then i don't think he minds

FTFY.

[Ingus]

Well, given that if anything he's getting a negative wage (time loss), then i don't think he minds

Don't underevaluate the value of "nothing".

By the way, Dysposium pinpointed a very obscure homage to Monty Phyton in another thread, which granted him great consideration by me.
Therefore, I'll flame no more than three times on his judgement

@OMGPonies: no, he won't lose dignity.
He will be forever remembered as judge in this round by the tireless archivist we both know and praised by us all and all the fellow optimizer of the world.
His name will be written in stone on the immaginary hall of gamers and will echo in eternity.
He will be always remembered as one of us

...

Well, maybe you're right

[Ikeren]

Spoiler: Giorre, +0.5 points

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Power Attack is a prerequisite feat both for Area Attack (arguably the most important feat in the build) and Beloved of Demons (not particularly important, but also a thing Giorre takes).

Fair point, I missed that. I'll give you a +0.5 points on your use of secret ingredient score, for a total score of 16.

Spoiler: Amueli, no adjustment

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I agree entirely about the rules as written. I was just pointing out that unless it was a more lenient DM or RAW emphasized DM, I wouldn't expect it to fly at the table --- and I think you more or less agree.

Spoiler: Halfdan the Black, no adjustment

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Alright, I misunderstood that. I apologize. That being said, it's still a "qualifying trick" and still merits some penalty. While I agree that it works, it's still not the simple and "intended" way.

And let's actually get the full quote from the EPH, instead of your slightly convenient truncation

With this spell, you form a radiating corona around the head of a psionic ally, then convert some of your spells into psionic power points. Whenyou finish casting dweomer of transference, a red-orange glow surrounds the psionic creature’s head. For the duration of the spell, any spells cast at the subject don’t have their usual effect, instead converting themselves harmlessly into psionic energy that the subject can use as energy for psionic powers. You can cast any spell you like at the subject, even area spells, effect spells, and spells for whom the subject would ordinarily not be a legitimate target. The spells don’t do anything other than provide the subject with power points, but you must still cast them normally, obeying the component and range requirements listed in the description of each spell.

For each spell you cast into the dweomer of transference, the psionic creature gets temporary power points, according to the following table. The transference isn’t perfectly efficient; for instance, if you cast a 7th-level spell at a psionic creature, it receives insufficient psionic power points to manifest a 7th level power. The temporary power points acquired through a dweomer of transference dissipate after 1 hour if they haven’t already been spent.

I find it mildly amusing that you would suggest the second sentence is the one that denotes rules, and the rest are flavour text. The entry says "You cast" 7 times, before and after the sentence you emphasize and fails to exactly once. Let's compare Glossolalia:

You utter shrieks of nonsense and gibberish that thinking creatures find distracting and confusing. The spell affects only creatures with Intelligence scores of 3 or higher. Any such creatures within the spell’s area must succeed on Fortitude saves or be stunned for 1 round (if they have Intelligence scores of 20 or higher), dazed for 1 round (if they have Intelligence scores between 10 and 19), or shaken for 1 round (if they have Intelligence scores between 3 and 9). In addition, a creature within the spell’s area loses any psionic focus it might have had and takes a –4 penalty on Concentration checks for 1 round. These effects happen whether or not the creature succeeded on its save.

I would like to hear your argument about how the first sentence is flavour text (italics), the second sentence is the important part of the rules (bold) and the rest (underlined) can be safely ignored.

Looking over your build, I feel pretty comfortable with the Elegance score I gave you, even in light of this commentary. I find you kinda funny, which I'd love to boost your score for, but I don't think "amusement factor" is one of the categories.

[Ikeren]

My disputes have been entered and updated.

Standings After Three Judges

Entry	Place	Tim's	Ikeren's	Rama's	Total	Average
Lawrence "Curly" Andmo	Gold	17.65	15.5	18	51.15	4.2625
Onnedad Kairdwen	Silver	16.3	15	15.75	47.05	3.92083
Anh the Houseless	Bronze	15.05	15	16.75	46.8	3.9
Anti the Kinslayer	4th	15.34	15.5	15.5	46.34	3.86167
Halfdan the Black	5th	15.05	14	16.75	45.8	3.8167
Amueli R'thaceu	6th	15.92	16	13.75	45.67	3.80583
Giorre	7th	14.39	16	14.5	44.89	3.7408
Mekihl Krivim tibur Ptahzur	8th	15.72	13.5	12.75	41.97	3.4975
Subjugator Sarlagiin	9th	14.95	13	13.5	41.45	3.454167
Starshatter	10th	17.13	11.5	12.5	41.13	3.4275
Drylax	11th	14.34	12	14.75	41.09	3.424167
Balthos of Myr	12th	11.73	15	14.25	40.98	3.415
Aurelius Deadfeather	13th	15.94	12.5	12	40.44	3.37
Naras	14th	14.17	12	11.75	37.92	3.16
Naphesche Zarna	15th	14.96	14	8.75	37.71	3.1425
Balthazar Naught	16th	14.55	12.5	10.5	37.55	3.129167
Rohlerryn	17th	13.63	14	8.5	36.13	3.01083
Taishi	18th	13.33	12	8.5	33.83	2.819167
Experiment "Novem"	19th	10.98	13	9.25	33.23	2.769167
Exavier	20th	13.75	8	9.5	31.25	2.604167
Meepo	21st	12.70	9.5	6.25	28.45	2.37083

[Kuulvheysoon]

A spot of wishful thinking, or a moratorium from the Chair? because I've got others ready to go...

A moratorium. I am not accepting any more disputes this round.

[Sian]

So even if Dys manages to finish judging there is no ability to dispute it?

[dysprosium]

A moratorium. I am not accepting any more disputes this round.

So even if Dys manages to finish judging there is no ability to dispute it?

Awesome! I can tell everyone that they are terrible and not have to worry!

In other news, I should have scores up in an hour or so.

[Kuulvheysoon]

So even if Dys manages to finish judging there is no ability to dispute it?

Honestly it'd just drag this flooded-out extension evern further - I'm going camping this weekend (actually leaving in a handful of hours) and I won't have any internet access until late Sunday night.

[Sian]

Pull a quick one appointing someone neither judging or having a dish up, for collecting them? ... should be someone around that could do that for Dys only

[dysprosium]

The Spellsword, one of WotC’s earliest attempts at mixing swords and sorcery together. We have twenty one entrants that have taken this oft dipped prestige class into full blown builds. As tempted as I was to read the other judges’ scorings I did not (other than some quick skimming of the judge that caused a lot of peoples’ knickers to be in a twist). So you will have to forgive me if I cover ground that has already been covered in judging and disputes. One observation that I made is that there are a lot more evil builds this round than I had thought there would be. [holding hands up] Not that there is anything wrong with it.[/Seinfeld]

Let’s take a look at how I will be looking at the builds themselves:

Spoiler: dysprosium's criteria

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First of all, though some may not agree with this assessment, I believe that the four categories are interrelated. It’s more of an observation really. I’ve noticed that by really trying to score high in one category can create a drop in one or more of the others. Second, my scoring style is more organic, that is to say that you might not necessarily be able to say definitively that you were awarded 0.5 for a particular thing or penalized 0.25 for another. All categories start at 3 and are adjusted from there which makes 12 an average score.
Originality: This seems easy enough. Try and come up with an idea that has not been thought up before. However just because you pick some weird monster or race out of Monster Manual Infinity does not necessarily mean that the entire idea is original. Also how does your idea stack against your fellow competitors? Does your story catch my interest and make me want to read more? Do you have more for me to read? Did I roll my eyes as I read the entry?
Power: OK so you’re a powerhouse and can do ungodly amounts of damage. That is not that impressive if you can be easily charmed into OMGsmashing your party by an opposing spellcaster. Also do you rely on other things to make you go? Does your DMM Persist Cleric rely on nightstick stacking or does your Shadowdancer rely on a Mobility feat from his armor to qualify for that class? Also how relevant are you in different situations? Social power is power too. I hope I made my point here. Are you viable and playable at all levels or is there a certain maturation process that has to take place?
Elegance: Call me old fashioned but I believe certain things should stay in certain settings. Please don’t tell me about your warforged Wizard from Sharn studying at the Library in Silverymoon using the Greyhawk Method. Don’t tell me about how you sold your soul to an Elder Evil, a Demon Prince, and an Archdevil (all to gain bonus feats) all while proclaiming your innocence before the Seven Heavens of Celestia for that prestige class you really want to get into. Do you qualify for all of your feats and other prestige classes outside of the SI? Have you provided a list of sources to make judging easier? Are you basing the entire premise of your build on questionable rules?
Use of the Secret Ingredient: Do you qualify for the SI? Note that I give out zeroes if you do not at all. Do you take it to completion and if not is there an explanation? Is the SI an integral part of your build or is it taken to satisfy the parameters of the competition? Does your build showcase the class abilities of the SI? How does it all tie together? Does the build feel like it would be a strong member of the SI? Note for this Round’s special requirement: Must have defeated a foe through force of arms alone, without recourse to spellcasting. What does this mean to me? Most of the entries have some sort of non spellcasting component to it so it is reasonable to say that at one point prior to entering the SI, the character completed the fluff requirement—whatever that may have been. Since no one claimed that stepping on an ant as a young lad met the fluff requirement, I am not going to hold some arbitrary fight over the builder’s head. Those builds that wrote in how they fulfilled the fluff requirement will be rewarded with a slight score adjustment however.

Taishi 10

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Originality: 3.5
Illumian is not what I first think of for “typical Rokugan family,” but let’s go with that. I do enjoy Wu Jen, and Spelldancer adds a different flavor than what was expected from my point of view. Fighter was expected of course for the weapon and armor proficiencies. The background itself is short and I wish I had more since there is potential here and I am greedy in that way.
Power: 2.5
I feel as though you put yourself at a disadvantage with your ability score array. Perform is a Charisma based skill and you have no bonus in it. This also takes away from some of your other potential combat maneuvers, namely the dances. One of your feats—Skill Focus—is spent building it up which could be used for another metamagic or combat feat like Power Attack (which would do well especially once you use giant size). You mentioned in the presentation section how at Level 10 Taishi cannot persist spells yet but the feat is taken at Level 6, which seems a little inefficient to me. You are also no social butterfly and could contribute little during social situations. I do like the idea of using Arcane Strike to power help power channeled spells for more damage especially given the number of spells you can have.
Elegance: 1.5
There are some issues with the build as presented as well. With a Dexterity of 10, you do not qualify for Dodge which leads to the not qualifying for Mobility, and the Spelldancer prestige class. You do not qualify for the Metamagic Spell Focus (transmutation) feat since you are neither a Transmuter nor have Spell Focus (transmutation). A comprehensive list of spells known would have been quite helpful as well as let us know which one of the elements that Taishi follows as a Wu Jen.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5
You do not qualify for the SI when you take it since at Level 5 your BAB is only +3. However you do take the SI to completion. There is no showcase of what the class abilities do for you though. What spells do you typically channel? I do like that you use the Spellsword bonus feat to help fuel your prerequisites for Spelldancer. While in the warlord’s service I can figure you had to use force of arms alone to deal with foes. Based on what I have read though it feels more like a Spelldancer more than a Spellsword.

Aurelius Deadfeather 13.25

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Originality: 3.25
So here we have a white sheep of the family which is quickly overcome by the rest of the family’s darkness. This story provides us with the background for the build. I would like a little more story personally but as I’ve said before, I’m greedy that way. Aurelius is a lesser aasimar so we need Fighter to give us all of the weapon proficiencies as well as armor proficiencies. Bard and Nar Demonbinder is not necessarily a combination that one thinks of.
Power: 4.25
Your channeled spells mentioned are powerful. Your delivery appears to be coming from a spiked chain which means that you have reach capability Your BAB gets to the desired +16 to gain the fourth iterative attack. You are charismatic enough and have some social skills to not be totally left out of social engagements. Then of course is the Use Magic Device skill. You do not have a dependence upon items or templates to make you go. And then there is the whole demonbinding thing.
Elegance: 2.5
The way your build is presented makes us take quite a few things for granted. You have no list of spells known for either the Bard or Nar Demonbinder. Talfirian Song specifies heightening your illusions spells only. Since you don’t have any spells listed it cannot be certain that you have illusion spells to heighten. Some DMs might not let you get away with your “chicanery” either. You also do not have any languages listed and Abyssal is a listed requirement for Nar Demonbinder. For this prestige class you also need knowledge of at least one summon monster spell. Again with none listed, we cannot be sure. This is one of those situations where if all of the i’s were dotted and t’s were crossed, you would score higher here. I see the Human Heritage feat so you can qualify for Talfirian Song since it specifies a Faerunian human ethnicity but you also have the Fiendish Bloodline on your lesser aasimar. Some DMs might balk at all of this racial diversity inside one character.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.25
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. You may not showcase the Sis abilities but at least you make mention of spells that you like to channel. I do like the use of the bonus feat to set up Talfirian Song. There is no specific mention of defeating any enemy with use of force only. I can see you as a Spellsword but it doesn’t seem to be first. I would call you a Nar Demonbinder first.

Meepo 7.5

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Note: I’m going to take a stab in the dark here and guess that you are new to the competition itself. To score better you may want to see how builds were scored in previous rounds and check the opening posts for rules clarifications.
Originality: 2.5
Never realized how common a name Meepo was for kobolds. But that’s all I know about this build—a name. Fighter to satisfy all of the weapon and armor proficiencies. Then you take all of the known cheesiest parts of the kobold—namely venerable dragonwrought desert kobold—and made a fondue. There is not much to comment upon since there is not much to work with unfortunately.
Power: 4
Even though you have Tier 1.5 casting with no spells listed or even a wish list of spells, it is hard to gauge the power of this build. Incantrix on top of this kind of spellcasting is always strong though. You do achieve 8th level spells and the fourth iterative attack from BAB. Skills are at a premium and with the low Charisma, you are not going to be much use in social situations.
Elegance: 0
You utilize flaws which are automatic deductions to the score. We have use of materials not allowed for the competition—namely the spellhoarding template from Dragon Magazine. Based upon what I have read about this template, it would only change how the spells are prepared and not the spell progression—and that is only for dragon racial casting. I am one of those DMs that believe that kobolds are not true dragons—even if they take the Dragonwrought feat. You do not qualify for Abjurant Champion because you do not have the Combat Casting feat. You pick up Iron Will from Otyugh Hole which is known to be somewhat inelegant. You have no sources listed for anything which makes things harder to find. There are table issues as well—Practiced Spellcaster is listed twice.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 1
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. There is no showcasing of the SI class abilities (indeed no showcasing of anything at all). There is no fluff to satisfy a fluff requirement. In fact given the rest of the build, Spellsword actually hinders rather than optimizes the build itself.

Rohlerryn 7.75

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Originality: 3.75
A baby dragon that achieves the fighting power of gods by following the Eberron deities’ mandates and prophecies. I like the vague overtone of with the wise words of a sage surrounding the entry. It is very short though. Using the Wyrm of War archetype for weapon and armor proficiencies was only done by yourself. Sorcerer for spellcasting and this is the only Bloodclaw Master. I am surprised by the lack of Tome of Battle material this round.
Power: 2.5
You’re a baby dragon—a small creature. That gives you a disadvantage when using your natural abilities in conjunction with your feats. Unspecified Tier 2 spellcasting with no spells listed that gets to 4th level mixed in with maneuvers could give you versatility but we also do not know where you are lacking. With no skills listed it is hard to determine your capability in social situations. Given your jumping style of combat as well, heavy armor is going to hamper you. The SI takes away arcane spell failure for casting, and does not reduce armor check penalties.
Elegance: 1.5
First of all it is customary to full out all of the skills. This helps in figuring out whether or not feats and prestige classes are qualified for but also to gauge what can be done in non combat situations. As such it cannot be determined if you qualify for Leap Attack feat (Jump 8 ranks) or the Bloodclaw Master prestige class (Jump 9 ranks). Wyrm of War also implies following the teachings of the Eberron deities Dol Dorron or the Mockery. I did not see either one mentioned in the entry. Let’s add to this the assumption that the DM would allow the use of maneuvers instead of spells for your dragon, as that is spelled out as an ask your DM question. Then there is the implication that those maneuvers are only for the racial spellcasting of the dragon which may or may not be increased by the class levels. I also believe that you do not qualify for the 5th level maneuver gained via Bloodclaw Master. I also do not believe that you qualify for Quicken Spell Like Ability as spell channeling, though a spell like ability, does not have its own caster level and as such does not meet the prerequisite caster level 10 or higher. At least you didn’t try slapping the Sovereign template on a kobold.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 0
It cannot be determined if you qualify for the SI with no skills listed. Compare this to the other competitor that did not list any skills: Balthos of Myr. At least that build specified having the ranks in Knowledge (arcana) to qualify for the SI. You did not. However this category would not have scored very high anyway. There is no showcase for the SI class abilities. No example spells to channel and only the mention of wearing mithral full plate armor. There is also no mention of defeating an enemy by force alone, though it can be implied since you are a dragon after all. I just do not see this dragon as a Spellsword given as presented.

Mekihl Krivim tibur Ptahzur 14.5

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Originality: 4.25
An illumian turned dragonborn from Faerun who studies an ancient Suloise fighting style. I like the background story you presented as well: an orphan twice struggling with his racial isolation fighting the good fight against chromatic dragons. Standard Cleric for armor proficiencies and Hexblade for weapon proficiencies is a different approach for qualifying for the SI. Suel Arcanamach tops off our unusual build.
Power: 3.75
Hexblade is known as a debuffer and is especially effective when paired with the dark companion alternate class feature. I also like all of the condition modifiers that you can potentially add with your feats and spells. Unfortunately you have pegged yourself as a combat only character. Outside of combat you are not going to be able to contribute much. You have a decent Charisma but no social skills to pair with it.
Elegance: 2.5
You qualify for your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI but you are going to need a permissive DM to get a lot of these things all together though. Dreadful Wrath is a regional feat that illumians are not explicitly called out as available races—humans, kuo-toa, and the planetouched. You are clearly Faerunian and even though you spent the skill points for it, Ancient Suloise is not a language readily available in the Forgotten Realms since it is a language of an ethnicity native to the Greyhawk Setting. I’m not sure that just by going through the Ritual of Rebirth you are allowed to swap out your illumian only feats for other feats. Granted you have to lose those feats as you are no longer an illumian, but I do not see where you get to necessarily get to compensate for that loss. I believe that becomes a question to ask your DM.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 4
I appreciate the fact that you acknowledge your disqualification (and subsequent requalification) in your write up. There is a fleeting passage about defeating enemies through force of arms alone while traveling with adventurers. You do not have a showcase highlighting your SI class features but they are mentioned along with good examples. Suel Arcanamach helps lower the arcane spell failure with its own percentage reductions. I also like your choices of spells for channeling. You feel like a Spellsword to me making Bahamut proud.

Halfdan the Black 19 and my choice for Honorable Mention if it does not end up placing

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Originality: 4.5
A one giant killing machine making his way through the Fey Realms to claim his supposed birthright. I really enjoyed the story and accompanying text about Halfdan—quite possibly the best of the round. Even though we have seen Nar Demonbinder already it is paired up with (standard hooray!) Cleric this time. Creature type grants the weapon proficiencies and Cleric providing the armor proficiencies. Even though we have seen these classes already, this is a combination that had not been conceived. Primordial is known for increasing the magic potential of a character and Fey Bloodline is known to get some great spells added to one’s spell list.
Power: 4.75
Did I mention that you are a killing machine? You may have read about my own aborted entry was going to use Cleric spells to channel but Halfdan takes this idea and turns it up. Tier 1 casting via Cleric to get all kinds of utility daily. Once the actual demonbinding comes in, more kinds of utility can be forced/coerced through the summons. The dweomer of transference spell channeled as a complete defensive measure is just brilliant and something I had not seen before. Your Dexterity is just terribly low though and even with your high Charisma, your demeanor does not make me want to have you engaged in social situations. Again these can be overcome with Cleric spells though.
Elegance: 4.75
You qualify for all of the feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. The presentation itself is neat and everything is spelled out nicely. The only thing that could give DMs pause is the possibility of not allowing multiple campaign setting books. The primordial giant template has Eberron fluff surrounding it and Nar Demonbinder prestige class comes from Faerun.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 5
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. Yes the Spellsword specifies second level spells but you are capable of casting fourth level spells alone. Last time I checked four was greater than two so you qualify even without your Fey Bloodline feat, which does satisfy the RAW application. You have a duel with an overmatched dryad to satisfy the fluff requirement. There is a showcase for class abilities explaining everything I needed to know! I am sold on Halfdan being a Spellsword.

Anti the Kinslayer 17.5 and my other choice for Honorable Mention if it does not end up placing

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Originality: 4.25
One of the neraphs for this round, this is the one who slew his brother in honorable combat only to be disowned anyway. I liked the background and you have covered all of your bases, but as I’ve mentioned, I am a glutton and would like even more. Neraph for our weapon proficiencies and this character takes feats to satisfy the armor requirements. I believe you are the only one to fully satisfy that requirement that way. Battle Sorcerer gives you both BAB the initial proficiency to get started.
Power: 4.25
Tier 2 spellcasting that gets all the way up to 8th level spells, what is not to like about that? The SI helps get the BAB up to the fourth iterative. I like the way each level highlight explains Anti’s tactics with the SI and without it. The choices for your channeled spells are downright brutal but also quite effective. Alter self plays to versatility when needed for different roles. However you have skills at a premium and social situations could be daunting for you. Two feats for armor proficiency are tough to swallow though especially at the early levels when other feats could come in handy.
Elegance: 5
With only a base class and the SI how can it be more elegant? You qualify for all of your feats. Your build does not make any use of questionable rules or interpretations, outside of using Unearthed Arcana in the first place. If I was playing this character, I would not want to spam the antimagic field too often unless I wanted to get books thrown at me.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 4
You qualify for the SI but do not take it to completion missing out on its capstone. Your explanation that had the capstone been taken the build would not be able to get 8th level spells makes sense to me. Antimagic field is brutal enough. Your duel you’re your brother satisfies the fluff requirement for me. You do not have a showcase highlighting all of the SI’s class abilities. Channel spell gets the most written about and is quite extensive. Persisting expeditious retreat to overcome speed reductions is an interesting take.

Subjugator Sarlagiin 14

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Originality: 4
We don’t see yak folk too much in these parts. A Level Adjustment of +2 is hard to swallow even if it is attached to the good monstrous humanoid chassis. The summary of his achievements was interesting and flavorful to see, but I would like to read more. Anything using incarnum was unexpected never mind Soulborn being used to satisfy both weapon and armor proficiencies. The Suel Arcanamach makes another smaller appearance here.
Power: 3
I like the use of Eilservs School to build upon the yak folk itself even though it comes online at the very end of the build. He is definitely a charging type of opponent especially with Shock Trooper. Unfortunately your Suel Arcanamach casting is limited both in spells per day and spells known and does not give many choices for channelable spells. Soulborn gives you one smite per day so it has to count. Social situations could be a challenge for the Subjugator with the skill points at such a high premium. Command genie is neat but requires a campaign world with heavy genie involvement to make it shine.
Elegance: 4
You not only have eaten the Level Adjustment, you have also spaced out your character feats correctly too. You qualified for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI, including having Ancient Suloise. Soulborn is a necessary dip for SI qualification but it is just one level. At least the SI advances your Suel Arcanamach casting.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3
You do qualify for the SI and take it to completion. It can be inferred that his early service in the Emperor’s army that an opponent could have been dealt with through force alone. There is not really much to go on here from a showcase standpoint. Baleful blink being the only effective channelable spell since color spray is going to be almost useless against appropriate opponents. There is a mention of casting in armor though the Suel Arcanamach builds upon the arcane spell failure reduction that the SI has. The only thing is that I do not see the Subjagator as a Spellsword specifically, more levels of Suel Arcanamach would have suited you better.

Lawrence "Curly" Andmo 18.75

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Originality: 4.75
So it looks like we’ve got a wise guy here! Nyuk! Nyuk! Nyuk! I like the use of Jester as the arcane qualifier and though Thrall of Demogorgon was unique to this build, others used the thrall prestige classes to qualify as far as armor and weapon qualifications. I liked the story and the origin of this style of comedy as far as your build goes—you even refluff the names of the spells you take to further show the homage to slapstick comedy.
Power: 4.25
You get the fourth iterative attack and up to 5th level Jester spells. The Jester itself is a great debuffer class all on its own even if it does have a limited spell list. Of course your real power comes through the action economy shattering. I’ve never even seen the whole Dragon’s Prophecy line of feats before and they are just helpful in keeping yourself alive as is Evil’s Blessing—even if they come fully online a little late. Of course the Jester is known to be a social class and you have the skill set and Charisma to back that up.
Elegance: 4.75
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. Some of the feat combos are complicated and at least you are aware of certain DMs not agreeing with your interpretations on certain things. I also appreciate the fact that your full on cheese factory was placed in the adaptations and were not part of the submitted build. The only thing that could put a damper on part of your build is the Dragon’s Prophecy line of feats since they are distinctly Eberron in flavor and may not fly in games not in that setting.
Use of Secret Ingredient:5
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. You also have a showcase of the SI’s class abilities and let me know everything I could want about your use of the class. I like the use of Combat Panache gained through the Spellsword bonus feat. Victims of your “act” count as meeting the fluff requirement for me. I like the list of the most restrictive armor possible, even if it is highly improbable that such armor and shield become available in any campaign unless made my the players themselves.

But no mention of the Curly Shuffle! For shame!

Balthos of Myr 11

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Originality: 3.75
A build with an Arabian flavor—I enjoyed the passing thoughts of the gen familiar about his master. I would like to have more of this exchange between master and servant. You are the only one to use Marshal, Legacy Champion and Paragon levels. Marshal gives you the proficiencies in both weapons and armor needed.
Power: 3
Sha’ir spellcasting is an interesting mix of variables. The addition of certain divine spells to his list gives some extra spells for channeling (or using in any standard fashion). You have hurt yourself with your feat selection. Three of your Legacy feats, namely Least Legacy, Lesser Legacy, and Greater Legacy, are not feats that one has to take when one has a legacy item. These are considered to be bonus feats as long as the ritual is unlocked, followed, and the gold is spent. So there are three feat spots available for this build—including the Power Attack tree mentioned, since Balthos has the requisite Strength score. This makes judging your build’s power hard since there is potential left on the table. Your mention of maxing out Diplomacy means that you are going to be useful in social situations.
Elegance: 1.5
Your question about advancing a class that is already maxed out would fall under DM purview, since it can be argued either way. You have not listed any of your skills outside of a guideline about maxing Diplomacy. It is customary to list all of the skills the build for qualifying and for things that can be done outside of combat. As such it cannot be determined if you qualify for the feat Practiced Spellcaster (Spellcraft 4 ranks) or the Legacy Champion prestige class (Knowledge [history] 5 ranks). You do not have a list of spells per day which would help knowing if Blade of Force is usable for your build. You do not qualify for Arcane Strike when you take it. Practiced Spellcaster is not a viable bonus feat for the SI as it is neither a metamagic feat nor a fighter bonus feat.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.75
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. Even though no skills are listed, the note makes sure that there are at least six ranks in Knowledge (arcana). There is no mention of defeating a foe through use of arms only and the interactions with the gen imply that spells retrieved are for channeling. There is not a showcase for the class abilities either. Spells to be channeled are mentioned. I am not quite sure about seeing Balthos as a Spellsword.

Anh the Houseless 15.75 my other other choice if it does not end up placing

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Originality: 3.75
Another neraph but this one has a much darker theme going for him. And I know better than to call him a Wizard. Fighter, though expected, was not used too much this round for armor and weapon proficiencies. Another class from the Dragon Compendium and this time it is the Death Master. Anh is the only Master Thrower however. The opening was enough to let me know about him and what he is capable of.
Power: 3.75
The kuo-toa harpoon is a wicked weapon since it can be used both for melee and ranged combat. You eventually get the ability to throw multiple harpoons during your turn with greater force. The potential damage with the harpoon itself makes you lethal without the ability to channel. Death Master gives you some good spells to channel but you have limited spellcasting with it—three starting levels paired with a half casting SI. Though you have a decent Charisma, skill points are at a premium and you are not going to be the go to frog for social situations however
Elegance: 4.75
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. I like that you end up taking the Master Thrower prestige class to completion after the SI, even though you got the ability you really wanted from the first level of it. Your argument about getting a two for one deal makes sense but a DM could rule against you in that one of those targets has to be hit first which means the spell only is discharged for the first target. Imagine how you would throw a harpoon—even if the targets are adjacent to each other someone has to get the pointy end first—unless the argument is that the other end hits the other opponent. That would take away from the harpoon’s cool factor though.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.5
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. The opening certainly qualified for defeating foes through force alone—especially to that annoying halfling. There is no real showcase of the class abilities outside of the channeling which of course gets the most attention. As long as the DM is on board with the two for one deal it can be quite lethal and is quite a discovery. There is no mention of wearing armor though the Spellsword bonus feat is used for your combat style. You are an unusual Spellsword to say the least.

Starshatter 15.75

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Originality: 4.5
An elven Paladin of Mystra with a dubious fey mark on her family’s past. The backstory is quite short and as I’ve said before, I would like more please. A little more would have scored you higher here. Paladin satisfies the weapon and armor requirements and Knight of the Weave gets an appearance here as well. I like the addition of feytouched as well. This combination was not used by any other competitor this round.
Power: 3.75
I like the idea of the debuffing Paladin here. She can be a competent melee fighter while making sure her enemies are not at their fullest potential. I understand why you took Skill Focus but I believe the feat choice at that level could have served you better—possibly one that enhances your smiting capability maybe? You have nearly full BAB and the capability of casting 6th level spells, even though your choices are severely limited in that matter. Like many other competitors, skill points are at a premium and you do not have the social skills to back up your very high Charisma score.
Elegance: 5
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. You have only one base class and one prestige class in addition to the SI. Your build presentation is elegant indeed.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. However you do not really showcase any of the abilities nor do you have anything to satisfy the fluff requirement. There is not much said about your armor wearing and not too much about your channeling capability. Your bonus Spellsword feat nabs you another metamagic feat to compliment the ones you already have. Despite all of these shortcomings though, I do see Starshatter as a Spellsword.

Drylax 16.75

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Originality: 4
An interesting story about what appears on the surface to be a pretty vanilla character. I know what kind of person Drylax is and what he fights for. Fighter dip gives the armor and weapon proficiencies. Another martial Wizard but this one finishes the build with Abjurant Champion (which was not as prevalent as I thought it would be).
Power: 4
A Wizard with a spiked chain is not really something one expects to see very often. You get Tier 1 spellcasting on top of the fourth iterative attack with reach no less. You have a complete list of spells so it is easy to tell what you are capable of doing. Your Strength, Wisdom, and Charisma are rather low however and though spells can mitigate that you might still be limited in what supporting roles you might need to fill. Also with that low Charisma and skill points at a premium, social situations are probably going to be a problem for you.
Elegance: 5
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. You do not use any questionable rules either. It goes to show that simpler can sometimes be better.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.75
You qualify for the SI but you do not take it to completion missing out on the SI’s capstone. You fulfill the fluff requirement within the story. There is no real showcase for the class abilities however. There is some mention of channeling but surprisingly (to me anyway) lots of feats and dedication to the armor proficiency side of the build. Of course the heavier the armor, the less important the Dexterity modifier is and with your high Dexterity, you are not going to be able to take full advantage of it. Given what I read though I see Drylax as a Spellsword.

Balthazar Naught 13.5

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Originality: 4
The other Shi’ar of the competition but this one pairs two divine prestige classes along for the ride—using Radiant Servant to qualify for weapons and armor proficiencies. This is not a combination that I can say that I saw coming. Unfortunately I know little about Balthazar himself since the fluff is limited to a couple sentences and words of wisdom. More would have been nice to see.
Power: 3.75
As with the other Shi’ar entry, its spellcasting is unique and provides a lot of possibility. The build is short of the fourth iterative of attacks but does achieve 7th level spellcasting with the possibility of 8th level spells. Thanks to Southern Magician you have the capability to casts divine spells—which leads you to be able to cast some divine persisted spells without being a cleric. You have a high Charisma and with your selection of skills you can contribute in social situations. I think that Arcane Disciple is not going to do too much for you without Wisdom enhancing items since you would only be able to cast up to 4th level spells even though you might have access to higher levels. You can mitigate some good damage even though Arcane Strike comes online a little late. Also you have Apprentice (spellcaster) but don’t pick up Use Magic Device? I think you are leaving some power and versatility on the table.
Elegance: 3
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. However it should be noted that it is because of Southern Magician that you can actually continue your Shi’ar spellcasting and not exactly the reason that you mention in your entry. Shi’ar have access to divine spells but they are not cast as divine spells. Since you include Southern Magician as one of your feats, I have to believe that you believe this to be true as well. Sacred Exorcist says in its description that one needs to be part of church or order that would have ordained Sacred Exorcists in order to become one. Your fluff makes no such mention. I also find it a little inelegant that as a follower of the Morning Lord that you would even dare to think it acceptable to have the Undeath Domain, let alone seek it out through the Catalogues of Enlightenment. I believe you meant your Arcane Disciple feat to be the War domain to get divine power, as the Strength domain does not grant that spell and righteous might, a 5th level spell, is outside of your spell capability with a Wisdom of 14.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.75
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. However there is no real showcase for the SI’s class abilities. I like the idea of channeling beneficial spells on allies and you mention a couple of good spells to channel. Armor is mentioned passively in your write up. Persistent Spell allows you to be the pseudo cleric that you are trying to emulate. With what you have presented too, you do not meet the fluff requirement for the SI. All in all though I have trouble seeing you as a Spellsword.

Naras 12

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Originality: 3.5
Here we have a carefree gray elf who started out life the role of the trickster and just went from there. Fighter gives the weapon and armor proficiencies needed to qualify for the SI. Elven generalist Wizard gets the spells needed but what is this? Bladesinger? I thought we saw the last of that in Round XLIII! The fluff is cute and I can see the boredom such a character would have in a rigid classroom. Of course as I have been saying a lot this round, I would love to see more.
Power: 2.5
We have Tier 1 spellcasting alongside some finesse melee capability—getting up to 7th level spells and the fourth iterative from BAB. But some of the choices for feats and classes are counterintuitive. Single Blade Style only benefits you with light or no armor. Likewise Bladesinger’s bladesong style is lost when wearing medium or heavy armor. You are losing enough caster levels with the SI to pick up another half casting class. Another issue is that as a finesse fighter, he is going to have trouble dealing damage. Arcane Strike mitigates this, but comes online rather late in the build. Naras seems like a fun guy to be around but with an average Charisma and a premium on skills, he is not exactly a social butterfly.
Elegance: 4
You qualify for all of the feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. You also do not have any questionable rules for a DM to have to contend with. There also is not much to go on either with such little build explanation to go along with the build itself.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2
You do not qualify for the SI when you take it since your BAB is only +3 at Level 5. You do not complete the SI either though I can see why. I would rather get 7th level spells too. There is no showcasing of the class abilities of the SI. Indeed there is little showcasing at all. No mention of what spells he would like to channel or anything to go along that route. The bonus feat at least helps qualify for Bladesinger. As mentioned already medium and heavy armor will not work with all of Naras’ earlier class features and feats. Considering this, I do not see him as a Spellsword, or at least not the kind that I was looking for.

Onnedad Kairdwen 13.25

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Originality: 4.5
Another illumian but this one is different taking a variety of different classes that have not been seen yet—Factotum, Duskblade, Chameleon and Dragon Disciple. Duskblade alone fulfills the armor and weapon proficiencies needed but Chameleon solidifies it. I am somewhat surprised that there were not more Duskblades. She has the skills to impress her mentors and the fluff was interesting. But (sing it with me) of course I would like to have more. Only one other entry took the skillmonkey route.
Power: 3.75
Our illumian is quite diverse in the things that she can do. Of course that is what Factotums and Chameleons can do. Assuming an agreeable DM what has been presented has a lot of potential She has both arcane and divine spellcasting capability along with being able to channel Duskblade spells from nearly the beginning. Personally I would have stayed in Factotum at least until Level 3 to get the wonderful brains over brawn ability. I think it is too good to pass up. I do like the ability to channel through the whip as it provides range and since it is non lethal damage, can be a good source to channel spells to allies. She has a high enough Charisma and decent skill selection to be useful in social situations and as noted in the background, she is good enough to be the trapfinder for the party. Earth Spell implies though that she will stay firmly on the ground which of course takes away a very tactical advantage from herself.
Elegance: 2
This build has some major issues that need that agreeable DM in order for it to work. As an illumian, she is not a human. Sure you can slap on the human subtype via the Human Heritage feat (as mentioned in Races of Destiny is a feat that illumians can take). Unfortunately as presented she is not a human which makes her ineligible for the Able Learner feat and the Chameleon prestige class. But what about the sidebar on page 150? I mentioned the answer already—Human Heritage would allow her to be a human. A flaw would allow her to take Able Learner (and in this case would have been better off score wise to do so). I also do not buy the explanation of getting a 9th level spell from the Dragon Disciple dip. The bonus spell specifically says that it can be added to level of spells the disciple already has the ability to cast. Considering that the build does not have 9th level spells already, no amount of heightening/earth spelling/krau sigiling/sanctum spelling is going to change that. Outside of these things she qualifies for her feats and prestige classes.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. However there is no real showcase for the abilities given. The backstory mentions defeating foes through force alone so that qualifies, even if the story presented comes after her taking the SI itself with the mention of the whip. It is mentioned in passing about how she can wear heavy armor but that is about it. I do however like the idea of channeling spells via the whip and turning opponents into other less threatening creatures. Using the Spellsword bonus feat to get the whip proficiency helps with her modus operandi. She is an unusual Spellsword but with an agreeable DM one that is quite potent.

Naphesche Zarna 12

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Originality: 3.75
A woman playing double agent with the Red Wizards and the Zhetarim. It is an interesting take on the SI with a sneaky skillmonkey type of character. Fighter fulfills the armor and weapon proficiencies for the SI but we add on Rogue, Pouncebarian, Swordsage, and Thayan Slaver. The story has wonderful potential but I would love to have more of it—as I have mentioned being a glutton and all.
Power: 2.75
You are a two weapon fighter with a group of other abilities that lead to incapacitating foes. Your arcane spellcasting class to qualify for the SI does not give you too much of a power upgrade magic wise. Poison use is good at lower levels but appropriate opponents will either have immunities or high Fortitude saves. You have a decent amount of sneak attack damage spread out over the course of the build and can make use of the ambush feats. It almost seems like the SI is limiting your potential instead of optimizing it.
Elegance: 3
You have a smattering of abilities from a smattering of different classes. Outside of your prestige classes no base class taken is higher than three. That being said, you do qualify for all of your feats and prestige class outside of the SI. I wish the fluff could have definitively put you as a member of Thayan society to solidify qualifying for Thayan Slaver. You could just as well be a Zhent agent that infiltrated the Thayans, except that you do not have Knowledge (local).
Use of Secret Ingredient: 2.5
You qualify for the SI but do not take it to completion. I guess all of the other classes got in the way? There is no showcasing of abilities and no fluff defeating of an appropriate foe. There is just some mention of spells to channel. Thayan Slaver gives you a quite limited choice in spells to channel. There is also no mention of wearing armor. In fact wearing heavy armor takes away certain abilities from Rogue and Swordsage. Based upon these things, I am not really seeing her as a Spellsword.

[dysprosium]

I apologize for the double post madness. I guess I just had a lot to say.

Amueli R'thaceu 15.75

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Originality: 4
A Death Master gray elf paired with Arcane Archer? Death Masters have trickled their way in this round but Arcane Archer is not something expected with a melee channeler. The fluff has potential. I just want to know more about this unusual elf. Arcane Archer gets you three quarters of the way with armor proficiencies and all the way with weapon proficiencies.
Power: 4
Death Master is a decent chassis for the SI and when paired with the Arcane Archer, things get interesting. Assuming the DM goes with your reading of channeling and imbuing, you have some nasty effects going on. Minionmancy helps with versatility when certain jobs need to get done. Your build reaches 7th level spells and the fourth iterative attack. With skills at a premium though you might have issues in social situations. Not to mention all of the undead hanging around you.
Elegance: 4.25
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. As mentioned, your reading of the channel spell is an interesting one but one that not all DMs will agree with. Granted the ability says melee weapon and the spell affects the next target successfully attacked with it. However the implication is that even with the elvencraft bow, it would be the next target successfully attacked with it in melee. [But hey, dysprosium, didn’t you give a more favorable ruling for Anh and his harpoons? He’s using them ranged too.] The difference here is that the elvencraft bow is treated as a quarterstaff when in melee and as a bow when used for range. It is two different kinds of weapon types. The build progression is elegant and makes sense—even if Arcane Archer is a necessary dip.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3.5
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. The fluff with the shooting the arrow through your mentor’s head counts as far as I’m concerned with the special requirement. However there is no real showcasing of the abilities other than the channeling, which admittedly gets good attention. I like the combinations of channeling and imbued spells. The bonus feat chosen helps with your modus operandi. Your Dexterity is high but not so high that wearing the heaviest armors is a deterrent. You are an unusual Spellsword but you are one nonetheless.

Exavier 12.5

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Originality: 3.5
A fire elf follower of Tyr who stumbles across the hidden jungle temples of the couatls while punching another unknown youth. It is quite a sparse background story, and if you have been reading all of my judgings, then you know that I would like more—much more in this case. We have pretty much a pure Wizard going into Rainbow Servant. The race/deity combination is unorthodox to say the least.
Power: 4.5
Well that certainly is a lot of spells! It’s Tier 1 spellcasting all the way. Everyone knows what a Wizard can do but when you add domain spells things get even more interesting. I like Insightful Reflexes to pick up your terrible Reflex saves. The only thing that could keep you from potentially shining is social situations with skill ranks at a premium and low Charisma score.
Elegance: 4.5
You do not qualify for Versatile Spellcaster since you prepare all of your spells including the domain ones. Otherwise you qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. It is also a pretty elegant build breakdown of 5/5/10. You do not have any questionable rules interpretations.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 0
You do not qualify for the SI but even if you had you would not score well here. Even persisting divine power (which would be a 10th level spell without metamagic reducers of some kind) does not grant the weapon and armor proficiencies needed to enter the class. The build did take the class to completion. There is no showcasing of abilities other than “can wear armor and channel spells.” The fight with the other youth would have counted as the fluff requirement for me.

Experiment “Novem” 14.25

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Originality: 4
I find the fluff for this entry to be highly flavorful—someone “created” into being originally as a weapon that slowly gains its own independence. I can get behind this kind of story fluff wise. There were not a lot of martial adepts this round. Crusader gives the weapon and armor proficiencies needed for the SI. We have had a few Nar Demonbinders already but this is the only Soul Eater.
Power: 4.25
The build ends with primarily 8th level (with one 9th level) spells and the fourth iterative attack. There is Tier 1 spellcasting to handle different kinds of versatility. I like the list of contingent spells as a catch all for whatever may come up. I have to admit I am intrigued by the channeled binding idea. Then there are the grafts. All of these things together might start to get a little expensive over time. Skill points are at a premium and though you have a high Charisma you are not exactly a social butterfly.
Elegance: 3
You have a flaw—can’t do anything for you there. You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. Note though the dependence of having the familiar to qualify for the Soul Eater dip. You do need your DM to allow your refluffing of the neraph though that should not be too much of an issue in and of itself. Some DMs are also not going to allow the way you entered into Nar Demonbinder with the use of a versatile/heightened spell.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. The defeating of your experiment siblings satisfies the fluff requirement for me. There really is not a showcase for the SI class abilities however. You only mention the armor you are capable of wearing and the bonus feat does not lead to further feats or combos. The channeled binding is an interesting idea, especially used as the demon trap version. With the hodgepodge coming together of the story, I am not quite sure if I would consider you a Spellsword first.

Giorre, the Crushing Carcass 12.5

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Originality: 4
A necromancing twice soul selling friend to evil elves. Not quite the class combo I was expecting at all. Standard necromancy suite of feats and abilities. Using Thrall of Orcus to satisfy both weapon and armor proficiencies. You circumvent the half casting progression of the SI by using two prestige classes that continue your own casting progression. The stories were strongest at the beginning of the entry and even though we never saw anything through Giorre’s own eyes, I liked the perspective of the narrative from the view of the victims.
Power: 4
The build ends with 8th level spells and the fourth iterative attack, which is what every gish wants. I like the use of Area Attack and would have come to the same conclusion as the Chairman. Though I agree that the additional applications of it should be discussed with the DM. Tier 1 spellcasting covers the versatility factor and with collector of stories and Knowledge Devotion you are the walking encyclopedia. Given your demeanor, low Charisma, and lack of social skills I would definitely want to keep you out of social situations.
Elegance: 1.5
You qualify for all of your feats and prestige classes outside of the SI. You mention the Thrall of Orcus round. Did you know that I was a judge then too? Let me reiterate what I said back then: Elder Evils and Demon Princes are not the same thing. Even worse is dedicating yourself to both of them because you only have one soul to give. To me you have to pick one or the other since beings of such Evil (with a capital E) are not known to be good at sharing. At least two of your bonus vile feats from dedicating yourself to Atropus are used to better yourself with demons. I do not really care what the RAW says in this case and let’s not sugarcoat what it really is—a blatant power grab to get as many feats as possible. You are also going to need some DM fiat for a bunch of evil elves. Ruathar does not specifically say it is a good only prestige class but the inferences are there. Take the word of friendship for example to paraphrase: elves are going to be friendly or helpful to you unless you are obviously engaged in an evil act. That would technically include your own evil elven community. Your entire existence is an evil act as evidenced by the Evil Brand. The star blessing grants a sacred bonus and Arvandor is the home of the elven pantheon, which the majority of them are good.
Use of Secret Ingredient: 3
You qualify for the SI and take it to completion. I believe the fluff requirement to be satisfied with the slaying of the poor adventurer hired to root you and your fellow cultists out. There is no real showcasing of the SI class abilities though there is great detail spent on the spell channeling. Your polymorphing takes away from needing to wear armor in the first place so that part of the SI is not as developed. The bonus feat is used to qualify for Area Attack which is a great part of your repertoire. But based upon all that I read, I see you more as an Orcus minion than a Spellsword.

[Piggy Knowles]

Thanks for judging, dysprosium.

[Deadline]

Thanks for judging dysprosium! Your feedback and commentary is greatly appreciated.

[sakuuya]

Pull a quick one appointing someone neither judging or having a dish up, for collecting them? ... should be someone around that could do that for Dys only

If the chairman is still here to approve it, I'd be happy to collect disputes for dysprosium over the weekend.

[OMG PONIES]

Thanks again to all four of our judges! It's heartening to see, disputes and all, that we've got a strong stable of individuals willing to take the time required to read our make-believe characters, indulge our insanity, and respond in kind .

Standings After Four Judges

Entry	Place	Total	Average
Lawrence "Curly" Andmo	Gold	69.9	4.36875
Halfdan the Black	Silver	64.78	4.04875
Anti the Kinslayer	Bronze	63.89	3.993125
Anh the Houseless	Fourth	62.55	3.909375
Amueli R'thaceu	Fifth	61.42	3.83875
Onnedad Kairdwen	Sixth	60.3	3.76875
Drylax	Seventh	57.84	3.615
Giorre	Eighth	57.39	3.586875
Starshatter	Ninth	56.88	3.555
Mekihl Krivim tibur Ptahzur	Tenth	56.47	3.529375
Subjugator Sarlagiin	Eleventh	55.45	3.465625
Aurelius Deadfeather	Twelfth	53.69	3.355625
Balthos of Myr	Thirteenth	51.98	3.24875
Balthazar Naught	Fourteenth	51.05	3.190625
Naras	Fifteenth	49.92	3.12
Naphesche Zarna	Sixteenth	49.71	3.106875
Experiment "Novem"	Seventeenth	47.33	2.958125
Rohlerryn	Eighteenth	43.88	2.7425
Taishi	Nineteenth	43.83	2.739375
Exavier	Twentieth	43.75	2.734375
Meepo	Twenty-First	35.95	2.246875

[Sian]

Ponies, note that Rama and Tim still have standing Disputes

[OMG PONIES]

Ponies, note that Rama and Tim still have standing Disputes

Noted. Also noted that the Chairman seemed intent on moving to the next round on Monday.

[Vaz]

Had time to chill my bean for a bit, i was a bit out of order. Sorry for the derails and anything that came across personally, Tim especially.

Thanms for all who judged, i just hope i've not put anyone off.

Have we got any hints for the next round kuilv?

[sideswipe]

now that all the judges have posted, can we say our builds yet? im very proud of where i came on my first cook

[Amphetryon]

now that all the judges have posted, can we say our builds yet? im very proud of where i came on my first cook

That's what the reveal is for, which is part of the chairman's job. He'll get to it when he's back from camping, barring another flood.

[sideswipe]

That's what the reveal is for, which is part of the chairman's job. He'll get to it when he's back from camping, barring another flood.

i mean what build was mine. we are not allowed to say until judging is finished so there is no favouritism. but the judging is now over. so can i say which was mine? i know what the reveal is for when they reveal the builds.

[Ikeren]

Still a few disputes, might be worth it to keep it quiet for a little longer. Life is not a hurry.

[Deadline]

i mean what build was mine. we are not allowed to say until judging is finished so there is no favouritism. but the judging is now over. so can i say which was mine? i know what the reveal is for when they reveal the builds.

There are two reveals. The builds, and the builders. Both are usually done by the chairman. But I'm willing to bet you did better than I did this round.

[Amphetryon]

i mean what build was mine. we are not allowed to say until judging is finished so there is no favouritism. but the judging is now over. so can i say which was mine? i know what the reveal is for when they reveal the builds.

I know what you meant; my answer was a direct response to your query about revealing which build was yours. That's part of the chair's job, and has been for the length of this contest's run.

[OMG PONIES]

Still a few disputes, might be worth it to keep it quiet for a little longer. Life is not a hurry.

The Chairman seemed intent on advancing to the next round on Monday. While I agree with the zen-like sentiment, this particular round has been dragging on for over a month due to floods and floods of disputes alike. Time for a little tabula rasa, if you ask me.