Junkyard Wars in the Playground VI: Wonderworker + Profession Skill - Factotum

[dysprosium]

My initial thought was a Spirit Shaman going into Swanmay with Wonderworker. She was going to be some kind of professional medium.

And that's as far as I got.

[Amphetryon]

The idea I originally considered:

Spoiler: not to be judged or compared against entries

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Halfling Wu Jen 7/Wonder Worker 3/Fatespinner 5/Fortune's Friend 5. The basic idea was someone relying on direct interference from the Dice Gods to offset otherwise lousy luck, with Fortune's Friend's poor casting progression representing what happens when one's luck turns.

[WhamBamSam]

Good thing it's not in the contest, then. I don't actually know how to optimize; that's why I keep dying in actual play.

You might've at least gotten HM from me. Most of the issues are fixable, though the 3rd level spells thing is a bit problematic without two more levels of Bard casting unless the DM allows Heighten/Sanctum Spell qualification cheese. I like the Jack of All Trades/Profession trick, and I don't see any issue with using Chameleon until Wonderworker can self-qualify, so long as Chameleon is providing the "other" Exalted feat, as in fact it is in this case.

Speaking of Heighten/Sanctum Spell cheese, I'm surprised no one went for early 9ths trick with Wonderworker via DMM Heighten. Yeah, it's ultracheese and pretty questionable, but I still thought someone would try it.

[Telonius]

Since I'm judging, I couldn't enter one. But if I had, here was the idea...

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Cleric/Soulguard/Wonderworker, Profession: Lawyer. Basically, a Daniel Webster build.

[Deadline]

Good thing it's not in the contest, then. I don't actually know how to optimize; that's why I keep dying in actual play.

Wasn't Frostlink yours, from Cipher Adept? I know it was at least partial TO, but it was still awesome.

[sideswipe]

half way through my judging, should be done this weekend, probably sunday

[Telonius]

4 of 6 done, here. Gearing up for a D&D session this weekend, so I might be finished a little later. Interesting mix so far!

[Telonius]

Judging is done and sent in to OMG Ponies. Should I post in the thread as well, or are we waiting for a judging reveal? (This is my first time judging a contest like this, so I'm completely expecting some challenges).

[OMG PONIES]

Sorry about that, got it!

Here it is!

NOTE: I’ll be waiving the penalties I'd originally put down, for not keeping Profession maxed each level. This would have been a really particular thing, and not something the competitors would easily predict. Instead I’ll deduct 0.5 each for any ranks in Profession not taken by level 20.

Build 1: Brewmaster Barleybeard: 13.25

Originality: 3.5.

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The race isn’t particularly tailored for the class – no bonus to the casting stat. Dwarf’s typical strong point for Cleric (no penalty to full plate movement) is negated by the fact it’s Cloistered. +0.5. Profession: Brewer is not an obvious choice, since it doesn’t have any particular mechanical benefit other than the usual skill checks. Still, it’s fairly normal; as you mention, it is in the PHB’s list. So the component itself was not off-the-wall surprising. +1. What I didn’t see coming, at all, was a 3.0-era Prestige Class that hasn’t received a lot of attention. +1.

Power: 2.75

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Power: This seems a bit more powerful than the “average” Cleric. No lost casting levels. No Divine Metamagic to be seen, so it’s not on the top end of the power spectrum. The Master Alchemist could give some unusual buffing options. (Why yes, Mr. Fighter, I do happen to have a potion of Righteous Might!) You’ve taken Wonderworker at the very end, so you’re getting the most out of the bonus spells there. I’d say, +0.25 overall.
Versatility: Very low attack bonus and low strength. Intuitive Attack helps there, though it turns on kind of late. You’re still a Tier 1 caster, and you can give out a variety of unusual buff spells to your friends in potion form. But to really get mileage out of that, you’d need to have an Extended (or gods help us, Persisted) spell. Your Turn Undead is not going to have a very good total, between low charisma and levels spent away from Cleric. –0.5.

Use of Secret Components: 3.0.

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I’m going to bend my own criteria, both here and in the Stability category. Alchemy is technically a Craft skill, but it’s central to what the character is doing in his Brewer profession. I’ll count Master Alchemist as benefiting the secret component (+0.5); Skill Focus also counts (+0.25).
Consecrate Spell does technically work with both components. It wouldn’t give any mechanical change other than increasing the price of the potion, but it’s something I could completely see this character as doing. +0.75.
The fluff gives a clear picture of how the character is making use of his Exalted nature and Wonderworker levels. Even though this isn’t a mechanical issue, it’s important not to neglect the do-gooding nature of an Exalted character. +0.5

Stability: 4.0

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Unfortunately the starting ability scores go over the point buy limit. They’re 2 over, at 34. Penalty of –0.5.
I’m going to count Craft (Alchemy) as keeping two Profession skills maximized. +0.5.
Backstory: +1. The build is matched really well to the character. The mechanics support the personality you’re trying to get across.

Build 2: High Chantress Bellina: 11.85

Originality: 2.75.

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Dream Dwarf has no bonus to the casting stat, and no penalty either. +0.5. For the Profession, Miner doesn’t typically have any mechanical benefits, but there’s not much more stereotypically Dwarf-y than mining (with the possible exceptions of drinking and having a Scottish accent). +0.25.
Dwarven Chanter is a pretty obscure prestige class, being a WotC-website only update of a 2nd-edition class. +1.

Power: 2.5

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This seems significantly less powerful than an average Bard, and there were two big missed opportunities in the build. First, there’s the lack of 6th-level spells. More Bard levels instead of Marshal and Seeker levels would have fixed that. The biggest mechanical reason I can see for that Marshal level is the free Skill Focus you need for Seeker, but you use that for Diplomacy instead of Perform. (The Aura bonuses are small and kind of situational). Combine Songs is nifty, but Lingering Song would get you almost the same effect at the price of a feat instead of essentially four caster levels.
Second, there’s the ability distribution. As a Divine Bard, your primary casting stat is Wisdom, not Charisma. Charisma still determines the DC, but quite a few of your spells are spells aren’t offensive ones. The Charisma score does fuel your Snowflake Wardance, but with 8’s in Strength and Dex and a 12 in Con, if you’re in melee something has gone very wrong. If you were looking to improve your melee, trading the stats for Charisma and Wisdom, then swapping out Snowflake Wardance for Intuitive Attack would have been more sensible (and also not cost you any uses of Bardic Music). -0.75.
Versatility: This seems about as versatile as a typical Bard, maybe slightly more. Your Diplomacy is high enough to effectively serve as the party Face, though you’re lacking in the Bluff or Sense Motive that most true social skillmonkeys have. You have options against Constructs that are a bit more than what most Bards get, and some of the healing songs are welcome additions. Being able to basically do Sympathetic Vibration without using a spell is nice as well. I’d peg it as +0.25.

Use of Secret Components: 3.

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Words of Creation ties Wonderworker and the Profession (Mining) skill (through Timing Chant). +1.
Dwarven Chanter is a significant investment, and dovetails very nicely with Profession (Mining). When I made the criteria I’d only had single items in mind for things that would get the bonus. Since this is much more of an investment than a feat, I’ll grant the full +1.
While the backstory gave a clear indication of how it supports mining, it didn't really develop how the character is Exalted. No bonus there.

Stability: 3.6

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No obvious cheese. If anything, it’s underpowered. Starting at middle age is something that I’d take a close look at, but with the ability scores arranged as they are it hurts as much as it helps. I would definitely allow this build at my table.
Nymph’s Kiss is one area where I tend to be kind of strict for the roleplaying requirement. The requirement is to maintain an intimate relationship with a good-aligned Fey. Intimate does not necessarily mean “physical,” but a one-time meeting (even a very meaningful one) doesn’t quite qualify. This is kind of a minor quibble and would be easily fixed with a slight change in backstory; but I have to judge on what’s there, not what could be there. -0.15.
Backstory: The build matches up pretty well with the mechanics, with the exception of the Nymph’s Kiss issue. I particularly liked the Treasure Scent spell, which would completely make sense given the character. +0.75.

Build 3: Horatio Figbottom: 12.0.

Originality: 3.5.

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Halfling isn’t particularly suited to the class, but doesn’t penalize the casting stat. +0.5. The Profession is relatively normal, but not something that gives mechanical bonuses otherwise. +1. And a very big +1 for the unexpected: entry using an NPC class.

Power: 2.75

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I’m kind of conflicted on both Power and Versatility, mainly because I’m having trouble deciding what the primary role of this character is supposed to be. I’m going to go with Diplomancer (Ficus-mancer?) NPC. This is pretty clearly going to be something the DM uses as a plot device, not what a player’s going to choose as an adventurer. In any case, man, did you luck out on the criteria for “Power.” I love the general concept here, but I think there would have been some better ways to go about it. Favored Soul of Yondalla (or another Halfling deity) instead of Adept as an entry would have solved several of the build’s biggest problems (and allowed a third level in Wonderworker), while keeping the Johnny Appleseed feel. It’s clearly a much more powerful character than staying in Adept (or a Diplomacy-focused Expert) would have been, but that’s a pretty low bar. +0.5.
Versatility: On the plus side, you do get a bit of magical support, and can do some buffing on skill checks. On the other hand, the character is going to have a very hard time in any sort of combat. Gear isn’t usually taken into account in the competition, but when a character doesn’t have proficiency in any armor at all, that needs to be considered. You’re either going to stay out of combat entirely, or get a more expensive option like Bracers of Armor. Outside of a social situation, there’s just not much that this guy can do other than “not starve in the wilderness.” -0.75

Use of Secret Components: 2.0.

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Profession and Wonderworker were both used in service of the Exemplar class. It’s not a totally clean fit, since the Adept levels used to qualify for Wonderworker have a fairly poor selection of skills, which doesn’t help the cause. +0.5.
Exemplar does certainly improve your Profession skill. +0.5.
Only two of the three Wonderworker levels taken. –1.
The fluff gives a extraordinarily clear picture of how the character is making use of his Exalted nature, Profession skills, and Wonderworker levels. +1.

Stability: 3.5.

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This isn’t a rules violation per se, but I should mention it: you’ve shorted yourself on Skill Mastery. The initial bonus is 1+Int skills, but you get an additional skill each time you level up in Exemplar. Depending on which skills you had chosen, that could have improved your Versatility or Power scores. As is, it’s an answer left blank; no additional penalty assessed.
Adept does gain the ability to Summon a Familiar at second level, and you’ve noted it on the table. Since you didn’t mention the familiar elsewhere I’m assuming that he never actually summoned it. No penalty.
The backstory is great, and just in time for Johnny Appleseed’s birthday (September 26th). This is a great example of putting the concept first, and building to that. That gives it a +1 bonus.
I would not allow the character at my gaming table as a PC, except in a very specific sort of campaign (extremely heavy on the social interaction and extremely light on the combat). It is a decent attempt to stat that sort of a character; it just doesn’t have enough ways to meaningfully contribute to solving a typical encounter, and would drag down any group. As a helpful NPC or a plot device … it’s something I’d consider seriously, if I ever had reason to need a wandering do-gooder. No penalty, but no bonus either.

Buid 4: Bael-Ver: 15.5

Originality: 3.25

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No bonus or penalty to the casting stat, +0.5. Bodyguard is not an obvious choice. It’s not listed in the PHB, and (to my knowledge) doesn’t give any particular mechanical advantage. It’s not quite to the level of totally off-the wall; 1.5. Surprising build elements: Savant class. Not much of an investment in it, but I wasn’t expecting it at all. +0.25. Raptoran Fighter was more puzzling than surprising, especially given the fact that a Vow of Poverty character probably isn’t going to be flying encumbered very often, unless he’s being the party pack mule. (With a strength of 8, that’s probably not going to happen very often).

Power: 5

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Power: Much, much more powerful than a typical Savant. More powerful than a typical Apostle of Peace, for that matter, thanks to bonus Wonderworker spells. +1. Versatility: He can scout, he can fly; he has a leg up on most VoP builds in that regard. He can face, he can cast, he can diplomance too; though that's standard for any Apostle of Peace. +1.

Use of Secret Component: 3.5

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Vow of Poverty is a (very) significant investment, and helps with both the Profession checks (in terms of stat improvements) and Exalted Feats (through bonus feats). +1.
While the Harm’s Way ability doesn’t affect the Profession skill directly, it assists in the Profession’s implied role. Same for Apostle of Peace. +1.
The fluff gives a clear picture of what he’s doing with his Exalted nature and his Profession skill. +0.5

Build Stability: 3.75

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Two minor quibbles here. First, Nymph’s Kiss. Like several of the other feats in BoED, it’s a feat with a roleplay requirement. If I were presented with this character as a DM, I’d want that intimate relationship to be more than something in the background that’s never mentioned or developed until you need a skill point, especially given the Vow of Chastity at 20. (“Intimate” doesn’t necessarily mean physically intimate, but I’d want some kind of explanation there). Given this build and backstory, it would be really easy to add it in: the significant other he’s sworn to defend, or maybe even another member of the party who’s playing a Fey race. But as written, it’s not there. -0.25.
Second stability issue is the Apostle of Peace casting. Apostle of Peace casts “as a Cleric.” Meaning, you need a Divine Focus; and Summon Holy Symbol is not on the Apostle of Peace list. Some DMs will allow you to make a <1gp wooden symbol (or carve something into your Aspergillum), and allow that to work. If it’s not allowed, it would completely cripple the character’s casting. (The other bodyguard-ing abilities would work just fine). I won’t assess a penalty for it, since I think that enforcing that sort of requirement on a Cleric-like caster would be just plain mean. But it would have been nice to mention the possible concern, and the work-around.
The build takes a concept and really builds towards it in a way that’s mechanically powerful and very flavorful. +1.

Build 5: Meranda Morwelschild: 12.25

Originality: 1.5

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No bonuses for race (bonus to casting stat) or profession (normal profession that’s well-known to give mechanical bonuses in naval campaigns/Stormwrack stuff). I am a little surprised that we have a +1 LA race; the only one in the competition so far. (And thanks for mentioning the buy-off). +0.5 there.

Power: 3.5

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Power: This one is going to be kind of hard to gauge. You technically have a Bard entry, but the build seems like it would play much more like an arcane-enabled Swashbuckler or Rogue. So let’s say we take a Bard/Swashbuckler multiclass for the baseline. On water, this would be a pretty strong class compared to that. +0.5.
Versatility: Obviously this character is strongest on the sea, but it seems like she would be useful on land as well. Stormsinger doesn’t require you to be on water to get the bonuses. Bluff and Diplomacy will serve you well whether you’re captaining or not. On the other hand, that low UMD score (relative to the average Bard) is going to hurt, and it has a lower attack bonus than the typical Bard. I’m calling this a wash, no bonus or penalty

Use of Secret Components: 4.25

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Bard improves both the Profession skill and qualifies for Wonderworker. 0.5.
Dipping Marshal for Motivate Wisdom was particularly clever, and a significant investment (i.e. another lost caster level). (Text trumps table, so I’m reading “Motivate Will” as “Motivate Wisdom.”) +0.5 for taking it,+0.75 for cleverness.
Dread Pirate helps with her Profession checks; is also a significant investment and a big part of the flavor. +0.5 for use, +0.5 for significant investment.
The fluff shows exactly how she’s using her Profession skill, but the Exalted alignment is about being “better than Good.” You could have developed that aspect a bit more. On the other hand, I loved the parrot. +0.5 for awesomeness.

Build Stability: 3.0

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You’ve shorted yourself by 2 in the ability point buy; it only adds up to 30. No penalty.
There are some problems with your skill point distribution. Use Rope is not a class skill for Bards. (I did a double-take myself when I was checking that; it really seems like something a Bard ought to have). At second level, that means you’d have to put 4 skill points into Use Rope to get two ranks. For both second and third level, you’ve gone over on skill points (by two each). It also means that your maximum ranks in Use Rope at third level would be 3 (half of the class skill total of 6). That would normally be a fairly minor thing, due to an oversight that’s easy to make (and I’ll drop the penalties to below 0.5 because of that). But those ranks in Use Rope are required to qualify for Dread Pirate, which you take for four levels (and which is a major part of the build’s flavor). The build is definitely salvageable, but as-written I have to give it a penalty. -0.25 for the mistake on class skills, -0.25 for going over on level 3, -0.5 for technically failing to qualify for Dread Pirate; -1 in all.
The backstory and the mechanics really mesh together well. +1.

Build 6: Archie Karas: 13.75

Originality: 2.0.

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Race wasn’t mentioned, but from the two feats at first I’m assuming human. +0.5. Profession: Both normal, and well-known prerequisites for the PrCs. What I didn’t expect was seeing them both in the same build. +0.5.

Power: 4.75.

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Power: +1. Sublime Chord offers significantly more powerful casting than Bard.
Versatility: +0.75. Primary caster and face, with some neat abilities to force re-rolls. However, you’ve missed out on UMD, which most Bards (and everybody else, for that matter) will try to keep as high as possible. As you mention, loss of Inspire Courage does take a hit, too, so you’re not as much of a party buffer.

Use of Secret Components: 2.75

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While the Fatespinner and Sublime Chord prestige classes don’t make mechanical use of the Profession skills, they’re central to the flavor of the character. +0.5 for each, especially since you’ve kept both of the prerequisite skills maximized from 1-20.
The brief fluff gives a clear picture of how the character is making use of his Exalted nature and Wonderworker levels. +0.75

Build Stability: 4.25

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Similar to build 4 (Bael-Ver), you don’t mention any background for Nymph’s Kiss. Minor, but as a DM I’d want it. -0.25.
I’d be curious to know which familiar you picked from the Obtain Familiar feat. No penalty, but the choice does give some minor bonuses. Since you don’t specify, I can’t take it into consideration.
You seem to have cheated yourself out of some skill points. As a Bard, you’re getting 6 + Int (=9). As a human, you get +1 per level (10). And with Nymph’s Kiss, you’d be getting an extra 1 per level, for a total of 41 at first and 11 for each level after that. No penalty, but you really could have used it for something like Use Magic Device to give yourself more versatility. (The Melodic Casting feat would have helped with that, as well; taking it instead of Eschew Materials at first - or moving Eschew forward and removing one of the other feats - would have freed up the skill points from Concentration for anything else useful).
We have a build with more than one Profession skill! +0.5.
The brief fluff description really gives a good sense of who the character is, and it matches up extremely well with the mechanics. +1.

General note: between the table formatting, omitting important things like the character’s race, and the lack of source references, you did not make judging this build easy. We only had six entrants, but I would not have liked to go through that for each of them (and some competitions have a lot more than six entrants). I haven't assessed any penalties for this, but please keep it in mind if you submit to other competitions.

Totals:
High Chantress Bellina: 11.85
Horatio Figbottom: 12.0
Meranda Morwelschild: 12.25
Brewmaster Barleybeard: 13.25
Archie Karas: 13.75
Bael-Ver: 15.5

I'd like to nominate Horatio Figbottom as the Honorable Mention. I love the concept, and it's not often that you get an NPC class submitted to a contest like this.

[sakuuya]

Hooray, judgement! Thank you Telonius mysterious Judge A!

[heavyfuel]

Oh man... You know you've been busy as hell when you have to mail the Chairman an errata containing some more than crucial information, even then I forgot to add a race (although yes, it should have been Human)

Sigh... Maybe next time I'll have more time to put up the build properly

[Sian]

I'd Suggest throwing a Calculator at the total score for Build 3, I only get it to 11.75

[OMG PONIES]

And now, a word on disputes from your friendly chair:

I run disputes a little different that previous Iron Chef rounds: it's really for correcting something a judge totally misread in the rules, criteria that are applied inconsistently, reworking arithmetic errors, and the like. I've found that differences of opinion or disagreements on subjective topics or things not presented in the initial entry don't propel the conversation forward, but just get us mired down most of the time. I hope that sounds fair, but please let me know if you have any questions.

With that, we've got our first disputes, friends:

Dispute #1

As a Divine Bard, your primary casting stat is Wisdom, not Charisma. Charisma still determines the DC, but quite a few of your spells are spells aren’t offensive ones.

Divine Bard only uses Wisdom for figuring out the highest spell level you can cast, Charisma still counts for bonus spells and the like, so other than having it beyond 10+highest spell level Wisdom aren't anywhere near as important as Charisma

Judge A, could you please clarify the above comment given that Belina maintains the required 15 WIS to cast her spells of up to 5th level?

EDIT: I apologize, but I have a few more matters to ask about:

Dispute #2
First, re: Brewmaster Barleybeard's dwarfy choice of Profession: Brewer vis a vis Belina's equally dwarfy choice of miner...

Profession: Brewer is not an obvious choice, since it doesn’t have any particular mechanical benefit other than the usual skill checks. Still, it’s fairly normal; as you mention, it is in the PHB’s list. So the component itself was not off-the-wall surprising. +1.

For the Profession, Miner doesn’t typically have any mechanical benefits, but there’s not much more stereotypically Dwarf-y than mining (with the possible exceptions of drinking and having a Scottish accent). +0.25.

Since the comments given for each are fairly similar (and they're both pretty darn dwarfy), can you please either clarify the reason for the difference in bonuses or award the same bonus to each build?

Dispute #3
Also, regarding Belina and Bael-Ver both being kissed by nymphs, but being afraid to commit:

Nymph’s Kiss is one area where I tend to be kind of strict for the roleplaying requirement. The requirement is to maintain an intimate relationship with a good-aligned Fey. Intimate does not necessarily mean “physical,” but a one-time meeting (even a very meaningful one) doesn’t quite qualify. This is kind of a minor quibble and would be easily fixed with a slight change in backstory; but I have to judge on what’s there, not what could be there. -0.15.

Two minor quibbles here. First, Nymph’s Kiss. Like several of the other feats in BoED, it’s a feat with a roleplay requirement. If I were presented with this character as a DM, I’d want that intimate relationship to be more than something in the background that’s never mentioned or developed until you need a skill point, especially given the Vow of Chastity at 20. (“Intimate” doesn’t necessarily mean physically intimate, but I’d want some kind of explanation there). Given this build and backstory, it would be really easy to add it in: the significant other he’s sworn to defend, or maybe even another member of the party who’s playing a Fey race. But as written, it’s not there. -0.25.

Belina only received a -.15 penalty for use of Nymph's Kiss while Bael-Ver received a -.25 penalty. Thus, I would ask that Bael-Ver's penalty be changed to only -.15 to maintain consistency.

Dispute #4

I'd Suggest throwing a Calculator at the total score for Build 3, I only get it to 11.75

Indeed, the totals listed for each category add up to 11.75. However, when I examined the baseline scores listed in the judge's criteria and the individual bonuses/penalties presented inside each spoiler, I found that Horatio's Build Stability score is listed at 3.5 while the baseline is 3 and the only change listed in the spoiler is a +1 for backstory. Thus, if the line items are to be followed, Horatio's Build Stability score is actually a 4, bringing his total to 12.25 rather than the 12 listed. Judge A, which is correct: the 11.75 total of categories, the 12 presented, or the 12.25 total of baselines and line items?

[Telonius]

To dispute #1 - Absolutely correct - totally mixed up the order on that. Adjust the power up by 0.25.

Dispute #2 - I was going back and forth on that one myself. My reasoning was that, while Dwarves and drinking alcohol do go hand-in-hand, I wouldn't expect every dwarf to be a brewer specifically. It would certainly make sense that there are Dwarvish brewers, and that they'd be held in high esteem; still, it's not something I'd expect Random Dwarf #5 to know how to do. But in a really significant part of dwarvish lore, from Snow White's Seven on down to Thorin's Thirteen, Dwarves have mining backgrounds; to the point that it would almost be unusual for one not to have some kind of familiarity. Just about as unusual for a dwarf to not enjoy his alcohol. It might be too thin of a hair to split, though - Does a +.5 to Bellina sound reasonable?

Will get to the others later (or as soon as boss stops looking over shoulder).

[OMG PONIES]

+0.5 to Belina sounds reasonable to me. Also, hate to keep them rolling in:

Dispute #5

Thank you for judging, anonymous Judge A!

Unfortunately the starting ability scores go over the point buy limit. They’re 2 over, at 34. Penalty of –0.5.

You appear to be in error. As stated in the writeup, the starting stats include racial adjustments (+2 Con, -2 Cha for a Dwarf). So not counting the racial adjustments, the starting stats are:

Str - 10 (2 points)
Dex - 12 (4 points)
Con - 14 (6 points)
Int - 14 (6 points)
Wis - 16 (10 points)
Cha - 12 (4 points)

2+4+6+6+10+4 = 32

My apologies if this was written in a confusing manner.

[Telonius]

To dispute #3 - Bael-Ver's submission doesn't mention any relationship with Fey at all; it's there merely as a mechanical device. That's the case for both Bael-Ver and Archie, and I'd deducted 0.25 for both of those builds. Bellina's doesn't quite have what I'd want, but it at least gives a nod to the RP requirement by mentioning her relationship with a Gloura; so I didn't deduct the full amount. (Compare it to Horatio, where his relationship with the Fey was a significant part of the backstory).

Dispute #4 - Ack, math fail. I'd been going back and forth on the Stability score, and ended up screwing it up in two different places. Stability should be 4.0, total score should be 12.25.

Dispute #5 - Correct, I'd missed that. Penalty goes away, Stability goes up to 4.5, total score goes up to 13.75.

No worries about the disputes, don't want to short anybody unintentionally!

[OMG PONIES]

Thanks for responding, Telonius er, mysterious Judge A!

[Sian]

How is it going for Judge B & C?

[sideswipe]

How is it going for Judge B & C?

judge redacted is nearly done. (me)

[sideswipe]

just recieved word that the judge i mentioned should be done tonight but very late.

[OMG PONIES]

just recieved word that the judge i mentioned should be done tonight but very late.

Huzzah for Judge [REDACTED]!

[dysprosium]

I had to say that I chuckled at the code names for the judges this round. Mysterious Judge A and Judge [redacted].

[WhamBamSam]

I probably won't get judging in on this one. Sorry guys. I didn't get to it last week and then this week ended up being busier than expected.

[OMG PONIES]

I probably won't get judging in on this one. Sorry guys. I didn't get to it last week and then this week ended up being busier than expected.

Man, and here you were going to be Judge XXXXX. All good, though.

[sideswipe]

just got word that Judge redacted has finished his judging, and that he will submit it to the chair to maintain him being anonymous.

[sakuuya]

It's impressive how much you know about judge [redacted]'s activities, sideswipe. You must be really plugged in to the rumor mill!

[sideswipe]

hey ponies is on. i wonder if he will post....

[sideswipe]

ok i'm tired of waiting.

scores - (start at 1)

Brewmaster Barleybeard- 15.5

originality - 3.75

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the only cleric build, and using a 3.0 class that i never see being used. the main shtick being that you create potions or "beers" and use those as buffs. +1
the race is not the greatest for a cleric, but not bad. though use of its better features is restricted it was not an obvious choice +1
however a dwarf brewer being not original but flavourful and imaginative with the components +1
unfortunately, another buffer, we have a few of those this round... -0.5
+0.25 for not using nymphs kiss!

power - 4

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full cleric casting with extra slots on the high level scale, this is a big factor +1.5
the cleric list is great for someone going vow of peace,lots of nice debuffs and non damaging ways to end combat so the boosts form your vows work really well +1
intuitive attack only works in melee, not ranged, your not built for melee so i don't see why you have it. you seem to want to get up close but have no real reason to,
you also have a very low base attack, below a normal cloistered cleric! -0.5
your big thing with potions, you can essentially "save" a single high level spell slot each day for another day in the form of a potion, this increases your already versatile T1 caster +1

use of components - 3.5

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wonderworker actually increases your power, some other builds make it suffer or cause loss of gaining higher level spells, but you actually gain a lot more then you would otherwise +1
you use a suggested profession and you take it to 23 ranks, +1. though it feels like its a skill tax for fluff rather than a crucial point, as your really using craft alchemy, -0.5
the bonus feats from wonderworker are used flavour-fully and increase the builds power whilst keeping in character. +1

build stability - 4.25

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qualifies for all classes and feats +1
excellent fluff (though short) and character feel +1
few books used and no dips +0.5
you do not mention what energy type you are substituting or why it is effective -0.25
you do not mention what spells are most useful and why you would use them, cleric is a very large list, so no real direction -0.25
it is claimed that you can make potions faster, this is true for churning out low level potions, but you still have a cap of 1000gp per day for your multiple potions, so if your first potion is more than that you cannot make another. this means you do not get the benefit of churning out 7/8/9 level potions multiple a day -0.25
unearthed arcana used for the variant class -0.5
no questionable rules used +1
finishes master alchemist +1

High Chantress Belina - 9

originality - 1.65

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one of the three bard variants used, out of 6. -0.5
one of the many buffers -0.5
one of two singing or vocal buffers out of 6, its a shame, i really liked this build -0.25
after your 3 bard levels though all your classes are unique and keep in character with your build and the way it functions, no strange dips, though many dips. +1
considering you cast off charisma you are using a dwarf, a variant, but a dwarf. that's unusual 0.5
nymphs kiss used on 5/6 builds, but since you actually mention a fey i will give you a very small penalty -0.1
i liked the mix of seeker songs, chanting and bardic music, +0.5

power - 2.5

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5th level bard casting is losing a level (+1-0.25)=+0.75
many many extra uses for your spare bardic musics to increase versatility, +0.5
or to dump many uses into a single thing and make it very strong, upping the power ceiling above the norm +0.5
all musical abilities synergies well and can be used simultaneously using your abilities +0.5
spells are versatile and well chosen, this helps prepare you for things your singing cannot +0.25

use of components - 2.25

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the profession skill was used reasonably well, though it does not feel like it is a core point of the build, a lot of the abilities are great at buffing it,
but they are great at buffing things other than it too. it feels as if its a nice side effect that you are an amazing miner and not a focus so only a +0.5 (+1 and -0.5)
wonderworker gives many slots as is intended, but if you did not take it you would have gained 6th level bard casting, this makes it feel like wonderworker is a tax rather than a real class -0.5
some spells give a bonus or very fluffy reasons for being a better miner +0.25
your wonderworker bonus feats are very flavourful and increase your power and versatility +1

build stability - 2.6

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qualifies for all classes and feats (penalty for nymphs kiss already included) +1
shorter fluff but it does explain the character +0.1
chanting and seeker songs put as bardic music, they may effectually be so but are not. so anything that states bardic music like words of creation cannot be used to benefit them. -0.5
says level progression is 3 / 2 / 10 / 2 / 3 but actually is 1 / 2 / 2 / 5 / 2 / 5 /3. this does not look elegant -0.5
no questionable rules used (except as mentioned before) +1
finishes dwarven chanter +1
unearthed arcana used for alternate class - 0.5

Horatio Figbottom- 16.25

originality - 5

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i'm sorry i love this character concept, it shares no classes outside the components exemplar was what i was going to use and i thought more would have done, but still its unique +1
halfling used not for its mechanical uses but its fluff of being carefree and joyful +1
everything taken for fluff reasons, with great fluff +1
nymphs kiss... if you didn't have a brilliant and extensive reason for having it i would knock you down for it. -0
on top of unique classes i will give +0.5 for the use of an npc class.
on top of all things taken for fluff reasons, there is nothing taken out of character to increase strength,
there is usually something that someone fits in that is a power move only and sort of breaks a character, not this build +0.5

power - 2.75

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2 levels of casting missing from a half casting list (+1-0.5) +0.5
skill versatility and all of his powerful skills can be used in place of diplomacy in different ways. so both a face and a skill monkey + 0.5
an outsider in the end +0.25
many feats set on survivability and has ways of boosting his saves high, good because his saves suck, so no penalty for sucky saves,
can buff party skills with his own versatility +0.5

use of components - 3.5

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does not finish wonderworker -1
wonderworker actually increases spellcasting ability over straight adept 10, +1
exemplar gives new uses for the profession skill +0.5
all skills other than profession farmer are taken to improve his farming or other "outdoors" skills +0.5
all feats and the "feel" of the character play up the exalted nature of the wonderworker, more-so then other builds +0.5
profession skill taken to 23 ranks +1

build stability - 5

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qualifies for all feats and classes +1
great fluff, not just reasons for taking feats and classes, but a real story! +1
no questionable rules used +1
finishes exemplar +1
few books with no dips+0.5
does not mention his familiar at all -0.25
sorry ... capped at 5

Bael-Ver - 14.25

originality - 3

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a raptoran in a defensive role is very new +1
though a VOP build with a raptoran is not so much -0.5
classes are very unique, savant was not something i expected. +1
... nymphs kiss -0.25
so many builds this round are buffers, but none in the way that beal-ver is +0.75 but still a buffer -0.5
can self sacrifice to heal others, this fits in with his concept +0.5

power - 4.5

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9th level casting but from a reasonably restricted list +1.25
Bael-Ver is a really great tank, its a very hard role in 3.5, but he does it well +0.5
has the best base saves from all the builds +0.25
a lot of abilities that help in different situations, increases versatility + 0.5
the spell list really works well for a support character +1

use of components - 4.5

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wonderworker taken at the point of increasing highest level spellcasting and the exalted nature of the class is accented as a self martyr for others benefits.+1
the profession is taken all the way to the top +1, but not really utilised at all -0.5
all of the abilities of the build are designed to accent the profession +1
profession taken to 23 ranks +1

build stability 2.25

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-qualifies for all classes and feats +1
... though no mention of fey at all for nymphs kiss -0.25
no prestige classes apart form components are taken to the end +0 though you do fully progress apostle casting so i will give you +0.25
over dipping in my opinion, there isn't really a base for the build, it just sort of starts at apostle of peace -0.5
no questionable rules used +1
there are fluff reasons for everything taken +0.25
savant with its "all skills class skills" and its travelling "a bit of everything" feel is a factotum -0.5

Meranda Morwelschild - 11.75

originality - 2.25

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feytouched is very unique, though it is reasonably suited for a bard +1
one of the three bard variants used, out of 6. -0.5
one of the many buffers -0.5
one of two singing or vocal buffers out of 6 -0.25
have to say i love the exalted pirate idea, though i don't know how you would role play it +1
unique prestige classes used +0.5
kissing nymphs is fully explained, so no penalty -0

power - 3.25

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casting from a half list with 2 level drops (+0.5 total)
feats to increase versatility or power of bardic casting and abilities +0.25
stormsinger increases the versatility of your bardic music further a lot +0.5
you have passive buffing and to a large margin, you are great in your fluffed leader role +0.5
on the sea you have a lot of abilities that let you control weather, this is limited but very useful in your chosen "environment" +0.25
spells accent your abilities and allow you to be competent out of your chosen role +0.25

use of components - 4.5

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wonderworker is again used very well and increases spellcasting well, but you lose a potential for 5th level casting with it +0.5
bonus for using wonderworker in a very weirdly exalted build, an exalted pirate... +0.5
the only profession used with RAW uses, some others are required, but profession sailor actually has rules that are not specific to a single classes single use. +1
profession taken to 23 ranks +1
profession sailor if a core part of the build, and the build feels that it actually fits in with it rather than a side effect. +0.5

build stability - 1.75

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-qualifies for all classes and feats +1
you start two prestige classes but do not finish them, even in essence +0
bardic knack feels too much like the factotums ability cunning knowledge -0.25
unearthed arcana used for alternate bard -0.5
LA buy off used -0.5
the dipping is borderline, but since all of them are very flavourful i will not penalise.
the story of the character gives a strong feeling like this was designed to be played +1

Archie Karas- 12.5

originality - 2.5

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wow a bard!... i'm sorry, this one is at least a normal bard. -0.5
though he has bard buffs, its not the focus so no deduction
raceless. what an interesting race, i deciphered quite easily it was human, but still. pretty plain 0 unique, but due to not mentioning it i will not give points.
nymphs kiss -0.25
fatespinner, that's original +0.5 and no one went sublime chord +0.25
i do love the idea of a luck based character, and 4th wall breaking can be done very well +1
a lot of the things were taken only for fluff reasons, he really is a built gambler +0.5

power - 5

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9th level casting from the strongest list (though missing the lower level spells) +1
full bard casting to make up for this lower level missing spells +0.75, (so a total of +1.75)
concealed spellcasting and other tricks from spell tricks allows spellcasting to be more socially versatile, as well as feats like still spell +1
extra wonderworker spell slots allow him to use them to cast higher level sublime chord spells with versatile spellcaster +0.5
re-rolls and even enemy forced re-rolls allow you to negate some bad luck in game +0.5
at later levels he becomes a little bit of a diplomancer and gains aspects of being a party face +0.25

use of components - 3.5

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profession skill is actually a prerequisite for fatespinner +1
2 profession skills at 23 ranks, one main and a secondary +1.5
wonderworker is taken "because i had to" +0 for the whole component.

build stability - 1.5

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here we go....
no sources at all -0.5
no mention of the fey at all -0.25
no mention of your familiar -0.25
qualifies for all classes +0.5 (not feats as said below)
does not take fatespinner to the end +0
you do progress sublime chord casting to the end, though not the class so +0.25
bonus exalted feat taken illegally as stated in one of the many questions in the thread. bonus exalted feats only from BoED and not other sources. -0.25
the character feel flavourful and well thought out with great fluff +1
note: i really wanted to like this character. but its excessive lack of any details was a real factor.

honourable mention is definitely figbottom!

[sakuuya]

J-j-judge [redatcted]! You were secretly sideswipe this whole time?!

For real, though, thanks for judging!

[sideswipe]

j-j-judge [redatcted]! You were secretly sideswipe this whole time?!

For real, though, thanks for judging!

duhm-duhm-duuuuuuuhhhhhmmmmmm!