Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXV

[Chronos]

Just a bump so Ponies (and any other judges we might have; are there any?) don't forget about this.

[OMG PONIES]

Just a bump so Ponies (and any other judges we might have; are there any?) don't forget about this.

Who are you? Where am I? What are the prerequisites for Dodge?

4.5 out of 6 done. Busy today, but with the snow expected my way I may get a chance to complete tomorrow. Failing that, could I humbly request a one-day extension of the deadline so I could get judging in by Monday morning (US East Coast time)?

[Zaq]

While I have no authority on the matter, in the interest of not being the only judge, I second Ponies's motion for an extension.

[sakuuya]

Home Cooking could also use an extension for entries, so if both got extended, they'd still sync up! I also have no authority, but I like this plan.

[Heliomance]

Happy to extend for the sake of having two judges and Ponies' work not going to waste. Home cooking is likely to need more than one more day though!

[KrimsonNekros]

Extend them both a week for disputes here, and cooking on home cooking

[OMG PONIES]

Happy to extend for the sake of having two judges and Ponies' work not going to waste. Home cooking is likely to need more than one more day though!

Thanks Heliomance!

Extend them both a week for disputes here, and cooking on home cooking

Nah, see, that's my trick; I get the deadline extended long enough to judge but not long enough for anyone to question me. Hey, speaking of...

My Scores

Lord Al'ayn Q'tarmayn: 13 (3.25 average)

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Originality: 2

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• I got a sketch of Al'ayn, but aside from a quick homage to LXG I didn't really get a feel for him (0).
• Half-drow was a repeated race this time around, and even though it was only a splash fighter levels were used in the sample entry. Aside from that, the scout and dread commando levels were a welcomed addition that lent a military feel to the build (0).
• Nothing mechanically unique was at play here, as most of the key archery feats were in focus here. However, Precise Shot's omission is felt (-0.5).
• Unfortunately, this feels much like a cut and paste from the feats section of an archery handbook (-0.5).

Power: 2.5

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• Continued advancement in scout outclasses Thunder Guide by providing increased skirmish and awesome class features like blindsense. Whether it's scout or more fighter levels, either one would give us some more much-needed feats. Lastly, this build was such a Swift Hunter in progress that the omission of ranger levels and the Swift Hunter feat felt like they were done simply to shoehorn in the SI (-0.5).
• The build functions at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on nova powers (0.5).
• Some of the items you mentioned aren't too crazy, but it's the sheer number of items mentioned here that made me feel uncertain about letting this one skate away with full points. My main concern here is the lack of Precise Shot unless utilizing one specific bow. I know you're trying to go first, but you're still going to need to be useful in a bevy of situations in rounds 2 and beyond (0).
• Offensively, you fall short of your fourth iterative attack and the skirmish/sudden strike damage dealt is a bit outpaced (even with Hit and Run Tactics). Defensively, you've got a few small things going for you like +1 natural armor, but not a ton of tricks. In terms of utliity, you've got ranks in a few face skills but lack the CHA or tricks to make them truly useful (-0.5).

Elegance: 5

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• The build qualifies for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• The build qualifies for all feats taken (0.5).
• The build avoids reliance on questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition (0.5).
• The build avoids multi-class penalties and excessive dipping (0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but doesn't make any special use of entry requirements aside from maxing out Diplomacy (0).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• While you listed which class features were chosen, I would have appreciated some attention to making these class features work in unique ways with the rest of the build and highlighting those interactions for the judges (-0.5).
• Weirdly, the concept of Thunder Guides as tired old mercenaries actually worked for me (0.5).

Lord Professor Hexler: 13.5 (3.375 average)

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Originality: 2.5

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• While the beginning of the professor's backstory had a distinctly "Bilbo Baggins" vibe to it, by the end it actually felt a bit disjointed. I walked away knowing that Hexler was a monk who was too smart to be a monk, so he wandered around and then became a professor...but I wanted to get more of a glimpse into him (0).
• Humans are the bread & butter of the D&D world, but as I've stated before they'll never earn you a deduction. Your class selection was unique enough that it stood out from the crowd, though I would have loved to see a more original racial selection. Even still, you were the only monk/factotum and human has been designated as a "free space" in my judging rubric so you've earned full points here (0.5).
• Nothing mechanically unique was at play here (-0.5).
• Most things at play outside the SI were standard factotum handbook fare (-0.5).

Power: 2.5

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• Monk 2 is a favored splash, and Factotum 8 gets you most of the class' juiciest abilities (0.5).
• You tout how frequently you can use Travel Devotion, but you can only use it 2/day (once from the feat and once from burning 2 of your 3 opportunistic piety uses for the day). You only have 3 spells/day from your arcane dilletante ability, and the cunning knowledge you mention for boosting skills will only work once per skill per day. The only "all day" part of a factotum is inspiration and cunning surge--two class features that receive the least mention (-0.5).
• While you don't list too many items, you talk a whole bunch about stat-boosting items, which don't come on the cheap (0).
• Offensively, you lack the number of attacks or bonus damage to contribute significantly (even with Decisive Strike). In terms of defense, your monk splash helps with AC and Invisible Fist. Utility is a factotum's strong suit, but you've painted yourself as far more versatile than you actually are (-0.5).

Elegance: 5

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• The build qualifies for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• The build qualifies for all feats taken (0.5).
• The build avoids reliance on questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition (0.5).
• The build avoids multi-class penalties and excessive dipping (0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but doesn't make any special use of entry requirements aside from maxing Diplomacy (0).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• None of the class features received any particular treatment in your write-up (-0.5).
• I dug the Bilbo Baggins vibe of the Professor, the aged adventurer who took the wanderer's mantle back up (0.5).

Lord Noamuth: 11.5 (2.875 average)

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Originality: 4

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• The hometown hunter seemed like a perfect fit for the Thunder Guides (0.5).
• Another half-drow makes its appearance. A pity, too, because I really liked the use of ranger and aberrant dragonmarks (0).
• Aberrant dragonmarks aren't used too frequently, and you definitely selected a few feats that had me book diving (0.5).
• You just couldn't stay away from the barbarian splash for Pounce, could you? Aside from that, this entry avoided the usual handbook fare (0).

Power: 2

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• Ranger 4 is always a good breakpoint for the class, but I was confused about the inclusion of barbarian 2. Usually it's a 1-level splash to snag pounce…why the extra level here? (0).
• If you're calling something a "nova power" in the write-up itself, chances are that you're going to wind up with a deduction here. Outside of your whirling frenzy, your TWF pouncing routine is actually fairly weak (-0.5).
• I hate to take away points for this because you mention that the build functions without it, but it seems like the Aberrant functions at a greatly reduced capacity if you're playing with a DM who's unfriendly to Aberrant Dragonmarks (0).
• Offensively, you've got your four iterative attacks…but you're a TWFer so I expected more attacks than that. Bonus damage was a bit lagging. Defensively, you're lacking significant tricks without your aberrant dragonmark (and you were hard up when you had it). In terms of utility, you've got middling ranks in a few skills and an animal companion, but we were looking for a little more here (-0.5).

Elegance: 2

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• Without the ability to qualify for Aberrant Dragonmark (see below), you're unable to qualify for Heir of Khyber (-0.5).
• To have an aberrant dragonmark, you must be a member of a dragonmarked race like humans or elves. The link provided for Eberron half-drow, though, states that they have drow blood instead of human or elven blood, so I don't believe you qualify for the feat (-0.5).
• I'm not really sure how I feel about the Eberron half-drow used, as the link provided wasn't an online source per se but a collection of cards listed in the article as only being available at conventions. Also, Champions of Ruin is a Forgotten Realms sourcebook, so we've got cross-setting material here (-0.5).
• The build avoids multi-class penalties and excessive dipping (0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but doesn't make any special use of entry requirements (0).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• While some of the class features are mentioned, they don't receive any particular synergizing treatment in your write-up (-0.5).
• The hunter with a web of connections made sense as a Thunder Guide (0.5).

Lord Kole Naerrin: 14.5 (3.625 average)

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Originality: 4.5

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• I was waiting for someone to play the role of the writer himself, but nobody else snagged the premise but you. On top of that, you did it with grace and aplomb (0.5).
• Bard and Spymaster were great picks, but unfortunately you weren't the only changeling in this competition (or the only one to snag the racial sub levels in rogue). Because of that, I can't award full points here (0).
• I like that you actually focused in on low-level spells like Alibi and False Lie to really solidify your schtick. It doesn't hurt that you sent me book diving to even figure out what they did (0.5).
• The build avoids known cheese and overused optimization suggestions (0.5).

Power: 2.5

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• Sneak attack lags significantly, but the changeling rogue dip was more for social skills than combat prowess. You're a social-focus bard who doesn't stick it out for 2 more levels to snag Suggestion as a class feature? That seems like a big miss here, as that's the bread and butter of most bards and especially one with a career like yours. Its absence will be felt so much that I can't say you surpass a similar bard chassis who holds on just a little bit longer. I do see it listed among your 2nd-level spells, but that gives you only 2/day after bonus spells, whereas staying with bard at least until level 6 would give you many more uses per day (and still afford the option to have it as a spell known) (-0.5).
• As a social skill user, your high modifiers continue all day long. Though it's not the primary focus of your build by any means, you've also got limited spellcasting as a bard. Some fantastic uses are mentioned in your write-up, but once you've burnt through all 9 of your spells in a day, you've got nothing but skill ranks and disguises to contribute. I get that this is the idea with Lord Kole, but the name of the game is building characters that are both interesting (which you've nailed) and competent adventurers (which we've missed) (0).
• The build thrives without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other add-ons for power (0.5).
• With 2d6 sneak attack, a +13 BAB, and only +1 inspire courage, Kole isn't made to win any fights. He's got plenty of disguises, but once an enemy knows who they're fighting he's practically a sitting duck. Utility is where the build shines; it's not exclusive to social interaction alone as you've actually maxed out a Craft for a meager income and become a master forger. In Eberron, having the right paperwork in a pinch is always handy...I just wish that Kole had learned some real combat tricks along the way; for instance, Combat Panache seems right up his alley (-0.5).

Elegance: 4

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• The build qualifies for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• The most common elegance error I see folks making in Iron Chef, round after round, is missing the requisite 4 ranks in Spellcraft to take Practiced Spellcaster. Additionally, without 4 ranks in Knowledge (arcana), you don't qualify for Obtain Familiar (-0.5).
• The build avoids reliance on questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition (0.5).
• The build avoids multi-class penalties and excessive dipping (0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient and makes use of entry requirements to max out Diplomacy and qualify for Spymaster (0.5).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• I really wanted to hear how you were going to uniquely amp up these class features to support your tricky storytelling, but I was disappointed to see a lack of any actual class feature synergy here (-0.5).
• I keep going back and forth on this on. On one hand, I love the "Good Will Hunting" vibe that Kole puts out--he knows all about Michaelangelo but can't tell you what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. On the other, I'm not sure how he'd pick up this knowledge in the first place (0).

Lord The Speaker: 14 (3.5 average)

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Originality: 4

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• I thought nobody could rival Kole's concept and then you bring me a nefarious twist on a big game hunter, taking down the most dangerous game? Me likey (0.5).
• Warblade levels fit right in here, and Cabinet Trickster is one of my all-time favorite PrCs despite its power issues. Unfortunately you weren't the only changeling in this competition (or the only one to snag the racial sub levels in rogue). Because of that, I can't award full points here (0).
• When I saw the boomerang proficiency, I hoped someone would go the Boomerang Daze route. Even though two of you did, I like how you blended it with Warblade Shenanigans to make it "Pick a Weapon Daze" instead (but see Elegance below) (0.5).
• As much as I hoped to see it, Boomerang Daze sprang to mind because it's all over charop suggestion forums; likewise with Emerald Razor. However, I loved the changeling shenanigans and love for the under-appreciated cabinet trickster so much that we'll call this a wash (0).

Power: 3.5

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• This one stings. Rogue advancement would have given social skills and sneak attack progression, but the real miss is boosted Initiator Level and maneuvers from more Warblade. Especially on an INT-focused build, taking warblade to 7 later in the build could have snagged some great maneuvers as well as leveraging your INT in a few places for a "hunt smarter, not harder" vibe (-0.5).
• I go back and forth on this one. Your rogue and warblade levels give you great staying power with "always on" abilities and refreshable maneuvers. It's actually the late placement of Cabinet Trickster that makes this teeter. Detect Thoughts (and the subsequent thought tricks) become a bit of a nova power (and a low-DC nova at that) until they're finally locked in at will once you hit 20th level. Had that come to its fullness earlier (and with a way to boost DCs), you'd have a much more consistent power base throughout the day (0).
• The build thrives without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other add-ons for power (0.5).
• Offensively, Boomerang Daze can't be overrated. You pay the necessary attention to boosting save DCs via decent damage boosts like Stormguard Warrior, Sneak Attack, etc. Emerald Razor helps you make touch attacks, but you're still not boasting a large number of attacks. Boomerang Ricochet would have provided more offensive oomph than some other things like Rapid Counter, but it would have just been icing on the Boomerang Daze cake. Defensively, you've got wall of blades...but that's about it. In terms of utility, you shine between your skills and everyhing that Cabinet Trickster allows. Cabinet Trickster also adds enough combat oomph to make up for your lack of defense; who needs defense when you can shut down your opponents? Granted, you have low DCs on your thought tricks but they're a nice addition. Nice enough to snag you full points here (0.5).

Elegance: 3

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• I hate to be this guy, but there's a story-based requisite for Cabinet Trickster that didn't come up. It could have been woven in nicely with the Cabinet of Faces using The Speaker's catches for shapechanging purposes, etc. It's minor enough that I don't want to cause a fuss by taking away points, though, so let's call it a wash (0).
• Since you haven't listed your Warblade stance selected, it's impossible to tell if you qualify for Ironheart Aura (and thus Stormguard Warrior as well). Granted, you could easily be taking Punishing Stance and thus qualifying, but you've got to let us judges know. Also, I'm assuming that instead of Sudden Counter you meant Rapid Counter for your Martial Study at level 15. If so, you qualify, but it's another point of confusion (0).
• There's already question about whether Weapon Aptitude applies to feats where you don't specifically designate a weapon (like Boomerang Daze, Lightning Maces, etc). I'm of the opinion that it does, but that's hotly contested on these boards and gaming tables alike. The problem here is the idea that Boomerang Daze and Weapon Aptitude "lets you chuck whatever you feel like," to use your words. Unfortunately, that's not the case. It's a great way to apply a daze effect to melee attacks, but you won't go chucking bastard swords without additional feat or item investment (-0.5).
• The build avoids multi-class penalties and excessive dipping (0.5).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient, but doesn't make any special use of entry requirements (0).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• You said it yourself; ten levels in Thunder Guide and combat is largely the same. I was excited to hear how it was all a set up for Cabinet Trickster synergy…but then you sold me on how fun Cabinet Trickster is (trust me, I agree) without giving me any ways it actually synergized with Thunder Guide (-0.5).
• I can't give you enough points for your concept of shipping in whatever the locals consider exotic as a lure to snag a local and ship them off to somewhere else. I'm still giggling (0.5).

Lord Azrael: 17 (4.25 average)

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Originality: 4.5

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• I dug the tale of the ex-military man turned ship captain…but it honestly had more of a Dread Captain vibe than that of a Thunder Guide (more on that under UoSI below) (0.5).
• As I've mentioned before, humans are basically a "free space" in my book so I'll never deduct points for using them. Aside from that, you were the only one to pick up Marshal and Exotic Weapon Master, and I didn't expect a paladin whatsoever (0.5).
• When I saw the boomerang proficiency, I hoped someone would go the Boomerang Daze route. I really liked your inclusion of Power Throw to boost the damage (and thus the save DC), but see Elegance below (0.5).
• As much as I hoped to see it, Boomerang Daze sprang to mind because it's all over charop suggestion forums (0).

Power: 4.5

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• Marshal's rarely taken for more than a splash, but the additional levels snag you more auras and pair nicely with the standard paladin 2 dip (0.5).
• The build functions at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on nova powers (0.5).
• The build thrives without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other add-ons for power (0.5).
• Offensively, Boomerang Daze is great (especially with a reliable way to boost damage output like Brutal Throw). Assassin's Stance is more of a melee option, but at the worst it's an unreliable source of more bonus damage and thus a higher daze save DC. Boomerang Ricochet would have gone miles, but what can you do? Defensively, Divine Grace is there and partners with Sustaining Presence to really beef up your fort saves. However, that's not enough for me to award full defense points here; you've got to have solutions for more types of problems. When it comes to utility, it's no surprise that you're versatile--most exemplars are. This build came the closest in this round to obtaining the Triple Crown of offense/defense/utility, but just fell a bit short in the defense category (0).

Elegance: 4.5

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• The build qualifies for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• Without Power Attack, you sadly don't qualify for Power Throw. EDIT: Except you DO have Power Attack, something I clearly overlooked (0.5).
• The build avoids reliance on questionable rules interpretations, cross-setting material, or material specifically disallowed from this competition (0.5).
• Multiclass penalties were avoided, but the dips into both paladin and Exotic Weapon Master may be too much for some DMs (0).

Use of the Secret Ingredient: 3.5

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• The build qualifies for the Secret Ingredient and makes use of entry requirements by maxing Diplomacy and using those ranks to qualify for Exemplar (0.5).
• The build completed the Secret Ingredient (0.5).
• Here we had a series of peaks and valleys. Some things mentioned (like your high Diplo bonus) aren't unique synergies, as a lot of folks could hit the DCs this round. I know that you used Nymph's Kiss, Motivate CHA, etc. to get those bonuses, but in the future please be more specific about spelling that out. It leaves a sour taste in my mouth that you said you're "not going to pretend serial hero does anything but give you 4,000 gp..." What unique things did you plan on doing with that gold? The one thing that was truly missing was the synergy between Rescue Artist & Exemplar--you can take Skill Mastery in the skills that class feature boosts! Still, you paid some attention to the class features, so it's not a total bust here. One of the things that saved this from deduction land was the use of Survival and Track; I agree with your assessment that it feels almost necessary on a Thunder Guide (0).
• I get where you were trying to take this, but the exquisite backstory felt like a great setup for something like Dread Pirate, Legendary Captain, or Scarlet Corsair. The Thunder Guide didn't strike me as a logical next step (even with the thought of the only work available being merchant escorts) (-0.5).

Lest anyone forget...

My Criteria

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Each entry will start at a base score of 12 (3 in each category), with deductions or bonuses awarded based on the following questions:

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Originality:

• Does the entry present a compelling backstory, concept, or theme aside from the mechanics of the build?
• Does the entry enter the Secret Ingredient through a method unique from the sample character in the source as well as other entries in this round?
• Does the entry make use of any unique mechanical tricks/feat chains?
• Does the entry avoid known cheese and overused optimization suggestions?

Power:

• Does the entry surpass a hypothetical build that continues in the base class used for qualification (i.e. does the entry follow established breakpoints for base classes or make a compelling case for the breakpoint selected)?
• Does the entry function at the same power level throughout an entire adventuring day, rather than relying on "nova" powers or limited resources?
• Does the entry thrive without an undue emphasis on items, templates, or other "add-ons" for its power?
• Does the entry contribute significantly in terms of offense, defense, and utility? Here an answer of "No" denotes that the build thrives in one or fewer of those three categories, "yes and no" denotes that the build thrives in two of those three categories, and "yes" denotes that the build wins the elusive triple crown--pulling its weight in terms of all three of those categories.

Elegance:

• Does the entry qualify for all classes taken outside the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry qualify for all feats and skill tricks taken?
• Does the entry avoid reliance on any questionable rules interpretations, as well as providing a list of source material while avoiding cross-setting material or material specifically disallowed from this competition?
• Does the entry avoid multi-class penalties and dipping* more than once?

UoSI:

• Does the entry qualify for the Secret Ingredient and make use of all entry requirements?
• Does the entry complete the Secret Ingredient or present a compelling reason why not doing so is actually a better use of the Secret Ingredient?
• Does the entry synergize the unique mechanical abilities of the Secret Ingredient with the rest of the build and/or present a novel use of said mechanical abilities?
• Does the entry complement the background, concept, or theme of its chassis through use of the Secret Ingredient?

*Where "dipping" is defined as taking two or fewer levels in a base class or prestige class.

Each of the questions above can be answered in one of three ways. A straight "yes" will earn a +0.5 bonus to the category in question. A straight "no" will suffer a -0.5 penalty to the category, and an ambivalent "yes and no" will wash out with no adjustment to the category. Other scoring rules (like a flat -1 penalty per Flaw used, for instance) will be followed as requested by the Chairperson in the thread. If there are any questions about the clarity of my criteria in general, please post them openly so I can address. If there are any disagreements with particular scores, please PM the chairperson as part of the regular dispute process.

Standings

Entry	Place	Total	Average
Lord Kole Naerrin	Gold	29.5	3.6875
Lord Azrael	Silver	28.5	3.5625
Lord Al'ayn Q'tarmayn	Bronze	23.75	2.96875
Lord The Speaker	Fourth	23.25	2.90625
Lord Professor Hexler	Fifth	22.5	2.8125
Lord Noamuth	Sixth	20.25	2.53125

[Amphetryon]

Is my computer acting up, or is that table a little wonky, Ponies?

[OMG PONIES]

Is my computer acting up, or is that table a little wonky, Ponies?

I don't know what you're talking about, Citizen. Look again. There was never anything wrong with the table. I never make mistakes.

[The Viscount]

All right! Sweet judgings, Mr. Ponies.

Quick note, in Elegance you mentioned Azrael does not have Power Attack. Azrael took Power Attack at level 1.

[Zaq]

I just realized I didn't throw in my vote for Honorable Mention. I vote for Azrael, just because I feel like he made the best good-faith effort to TRY using one of the SI's unique features (which happened to be the one I was trying to focus on in my aborted attempts at cooking).

I'm also a little surprised that no one used Malenti Pearl Trick to qualify for Mindbender. I was also trying to do that. The caster level isn't enough on its own to qualify, which is what stopped me, but I thought that someone else would find a way around that.

[Chronos]

I'm giving my Honorable Mention vote to the Speaker. I'm not really sure what Thunder Guide is doing in there, but I like the story of the guy abducting audience members to become part of his displays.

[Venger]

I'm also a little surprised that no one used Malenti Pearl Trick to qualify for Mindbender. I was also trying to do that. The caster level isn't enough on its own to qualify, which is what stopped me, but I thought that someone else would find a way around that.

It's surprisingly difficult to raise the CL for stuff like that.

Also since the SI doesn't advance casting, mindbender probably wasn't first up on anyone's list for entry, since we didn't have any casters this round. Mindsight's always nice though, and it could've made a pretty competent counter-sneak (or would've if the SI offered hide/ms) A factotum with able learner could easily slip in, but then it'd beg the question of why he bothered to use the malenti pearl trick since arcane dilettante can let him enter mindbender on its own, and factotum/mindbender is well-worn territory.

[The Viscount]

I'm seconding the Speakers HM.

[Thurbane]

It's surprisingly difficult to raise the CL for stuff like that.

Practiced Magic (Shackled City hardcover).

[Venger]

Practiced Magic (Shackled City hardcover).

Is that book kosher for IC?

[Thurbane]

Is that book kosher for IC?

I've raised the issue before, and AFAIK it has (or should have) the exact same standing in IC as the Dragon Mag Compendium - both are published by Paizo and bear the same logos and disclaimers.

[Heliomance]

Hey hey hey, guess what time it is!

I go back and forth on this one. Your rogue and warblade levels give you great staying power with "always on" abilities and refreshable maneuvers. It's actually the late placement of Cabinet Trickster that makes this teeter. Detect Thoughts (and the subsequent thought tricks) become a bit of a nova power (and a low-DC nova at that) until they're finally locked in at will once you hit 20th level. Had that come to its fullness earlier (and with a way to boost DCs), you'd have a much more consistent power base throughout the day (0).

I definitely understand your criticism here. My rationale behind embracing the classic xx5/SI10/xx5 formula is the same as always: I wanted to avoid a penalty for late entry and losing points in the SI.

While I can understand losing points because cabinet trickster comes online too late, can you honestly say I wouldn't have lost just as many (if not more) points in UotSI had I gone xx10/SI10? if not, it seems like a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" type deal.

Glad you liked the backstory and cabinet trickster. Re: cabinet of faces, since the victim is the POV, I didn't see a particularly natural way to work it in, but like you said, it didn't impose any deduction, nor would its presence have merited an award, so neither here nor there.

[OMG PONIES]

All right! Sweet judgings, Mr. Ponies.

Quick note, in Elegance you mentioned Azrael does not have Power Attack. Azrael took Power Attack at level 1.

Judging edited. Nothing to see here, Citizens.

I just realized I didn't throw in my vote for Honorable Mention. I vote for Azrael, just because I feel like he made the best good-faith effort to TRY using one of the SI's unique features (which happened to be the one I was trying to focus on in my aborted attempts at cooking).

I'm also a little surprised that no one used Malenti Pearl Trick to qualify for Mindbender. I was also trying to do that. The caster level isn't enough on its own to qualify, which is what stopped me, but I thought that someone else would find a way around that.

Likewise on Honorable Mention vote going to Azrael. I loved The Speaker's concept as well as Kole's approach, but we only had one person this round really give a shot at these abysmal class features. Unrelated, interesting thoughts on using the otherwise blah class feature to meet prerequisites for Mindbender!

I go back and forth on this one. Your rogue and warblade levels give you great staying power with "always on" abilities and refreshable maneuvers. It's actually the late placement of Cabinet Trickster that makes this teeter. Detect Thoughts (and the subsequent thought tricks) become a bit of a nova power (and a low-DC nova at that) until they're finally locked in at will once you hit 20th level. Had that come to its fullness earlier (and with a way to boost DCs), you'd have a much more consistent power base throughout the day (0).

I definitely understand your criticism here. My rationale behind embracing the classic xx5/SI10/xx5 formula is the same as always: I wanted to avoid a penalty for late entry and losing points in the SI.

While I can understand losing points because cabinet trickster comes online too late, can you honestly say I wouldn't have lost just as many (if not more) points in UotSI had I gone xx10/SI10? if not, it seems like a bit of a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" type deal.

Yep, I can honestly say that since the level at which a build enters the Secret Ingredient is not part of my rubric . Scoring stands.

Glad you liked the backstory and cabinet trickster. Re: cabinet of faces, since the victim is the POV, I didn't see a particularly natural way to work it in, but like you said, it didn't impose any deduction, nor would its presence have merited an award, so neither here nor there.

Yeah, I faced the same issue; there wasn't really a stand-out way to weave it in there, but had there been an attempt I feel it could have been something really solid. Scoring stands.

[Thurbane]

My honorable mention goes to Lord Professor Hexler.

[Heliomance]

I've not had any disputes for a while, so I figured I'd close this now and give you guys a bit of a headstart on the next contest. So here are the final rankings!

Standings

Entry	Chef	Place	Total	Average
Lord Kole Naerrin	Chronos	Gold	29.5	3.6875
Lord Azrael	The Viscount	Silver	28.5	3.5625
Lord Al'ayn Q'tarmayn	WeaselGuy	Bronze	23.75	2.96875
The Lord Speaker	Venger	Fourth	23.25	2.90625
Lord Professor Hexler	sideswipe	Fifth	22.5	2.8125
Lord Noamuth	KrimsonNekros	Sixth	20.25	2.53125

Congratulations to the Lord Speaker for his honourable mention!

[Venger]

Sounds good to me, chair.

Thank for HM, everyone. Had a lot of fun with this round.

[WeaselGuy]

Not too shabby, bronze by half a point, on my first Iron Chef entry Thanks again to everyone involved! These competitions are keeping me sane on this deployment.

[Chronos]

I'm kicking myself for those two feats I didn't qualify for. To be honest, by the time I got to feats, I was just so tired of the whole thing that I just grabbed the first things I thought of (which also explains the +2/+2 skill feats).

And if anyone remembers the old Gestalt Build Challenge threads, they won't be surprised that when I entered those, I was usually trying for the "Huh?" award.

[sideswipe]

well, i built mine on an insight i had of the story i wrote. im just glad thurbane liked it

[WeaselGuy]

Also, yes, Al'ayn was a twist on Allan Quartermain. As I was developing the character, I decided I liked the "former soldier, now safari guide" aspect, and it reminded me of the LXG. I tried not to base much of my story on his though, in order to avoid a hit to originality.

Also, I have quite literally never seen another person use a Half-Drow, so I was rather surprised to see another one here. Was sure I'd get originality for that too.

[The Viscount]

Also, I have quite literally never seen another person use a Half-Drow, so I was rather surprised to see another one here. Was sure I'd get originality for that too.

I take it you didn't see the round people did Drow Judicator.

I had a lot of fun this round, and I'm glad we finally got to use Thunder Guide, even if it was much harder to work with than I had originally thought.

[Chronos]

On the race thing, I found that I kept saying to myself "Dang, it's a pity that Kole isn't a changeling". Then I realized, who says he isn't?

I also liked using an Eberron-specific race for such an Eberron-specific ingredient.

[OMG PONIES]

So here are the final rankings!

Congrats, everyone!

Not too shabby, bronze by half a point, on my first Iron Chef entry Thanks again to everyone involved! These competitions are keeping me sane on this deployment.

Welcome aboard and thanks for your service!

I'm kicking myself for those two feats I didn't qualify for. To be honest, by the time I got to feats, I was just so tired of the whole thing that I just grabbed the first things I thought of (which also explains the +2/+2 skill feats).

And if anyone remembers the old Gestalt Build Challenge threads, they won't be surprised that when I entered those, I was usually trying for the "Huh?" award.

Methinks you'll fit right in here, Chronos.