E6 Compendium

[Mikka]

I'm making a compendium of E6 build ideas and thoughts, scavenging existing/dying/dead threads.

E6 Class dipping analysis
All credit to Zornugal

Within the E6 variant there are tighter restrictions and areas a player can take their character, and as such an in-depth look should be given to what classes bring to the table (and for how long they continue to bring it).

Core

Barbarian
Dipping: The first or second level of Barbarian is great for dipping. With the first you’ll receive Rage (or any selection of alternatives such as Whirling Frenzy) which opens up a slew of feats to enhance & power it. Fast movement is a nice ability and can always be traded out for Pounce or another alternate ability. You’ll likely want to position such a dip past 1st-level as to avoid Illiteracy and because the Barbarian doesn’t have too many skills/skill points to pump up via first level. Regarding second level there is the nice Uncanny Dodge which can help make your martial character a bit beyond the norm in an E6 setting (and when coupled with Warblade can allow you to snag Improved Uncanny Dodge).
Exit Points: Honestly 2nd-level is a good point to consider leaving the class for multi-classing or prestige classes. Third level can be nice if only to trade out Trap-Sense for the Trap-Killer ACF in Dungeonscape which allows a martial character to have significant utility outside of combat. But beyond that ability I’d say avoid levels 3-6.

Bard
Dipping: The first level is astounding, with the second level not being too terrible either. The first level is going to get you amazing skills and some great class abilities (which present a lot of alternatives). The second level doesn’t bring a lot in terms of class abilities but will progress Bardic Knowledge (or Bardic Knack, which is a very nice ability), provide a +1 to BaB and open up small access to 1st-level spells (and thus wand usage).
Exit Points: Riding Bard all the way through is a nice option in E6 but for those wanting to snag all its points I’d say 4th level is probably the best place to jump out. You’ll have most of the class abilities, you’ll snag a +3 to BaB before it hits the bump at 5th-level and you gain access to 2nd-level spells.

Cleric
Dipping: The first level of Cleric is an honored tradition in multi-classing and it applies in E6. Armor proficiency, Turn/Rebuke Undead, and 1st-level spells to tie everything together means you are getting a lot out of the level. And with feats able to power Turn/Rebuke Undead and the ability itself powering other feats the dip is amazing for the options one can tack on after going Epic. It should be noted that if using Cleric in a spellcasting build to pick-up Turn/Rebuke Undead there is almost no reason not to lead off with the variant Cloistered Cleric instead of the normal Cleric at 1st-level.
Exit Points: Third level is going to be the best option as it is typically the early entry point for prestige classes. After 1st-level the only thing Cleric is going to progress is BaB (slowly) and spells, so you want to jump out into a prestige class quickly.

Druid
Dipping: Likely the strongest 1st-level dip in E6, it brings so much to the table. While it will restrict your character from wearing metal armor, what it provides in return is outstanding. It has okay hp, BaB and quality saves, skills for 1st-level. Beyond that you gain access to 0-level & 1st-level spells (and thus wand usage), so already you are in a tremendous place. After this you gain an Animal Companion who is likely as good as a 1st-level Fighter or Monk which you can re-choose/summon after 24 hours should you dislike them or they perish. You also gain a small skill boost & the ability to slightly communicate with animals through Nature Sense & Wild Empathy. Now if you have no need for the Druid’s armor & shield proficiency you can trade them out (as well as Wildshape but you aren’t getting to 5th-level so it isn’t a real problem) for wisdom to AC (like a Monk), Fast Movement (like a Barbarian) and Favored Enemy & Track (like a Ranger). That is a huge amount of abilities, all for a single level.
Exit Points: You can go almost all the way with Druid and suffer no repercussions. All the way up to 5th-level you are gaining class abilities, spells and BaB growth. 4th-level gives you a boost with your Animal Companion and once you hit 5th-level you gain Wildshape & 3rd-level spells, which is where you should exit. 6th-level really brings nothing to the table so finding a quick prestige class with a nice 1st-level ability or simply a base class with something you want. Either way, 5th-level is a solid ending spot for a Druid.

Fighter
Dipping: Fighter is pretty odd in E6, which is to say there are really two paths to go and both of them recommend discarding the Fighter Feats class ability. For a stealthy build either a one level or three levels dip can be nice. It’ll improve the BaB of any build and through the Hit & Run Tactics and Sneak Attack ACFS you will have a +2 to initiative, +2d6 Sneak Attack, Dex to damage against flat-footed foes and Skill Focus (Intimidation) from the Zhentarim Fighter ACF.. These are all fairly nice and can improve any rogue build, even through a single level. Towards the other way two levels of Fighter utilizing Dungeoncrasher can provide a BaB bump, a free feat and an improvement in bull-rushing/environmental control.
Exit Points: Just like above this will depend on which path a Fighter goes down. For a stealthy, assassin-type Fighter using the Thug & Sneak Attack class alternatives up to fifth level isn’t a terrible choice. You’ll have +3d6 Sneak Attack, intimidation upgrades/improvements, nice skills and still have a level open to possibly kick-start the character with a level in Rogue. In the other direction a Thug & Dungeoncrasher Fighter is viable all the way up to sixth level. At 6th-level your Fighter will have some intimidation upgrades/improvements, nice skills, some feats and the ability to straight-up massacre an opponent when bull-rushing. It should be noted that in conjunction with the Physical Prowess dead level ability for Fighters, a Dungeoncrasher Fighter can realistically knock down doors, burst rope bonds and bend iron bars with significant ease.

Monk
Dipping: Monk’s have a real problem in E6 in that they aren’t Swordsages… But if you are going to dip Monk their 1st-level isn’t terrible. You get nice skills, nice abilities and a solid boost to your saves. You’ll actually be competent in unarmed combat and your unarmored ac may get a boost if you have a good Wisdom score. This author recommends trading out Flurry of Strikes for Decisive Strike as it can be pretty good in an AoO-type build. For a stealthy build a second level of Monk can be nice to pick up the Invisible Fist ACF as to vanish once every 1d4 rounds. And regarding the bonus feat at 1st-level it had better be Stunning Fist because Monks are the only people in E6 who have access to it…
Exit Points: I would say 4th level is the highest you really want to go within Monk. You are already pushing it by being in the class but 4th level is really where you can reasonably jump out of it as you’ll have attained two bonus feats, Evasion (or Invisible Fist), Still Mind, Slot Fall 20ft. (or the Wall Walker ACF, which I highly recommend) and Ki Strike (Magic) while still leaving two levels to grab anything to enhance your build. It should be noted that, next to Unarmed Swordsage, Monks do have the ability in E6 to really pop up their unarmed damage. With feats like Carmendine Monk, Supreme Unarmed Strike & Improved Natural attack you can have a character dishing out 3d8 points of damage with their fists, knees & beyond.

Paladin
Dipping: Regarding Paladin I think if you are going for a dip you’ll need two levels to really get the best of the best. Just dipping one level can be nice if you trade out Detect Evil for Inspire Courage (from the Harmonious Knight ACF) to provide some boosting capabilities to allies, in addition to gaining Smite Evil. But at 2nd-level you’ll be looking at Divine Grace which goes really well with any charismatically-strong build and Lay on Hands, which isn’t a super powerful ability but can be traded out for Favored Enemy (restricted list). Two levels for Smite Evil, Inspire Courage, Divine Grace & a Favored Enemy can be nice for any martial build looking to add some versatility (and because most of these have supplemental feats & ways to continue to boost them they are terrific once you reach epic status).
Exit Point: Paladin is a difficult class to gauge because it has so many different ACFs and varied options that you can make a 6th-level Paladin wildly different from another. So there are two approaches, 4th & 6th. At 4th-level level you’ll have grabbed the benefits from above but you can also pick up Divine Health, Aura of Courage, 1st-level spells (and thus wand usage) and Turn Undead (which is the reason you really went to 4th-level). But for a varied Paladin you could go down the path of the Eternal Order substitution levels trading out Smite Evil & Divine Health to instead be able to sometimes ignore any undead’s DR as well as their negative energy attacks, and gain more knowledge regarding the undead. It’s pretty focused, but is a solid option in an undead-heavy campaign. Regarding Aura of Courage it is pretty good, but I would almost always trade it away for the entire Paladin of Freedom ACF. Literally the only things that change is the Paladin gains the Bluff skill instead of Diplomacy (pretty fair/equal) and instead of Aura of Courage they gain an Aura of Resolve which grants immunity to compulsion effects (which is a lot more versatile & powerful than immunity to just fear). In addition the Paladin of Freedom’s code of conduct is much more relaxed for an adventurer, so there is that… Now with all that said, if you are going for all six levels of Paladin there are a lot of options and it really is asked that you need to ask what type of Paladin you want. There are a lot of options, with the only caveat being that you can never trade away Turn Undead. It is simply too amazing in E6 to give up, so that is the concrete rule. Now at 5th-level you gain a special mount which is pretty awesome. You summon it from a celestial realm for up to 10 hours and it really sets you up to be an awesome mounted warrior. And with supplemental feats you can make that Warhorse into a celestial Dragonnel, so it has epic options. And at 6th-level you have (according to page 204 of the DMG) the option of replacing your typical Heavy Warhorse with other options like a Dire Wolf, Hippogriff, Unicorn, & others. But speaking of 6th-level you end at the Paladin’s progression with the ability to use Remove Disease 1/week. It isn’t super amazing but there are some nice options to get rid of it. One of them is Curse Breaker which trades out Remove Disease for Remove Curse, which is likely to be more versatile and useful over your career. The other is the Mystic Fire substitution which trades out Remove Disease for the ability to cast Greater Dispel Magic 1/day during an attack action, which is pretty great in that the spell is typically a 6th-level one and that it’s a 1/day effect (vastly better than a 1/week ability). For a very few Paladins there is also the Shadow Cloak substitution levels accessible only to Gnomes which offer Hide & Move Silently as skills for 4th & 6th level in addition to giving (for nothing) Favored Enemy: Humanoids and Hide in Plain Sight. The second is of particular importance as it is almost impossible to attain a +6 BaB and Hide in Plain Sight within E6, so for those wanting to be fearsome killers in the shadows, this is pretty much the only way. Either way, the Paladin has a whole slew of different abilities & substitutions to transform your character into almost any holy warrior you can imagine.

Ranger
Dipping: Ranger is a phenomenal class to dip into for E6. Strong BaB, great skills and a lot of front-loaded abilities make it an easy choice when trying to boost a character’s versatility & combat strength at the same time. 1st-level is pretty much all you’ll want for a dip as you’ll snag Favored Enemy (which when used in conjunction with Improved Favored Enemy can add around 5 points of damage to a common foe) or Arcane Hunter (for if you should want your Favored Enemy bonus to extend to a huge array of opponents/foes), the Track feat (or the Trap-Finding ability via an ACF, an option which is highly recommended as it just continues to make your character more versatile) and Wild Empathy (or Spiritual Connection which grants you Speak with Animals & Speak with Plants as SLAs a couple times per day, which is going to be more useful for your entire career than Wild Empathy). Overall Ranger is a tremendous dip (almost going toe to toe with Druid’s 1st-level dip as suggested above).
Exit Points: If you are pursuing Ranger I honestly believe 4th or 5th level are the points to jump out. You’ll have picked up some nice features from 1st-level and a few bonus feats, but at 4th-level you gain some substantial stuff. The first is access to 1st-level spells which isn’t huge but allows wand usage, and thus makes you a viable heal-bot during adventures. There is also the opportunity to have an Animal Companion which certainly has its perks. Instead of an Animal Companion though you could trade it out for the Spiritual Guide ACF and gain access to Commune with Nature once per day. Commune with Nature is a 5th-level spell and typically never accessed in E6, which makes the Ranger very good at gaining knowledge from the world around them. 5th-level also has its rewards. One is picking up an additional bonus to your Favored Enemy group and gaining a second group to focus your character’s hatred towards. If you are interested in just improving your Favored Enemy ability, stay with it but the real gem of a Ranger’s 5th-level is gaining Wild-Shape in exchange for your combat styles. If you are going to be sticking with Ranger till at least 5th level there is no reason not to gain Wild Shape as it brings with it supreme versatility and access to some amazing supplemental feats. If so, it is a solid level to pick. Either way you can end up with a full BaB character that can locate/disarm traps, hunt down a specific foe, speak with both animals & plants, shape-change into small & medium animals and draw answers from nature out to a few miles. It’s a good package.

Rogue
Dipping: Rogue is infamous for being a tremendous first level dip as to gain immense starting skill points in addition to +1d6 Sneak Attack as well as Trap-Finding. The same holds true for E6 and I would say 1st-level is the ideal number of Rogue levels to dip into for any standard build. If you are looking to compliment a more martial-type character you can trade out Trap-Finding for Poison Use (which is certainly going to have more use for a combatant). For a build dedicated to getting off Sneak Attacks going all the way to 3rd-level might be considered a worthy dip just to get Penetrating Strike, but that avenue should only be pursued by those adamant on Sneak Attacking.
Exit Points: Rogues have a couple jump out points and several abilities along the way to coincide with such exits. Through 2nd-level they’ll get Evasion which is pretty nice to have within E6 and for characters hoping to be more spy-like they can trade that out for Feign Death (which while nice is fairly specific in application, so Evasion tends to be the wiser choice). The first exit point is 3rd-level. Some rogue-like prestige classes require Trap Sense, so if you need it you’re going to have to keep it. If not the Penetrating Strike ACF is a very good choice. There is also the Quick Fingers ACF which isn’t as amazing as Penetrating Strike but can shape your character into a trap-king. The Rilkan racial substitution level out of Magic of the Incarnum is great as in exchange for Trap Sense you gain Bardic Knowledge & a free bonus feat, a solid choice for a more investigative Rogue. Following this 4th-level brings another bump up of BaB and Uncanny Dodge, so it functions well enough (but can typically be replaced with a more martial-based class).

Sorcerer
Dipping: Dipping is a bit easy when it comes to Sorcerer as you will likely just want to stick to their 1st-level as they don’t gain anything past it and frankly are probably one of the worst spellcaster classes in core for E6. At 1st-level you’ll snag 4 0-level spells known and 2 1st-level, which if chosen properly can add some versatility to any martial build. The dip also opens up wand usage which is always nice. If you were looking to add some arcane casting to a martial character going up to 2nd-level the Battle Sorcerer ACF will get you +1 BaB, d8 hit die, spellcasting in light armor (which through the Battle Caster can be upgraded to medium or heavy armor) and 4 0-level spells & 1 1st-level spell. If you pick that 1st-level spell to be True Strike you can plop a wand of it in a weapon’s wand chamber and swing away with a +20 to attacks. In addition to these levels you gain a Familiar who offers itself as a handy servant. For a more combat-oriented dip you can swap that Familiar out for an Animal Companion (like the Druid’s) at half your effective level. This means you still get an Animal Companion who can be swapped out or recovered (should it die in combat) every 24 hours. For combat & versatility an Animal Companion is going to be a better choice as being able to have a Camel, Dog, Eagle, Heavy Horse, or a Wolf within 24 hours for a mission/adventure is great. Also, because of the Practiced Spellcaster feat you can pump your caster level up to 6 which means you are allowed access to Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Arms & Armor, Craft Construct, & Craft Wand. So while you’ll never hit BaB +6 in your career you do have an increased versatility via magical crafting. Finally if you lead off your character’s build with such a dip you can take Precocious Apprentice to gain a single 2nd-level spell which can go on to fuel a reserve feat like Acidic Splatter, Fiery Burst, or Winter’s Blast giving your character even more versatility throughout the day. But the real beauty of dipping Sorcerer (and any other arcane spellcaster) is utilizing Precocious Apprentice with feats like Extra Spell & Extra Slot. Technically your character can cast 2nd-level spells which means you can begin picking up as many 1st-level spells & spell slots as you want through epic feats.
Exit Points: Just as in dipping Sorcerers in E6 are pretty bad regarding what they have. As opposed to Wizards who can almost always throw in a dip at their sixth level a Sorcerer, if they want 3rd-level spells, is in it for the whole way. Now a proper exit point is literally anytime you can jump into a full spell-progressing prestige class. That’s the easiest advice. But for the purposes of this guide I will display what a full 6th-level Sorcerer could choose to do. You’ll likely want to keep your Familiar as at 6th-level it is actually a really potent ally/servant. Now you really lose nothing, except spells known (which can later be covered by the Extra Spell feat), by going Battle Sorcerer all the way so I’d recommend doing it. You’ll end up with more hp, a BaB of +4 (respectful in E6) and you’ll still reach 3rd-level spells. If you are okay losing a 2nd-level spell known (and because of Extra Spell you are…) you can take the 5th-level Planar Sorcerer ACF to gain the ability to have all energy spells count as force for half of their damage. It’s a nice ability and helps make you a suitable blaster when you need to be. And if you possess the Dragonblood subtype the 4th-level Sorcerer substitution level is very good. You lose a known 2nd-level spell (not really a problem, because of Extra Spell…) and receive the ability to turn a spell known into a spell-like ability, which frankly is amazing in E6. But even with all of these you still receive nothing but spells at 6th level, so it a great idea to dive into a prestige class at that point.

Wizard
Dipping: A lot of the same advice regarding Sorcerers is going to apply here for the Wizards. The only reasonable dip into Wizard is for its 1st-level. But it is an amazing dip because as long as you are okay with your character never attaining +6 BaB you are gaining immense versatility and options to handle nearly every problem that could come up. I’m not going to touch on the ACFs because they are so many which are very contingent on a Wizard’s particular specialization but the classics of the level are still there (Abrupt Jaunt) while Domain Granted Ability, Skeletal Minion, and Animal Companion (as mentioned above for the Sorcerer) are solid choices for a one level dip. In addition with Practiced Spellcaster you gain access to take Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Arms & Armor, Craft Construct, & Craft Wand for crafting (which is a huge perk for any character, even if you only have 0 & 1st-level spells). Also, just like the Sorcerer, you can take Precocious Apprentice to gain a single 2nd-level spell which can go on to fuel a reserve feat like Acidic Splatter, Fiery Burst, or Winter’s Blast (in addition to letting you pour epic feats into Extra Spell & Extra Slot). So ultimately for a single level dip, Wizard is really good for what if offers in terms of power & versatility.
Exit Points: For Wizards there are two exit points. The first is whenever you can jump into a spell-progressing prestige class. The second is level 5. 5th-level of Wizard brings access to Spontaneous Divination which beyond being amazing for any Wizard build also allows Wizards to take the Versatile Spellcaster feat (which is a bit cheesy, so take that into consideration). 5th-level is also when a Wizard gets 3rd-level spells which means they don’t really need their final level. They gain nothing and as such you could plop in the 1st-level of a prestige class like War Weaver or a regular class like Spellthief (taken at the 1st-level in a build because of the high skills) or Warblade (for all the concentration-based counters/boosts).

Non-Core

Archivist
Dipping: For a spellcasting dip they don’t come much better than the 1st-level of Archivist. While it doesn’t have access to powering a reserve feat through Precarious Apprentice (or the tricks of Extra Spell & Extra Slot), the Archivist is easily a better spellcasting dip to throw onto nearly any build for its spells. It has, without a doubt, the best spell-list in the game for a vancian spell-caster which allows for really low-dipping of spells from the Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger and domains/obscure divine prestige classes. And with the use of Practiced Spellcaster you gain access to take Brew Potion, Craft Wondrous Item, Craft Arms & Armor, Craft Construct, & Craft Wand for crafting (which is a huge perk for any character, even if you only have 0 & 1st-level spells). And as it is a divine spellcaster you don’t have to worry about any spell failure from armor (unlike a Wizard). Finally with access to the Dark Knowledge (Tactics) ability 3/day you can boost your allies attacks against a select group of foes by a point or two based on a knowledge check (which is pretty easy to pump up itself).
Exit Points: With an Archivist you really have no great reason to stay in the class if you can jump out to a spell-progressing prestige class. The hard rule is that you need to hit five levels in the Archivist’s spellcasting, as to reach 3rd-level spells. After that you can dip into anything really. If you should stick in Archivist till 5th level you’ll pick up some thematic abilities (if a bit weak) and finish with gaining Dark Knowledge (puissance). But this is a fairly lack-luster use of levels in E6. If you can jump into a prestige class, do it.

Ardent
Dipping: The Ardent is amazing as a dip in E6 because of the way the class itself interacts with Practiced Manifester. While dipping for a single level can add some nice mantle abilities and a few powers, the real treasure is dipping two levels. You’ll need to position the first Ardent level early in the build and the second build at 5th or 6th level to really use it well but if done you can have your selection of 1st-3rd level powers for only two levels of investment. And because of feats like Expanded Knowledge and Psionic Talent you can continue to gain powers & power points as to fuel your psionic gifts. Now the important choice with such a dip is that while Expanded Knowledge can allow you grab any power you want it is restricted to 1st & 2nd-level powers, which means when you dip Ardent (after having taken Practiced Manifester) you will be able to pick only one power of 3rd-level. It’s an important choice and is really going to define the focus/image of your psionic abilities/identity. Beyond all this though the two-level dip will unlock the terrific supply of psionic feats as well as psionic crafting feats like Craft Universal Item.
Exit Points: Anytime you can leap out after 2nd-level into a psionic-progressing prestige class is going to a solid choice. The big issue will be attaining 3rd-level powers, but any which way towards that goal is a wise choice. Should you choose to simply stay in Ardent for the whole ride going to 5th-level and than dipping a class (say Warblade for concentration-based counters/boosts) is a nice option, but if you should want more 3rd-level powers (and by more I mean 1 more because of how slow the power progression of the Ardent is) than staying the whole way for 6th-level can be done, although recommended against as the main reason you want 3rd-level powers is so you can utilize Expanded Knowledge to get any 2nd-level power you want.

Artificer
Dipping: Artificer is a fun class to dip for a level for the sheer versatility you immediately tack onto a character. While it won’t be a glamorous as a 1st-level dip into Wizard (which is ultimately a better dip) the dip into Artificer grants trap-finding (always useful), some infusions (like Spell-Storing Item which is so very good) and the ability to scribe scrolls. And when I say that I don’t mean scribing scrolls like every other lame caster; you can scribe (and than cast) any 1st & 2nd level spell in the game. Any class, any book; you have it. It’s a strong dip for a character looking for a more preparation-like approach to increasing their versatility & power.
Exit Points: There are two exit points for the Artificer, 3rd & 5th level. At 3rd-level you have reached third-level spells and can scribe scrolls, brew potions and create wondrous items (this is the biggest of them) so you are in a really good spot. You don’t really need to invest more levels in the class for crafting feats as a dip into any spellcasting class & practiced spellcaster will allow you to pick up any other crafting feat you may want. But you may want to stay till 5th-level as to gain Retain Essence, which makes you a unique figure in E6 as no other class can really accomplish the effect of that class feature. With more infusions and smaller class features 5th-level is a great point to jump out and maybe compliment the build with a dip from Rogue or Warblade. Either way, you really gain nothing from 6th-level.

Beguiler
Dipping: 1st-level spontaneous spells from a creative & useful spell list, amazing skills, trap-finding and some nice class features make a one level dip into Beguiler pretty great. It doesn’t have the infinite scope of a Wizard but if certainly brings a lot with its class chassis. With 2nd-level spells coming in at 4th-level it isn’t too wise to really dip any further (and with precocious apprentice & extra slot you don’t need to), so 1st-level is where dipping will effectively stop.
Exit Points: You could certainly jump out of Beguiler into a full-progressing prestige class but the class as itself is so amazing why would you? At 6th-level you’re pulling in 3rd-level spells and an enhanced skill at feinting in combat, plus terrific skills! The only situation where you may want to leave Beguiler is for something like Mage of the Arcane Order at 6th-level as to increase your versatility to ridiculous levels.

Dragon Shaman
Dipping: 1st-level, that’s it. That is how far Dragon Shaman should be dipped as it really doesn’t deliver on great class features or a strong class chassis. But for one level is pretty neat. The biggest feature that leaps out for such a dip is the auras, with particular focus on the vigor aura. With one level you’ll always be healing your allies which will alleviate a lot of resources for the whole party. Now, for which dragon to follow there are some that shine as excellent choices. For class skills Green is likely the best (with Bluff, Hide & Move Silently) while Black & White are nice too (with Hide, Move Silently & Swim). For energy-based factors going with Brass, Gold or Red are probably the best as being able to pop up resistance to fire is going to be nice (as it tends to be the most popular energy).
Exit Points: So you’ve decided, for some reason, to continue through Dragon Shaman past 1st-level. Well there are two places you can stop, 4th & 5th level with each having their own features. Through out the levels you are going to pick up a cheap skill focus, a draconic adaptation, immunity to paralysis, sleep & a dragon’s frightful presence. And oh yeah, a breath weapon! At 1d4 rounds you can take breath feats which offer a lot of options within combat and really grant you a reliable source of damage that can burst through standard damage reduction. Staying in for one more level will get you a small boost in your auras and the ability, via Dragon Magic, to sub out an aura instead for a least draconic invocation. You should always take this option as you can enhance your combat capabilities, bring some utility to your role or protect your team with the right invocation. Now just like above picking your specific Dragon to worship is important as it dictates skills, draconic adaptation and your breath weapon.

Non-Completed

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Binder
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Crusader
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Dread Necromancer
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Duskblade
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Erudite
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Factotum
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Favored Soul
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HexBlade
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Incarnate
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Knight
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Marshal
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Ninja
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Psion
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Psychic Warrior
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Samurai (CWar)
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Samurai (OA)
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Scout
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Shaman (OA)
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Spellthief
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Spirit Shaman
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Soulknife
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Swashbuckler
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Swordsage
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Totemist
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Warblade
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Warlock
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Warmage
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Wilder
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Wu Jen
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[Mikka]

Reserved for future posts

[Mikka]

Second reserved post for future stuff and stuff

[ATHATH]

Chameleon is an amazing capstone class in E6, granting second level spells from any Arcane or Divine list. If you can cram three levels of it into your build (via Bloodline shenanigans), you can become a super-Archivist.

E6's unique template buy-off system lets you get 6 LA or so of templates for free. I recommend taking the Phrenic, Half-Fey, Necropolitan, Shadow-Walker (qualified for with Humanoid Heritage+Psychic Reformation shenanigans), and Evolved Undead (Circle of Death as an SLA) templates and the Magic in the Blood feat and wrecking face with an insane amount of SLA's. I have a Mystic Ranger build that I think is rules-legal that demonstrates this. I'll post it soon.

[Nifft]

I think Wand usage comes with a spell list, not with ability to cast a spell of any particular level. So a Ranger 1 can use a Wand of any spell on the Ranger list, and does not need to wait until level 4.

Scrolls are the magic item that requires an ability to cast the spell level in question.

This is spelled out (heh) explicitly: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems...pellCompletion

[ATHATH]

Spoiler: SLA's 4 Dayz

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Subject 12, TN, then CE, then TN Phrenic Half-Fey Shadow-Walker [Human Heritage Psi-Reformed Here] Necropolitan Evolved Undead (Circle of Death or Greater Invisibilty, depending on optimization level) Spellstitched [Human Heritage Psi-Reformed Back Here] Drider [Humanoid Heritage Psi-Reformed Away Again Here] Lesser Aasimar Trap Expert Spiritual Connection Planar Shapechanging Mystic Ranger (Favored Enemy (Undead)) 2/Shooting Star Ranger 1/Fangshields Ranger 1/Mystic Ranger 2

Feats:
1: Human Heritage (retrain later (via a Psychic Reformation scroll created by a Psionic Artificer) to Magic in the Blood)
Flaw: Aberrant Blood
Flaw: Momentary Alteration (use Psychic Reformation on this to turn it into the Godsight (Detect Evil) feat after you gain the Corrupted Wildshape feat (combine it with an Eternal Wand of Sonorous Hum))
3: Assume Supernatural Ability (Eye Rays)
6: Sword of the Arcane Order
E1: Initiate of Olidammara (Olidammara's Bard Spell (yes, that is its real name) is really good; it is a second level spell that lets you prepare up to 3 levels of Bard spells as a Cleric would)
E2: Natural Bond
E3: Corrupted Wildshape
E4: Natural Spell
E5: Aberrant Wildshape

SLA's:
3/Day:
Shadow Mask (not in bright light/a Daylight spell)
Dimension Door (self only, not in bright light/a Daylight spell)
Darkness (not in bright light/a Daylight spell)
Defensive Precognition
Force Screen
Empty Mind
Mind Thrust
Body Adjustment
Brain Lock
Circle of Death or Greater Invisibility, depending on optimization level (once made, this choice is irrevocable)
Hypnotism
Faerie Fire or Glitterdust
Detect Law
Sleep or Enthrall
Protection from Law
Tasha's Hideous Laughter or Suggestion
1/Day:
Daylight (not an SLA, but very similar to one)
At-Will:
Charm Person

Drider (3/day):
Dancing Lights
Darkness
Detect Chaos
Detect Law
Detect Evil
Detect Good
Detect Magic
Faerie Fire
Levitate

Godsight (3/day):
Detect Evil
Detect Magic
Detect Poison
Detect Undead
Read Magic

Stats:
STR: 14
DEX: 14
CON: -
INT: 10
WIS: 16
CHA: 22

Spellstitched Spells:
1: Wall of Smoke
1: Wall of Smoke
1: Blindness/Deafness
1: Blindness/Deafness
2: Command Undead
2: Command Undead
2: Blade of Pain and Fear
2: Blade of Pain and Fear
3: Animate Dead
3: Infallible Servant

[Mikka]

Chameleon is an amazing capstone class in E6, granting second level spells from any Arcane or Divine list. If you can cram three levels of it into your build (via Bloodline shenanigans), you can become a super-Archivist.

E6's unique template buy-off system lets you get 6 LA or so of templates for free. I recommend taking the Phrenic, Half-Fey, Necropolitan, Shadow-Walker (qualified for with Humanoid Heritage+Psychic Reformation shenanigans), and Evolved Undead (Circle of Death as an SLA) templates and the Magic in the Blood feat and wrecking face with an insane amount of SLA's. I have a Mystic Ranger build that I think is rules-legal that demonstrates this. I'll post it soon.

Love chameleon, how exactly can you use bloodlines to gain entry into it earlier? it requires rank 8 in two skills.

E6's system makes you pay for LA's with your ability scores and allows a max of +4 LA. Which makes you go from a 32 point buy to a 0 point buy. Usually not very good.

[SPOILER=SLA's 4 Dayz]Subject 12, TN, then CE, then TN Drider (After 6th level) Phrenic Half-Fey Shadow-Walker [Human Heritage Psi-Reformed Here] Necropolitan Evolved Undead (Circle of Death or Greater Invisibilty, depending on optimization level) Spellstitched Lesser Aasimar Trap Expert Spiritual Connection Planar Shapechanging Mystic Ranger (Favored Enemy (Undead)) 2/Shooting Star Ranger 1/Fangshields Ranger 1/Mystic Ranger 2

Feats:
1: Human Heritage (retrain later (via a Psychic Reformation scroll created by a Psionic Artificer) to Magic in the Blood)
Flaw: Aberrant Blood
Flaw: Momentary Alteration (use Psychic Reformation on this to turn it into the Godsight (Detect Evil) feat after you gain the Corrupted Wildshape feat (combine it with an Eternal Wand of Sonorous Hum))
3: Assume Supernatural Ability (Eye Rays)
6: Sword of the Arcane Order
E1: Initiate of Olidammara (Olidammara's Bard Spell (yes, that is its real name) is really good; it is a second level spell that lets you prepare up to 3 levels of Bard spells as a Cleric would)
E2: Natural Bond
E3: Corrupted Wildshape
E4: Natural Spell
E5: Aberrant Wildshape

1: Psychic reformation is a 4th level ability thus it doesn't exist in E6, not possible to retrain.

2: LA +11.... what?

Mystic ranger is very good though : )

[Mikka]

Does anyone know how to convert an old broken table to work with the new one?

I've found a great list of E6 magic items here: http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showt...gic-Item-Lists by Lonely Tylenol. Would be a shame for it to go to waste.

[ATHATH]

Love chameleon, how exactly can you use bloodlines to gain entry into it earlier? it requires rank 8 in two skills.

E6's system makes you pay for LA's with your ability scores and allows a max of +4 LA. Which makes you go from a 32 point buy to a 0 point buy. Usually not very good.



1: Psychic reformation is a 4th level ability thus it doesn't exist in E6, not possible to retrain.

2: LA +11.... what?

Mystic ranger is very good though : )

Lesser Aasimaar: +0
Necropolitan: +0
Evolved Undead: +1 (bought off with normal LA buyoff)
Shadow-Walker: +1 (bought off with PB)
Half-Fey: +2 (bought off with PB)
Phrenic: +2 (bought off with PB)
Drider: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated
Spellstitched: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated

Any questions?

[ATHATH]

Psychic Reformation does exist through Psionic Artificers.

[Mikka]

Lesser Aasimaar: +0
Necropolitan: +0
Evolved Undead: +1 (bought off with normal LA buyoff)
Shadow-Walker: +1 (bought off with PB)
Half-Fey: +2 (bought off with PB)
Phrenic: +2 (bought off with PB)
Drider: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated
Spellstitched: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated

Any questions?

E6 Doesn't allow normal LA buy-off.

Bought off with PB? Does that mean bought off with point buy? That still leaves you at LA+5 going past the +4 LA limit that nets you starting 0 points.

"Subject 12, TN, then CE, then TN Drider" is this the explicit description of how you become a drider? I'm sorry but i don't get it.

I will list your build under crazy cheese stuff if you want :)

You still didn't answer how you can use bloodlines to get earlier entry to chameleon?

[Sahleb]

Bloodlines, by a certain interpretation isn't really character levels.

You just spend the xp, and then you get a 'bloodline level', but you're still the same ECL as you were before.

So a first level paladin with a major gold dragon bloodline who earns a thousand xp takes a bloodline level. He's now a human paladin 1 with 1 bloodline level, and, notably still an ECL 1 character. So he only needs 1000xp to become level 2. Only instead of becoming level 2, he takes another bloodline level for 1000xp, and another one after that.

He's now ECL 1, paladin 1, with 3 bloodline levels. When he gets 1000 more xp, he becomes lvl 2, taking a level of rogue. Because of his 3 bloodline levels, his skill cap is 8. He dumps his 8 new skill points in disguise. Now he qualifies for chameleon, and enters it at level 3, ending up as a paladin1/rogue1/chameleon 4.

[gorfnab]

Dipping Mini Handbook

For the Cleric post: Dipping Cleric 1

Other E6 Handbooks
E6 Handbook
E6 PrC System & Handbook

[ATHATH]

E6 Doesn't allow normal LA buy-off.

Bought off with PB? Does that mean bought off with point buy? That still leaves you at LA+5 going past the +4 LA limit that nets you starting 0 points.

"Subject 12, TN, then CE, then TN Drider" is this the explicit description of how you become a drider? I'm sorry but i don't get it.

I will list your build under crazy cheese stuff if you want :)

You still didn't answer how you can use bloodlines to get earlier entry to chameleon?

The source that I use for E6 (http://www.enworld.org/forum/showthr...Inside-D-amp-D) says that I can use both E6 LA buyoff and normal LA buyoff.

Revision to the Template Stacking (I had forgotten the details before):
Lesser Aasimaar: +0
Necropolitan: +0
Shadow-Walker: +1 (bought off with normal LA buyoff)
Half-Fey: +2 (bought off with PB)
Phrenic: +2 (bought off with PB)
Evolved Undead: +1 (acquired and bought off with normal LA buyoff after Shadow-Walker is bought off)
Drider: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated
Spellstitched: No LA, but a method of obtaining it is explicitly stated

[ATHATH]

Yes, my temporary alignment shift was due to acquiring the Drider template.

[Vizzerdrix]

What is the source on obtaining drider? I like to toy around with it a bit.

[ATHATH]

What is the source on obtaining drider? I like to toy around with it a bit.

Search up "Drider Template" and you should see a WotC web article. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to link it here.

[Nifft]

access to 1st-level spells (and thus wand usage).

This is a pervasive rules mistake.

Would you mind correcting it?

Wands can be used before you can cast spells. A level 3 Paladin can use a wand of any spell which appears on the Paladin's spell list.

[ATHATH]

Meldshapers are more subpar than usual in E6 due to the mostly WBL-based "leveling", but I think I made a decent one:

Omnicarnate, NE, then LN [Insert Template Stacking (like in my Ranger build from before, but without the Necropolitan and Evolved Undead templates) Here] Tiefling Tiefling Incarnate 1/X Bloodline 3/Incarnate 1/Tiefling Incarnate 1/Necrocarnate 3

Feats:
1: Magic in the Blood
Flaw: Favored In House
Flaw: Primary Contact
3: Necrocarnum Acolyte
6: Ordered Chaos

Main Features:
Access to Lawful, Standard, Necrocarnum, and Chaotic Incarnate soulmelds
Nigh-infinite Essentia (kill a few chickens or something every morning; sadly, you're still limited in the amount of Essentia you can invest per Soulmeld)
+1 capacity for all Soulmelds
Lawful AND Chaotic (+20% concealment in darkness as well) Incarnum Radiance 1/day
Meldshaper Level 9
4 Soulmelds and 1 Chakra Bind
Arm, Brow, and Shoulder Chakra Binds in E6 (you miss out on the Feet and Hand Chakras, but you can get them back with the Open Least Chakra feat)