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    Titan in the Playground
     
    Heliomance's Avatar

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Gender
    Female

    Default Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    A dimly-lit library. Rows of bookshelves line the walls, and as the camera slowly pans over them, we see that they are filled with gaming books. From the original brown-cover D&D manuals to the newest fifth edition supplements, we are given a brief but breathtaking history of over four decades of gaming in visual form.

    A pair of feet, clad in Converse, appear. The camera pans back to reveal the Chairwoman as she strides out into Optimization Stadium. Slowly, she looks around at the battleground. Rapidly, we are shown shots of the gaming materials here assembled: books, miniatures, maps, dice. The Chairwoman reaches down and picks up a twenty-sided die. She rolls it, then turns to the camera... and smiles.

    The camera pulls back from the smile to reveal... the Iron Gamers. Row upon row they stand, clad in the uniform of their trade: t-shirts with fantasy images, buttons with obscure quotes from novels and movies, dice bags at the ready. The shot dissolves into flames and the logo:


    Iron Gamer

    A montage of the contestants plays, with summaries of their optimization triumphs and achievements. Interspersed are brief interviews. Finally, though, the introductions are over. The contestants stand arrayed before the Chairwoman.

    Chairwoman: We unveil the ingredient!

    Tense music plays as the pedestal containing the mystery ingredient rises from below. Stacked neatly on the pedestal are copies of the Planar Handbook.

    Chairwoman: From the sea to the sky! This month's theme is... Astral Dancer! ALLEZ OPTIMISER!

    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef LXXXIV. Here in Optimisation Colosseum, contestants will endeavour to create an optimized and flavourful character using a specified D&D3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

    Contestants: You will need to present a full 20-level build for your entry. Also required is a rundown of how your build works at lower levels, to demonstrate that it is a functional character that could be played from 1-20 in a real game. Traditionally contestants give "snapshots" of tactics and abilities at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20, as well as a "sweet spot" of their choosing that represents what they believe to be the high point of the build. The purpose of these snapshots is not just to showcase your use of the SI, it is to demonstrate that your character is playable at every level. For this reason, it's still worth giving a snapshot before you have entered the SI.

    Menu: The "special ingredient" can be drawn from any legal source. Originally, the plan was to mostly use Core and Completes, but that was a long time ago, and we've started running out of interesting classes to use if we restrict ourselves to those.
    32 point-buy is the presumed creation method, but we have generally allowed other levels of point-buy.
    If you do use a different point-buy, please make your case for its necessity in your entry. Keep in mind that for using exceptionally large or small point-buys may warrant deductions in elegance and/or power.

    Kitchen: Competitors will be free to use any official 3.5 rulebook in constructing their builds. Dragon magazine is disallowed, and Unearthed Arcana is allowed; but see Elegance below. Web-exclusive 3.0 or 3.5 materials by WotC are expressly allowed, but take care to verify that an updated version did not appear in print elsewhere, as this may cause an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion. Alternate rule systems from UA such as gestalt or Generic Classes are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em. Please refrain from using Taint unless it's necessary for the Secret Ingredient.
    NB: Official Errata and 3.5 updates to 3.0 content are considered valid regardless of whether their sources would otherwise be legal. This includes the 3.5 update of Oriental Adventures given in Dragon Magazine, and the 3.5 updates of Dragonlance Campaign Setting content given in later third party Dragonlance books.

    Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 07:59 GMT on Tuesday, April 18th, 2017 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairwoman, Heliomance. Please put the name of your build in the subject line of your PM. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 07:59 GMT on Tuesday, April 25th, 2017 to judge the builds and submit their scores. If no judges have scored by that point, only the scores of the first judge to submit will be counted.

    Judging: Judging will be based on the following criteria, with each build rated on a scale from 1 (very poor) to 5 (exemplary) in each area: Originality, Power, Elegance, Use of Secret Ingredient.
    Power level is up to you. Cheese is acceptable, but should be kept to a sane level unless you're showcasing a new TO build you've discovered. In the words of one of my predecessors, a little cheddar can be nice, but avoid the mature Gruyere unless you're making a cheese fondue.
    Elegance could bear a little elaboration. It basically measures how skillfully you put your build together, and whether you sacrificed flavor for power. We're cooking here - if your dish doesn't taste good, it doesn't matter how well-presented it is. Use of flaws is considered in poor taste, and judges are asked to take a dim view of this option, taking it into account while grading. Other things that will cause penalties here are excessive multi-classing, and classes that don't fit the concept - using Cloistered Cleric in a front-line melee fighter, for example, will lose you points.Please note the following change: a legal source's relative obscurity should not be considered as penalizing Elegance, excepting the aforementioned issues with Unearthed Arcana. Using too many sources may result in a penalty to Elegance at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not. In that same vein, drawing solely from the Core 3 (and the d20 SRD) should not be punished for lacking Originality.
    Presentation: Builds will be posted anonymously, in order to avoid the potential of bias towards a particular competitor. For this reason, please don't put your name in the build, as I'm likely to miss it when reviewing the entries!
    Due to concerns about standardizing entry format, I'd like everyone to try to use the following table for their entry.
    Spoiler
    Show
    NAME OF ENTRY
    Level Class Base Attack Bonus Fort Save Ref Save Will Save Skills Feats Class Features
    1st New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    2nd New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    3rd New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    4th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    5th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    6th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    7th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    8th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    9th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    10th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    11th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    12th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    13th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    14th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    15th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    16th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    17th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    18th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    19th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities
    20th New Class Level +x +x +x +x Skills Feats New Class Abilities

    Code immediately below (spoiler).
    Spoiler
    Show
    [table="class: head alt1 alt2"]
    [tr]
    [th][B]Level[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Class[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Base Attack Bonus[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Fort Save[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Ref Save[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Will Save[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Skills[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Feats[/B][/th]
    [th][B]Class Features[/B][/th]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]1st[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]2nd[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]3rd[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]4th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]5th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]6th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]7th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]8th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]9th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]10th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]11th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]12th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]13th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]14th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]15th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]16th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]17th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]18th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]19th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]20th[/td]
    [td]New Class Level[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]+x[/td]
    [td]Skills[/td]
    [td]Feats[/td]
    [td]New Class Abilities[/td]
    [/tr]
    [/table]

    For entries with spellcasting, use the following table for Spells per day and Spells Known. (Spells Known only if necessary, i.e. Sorcerer or Bard, but not Wizard or Warmage)
    Spoiler
    Show
    Spells per Day/Spells Known
    Spells per Day/Spells Known
    Level 0lvl 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th
    1st - - - - - - - - - -
    2nd - - - - - - - - - -
    3rd - - - - - - - - - -
    4th - - - - - - - - - -
    5th - - - - - - - - - -
    6th - - - - - - - - - -
    7th - - - - - - - - - -
    8th - - - - - - - - - -
    9th - - - - - - - - - -
    10th - - - - - - - - - -
    11th - - - - - - - - - -
    12th - - - - - - - - - -
    13th - - - - - - - - - -
    14th - - - - - - - - - -
    15th - - - - - - - - - -
    16th - - - - - - - - - -
    17th - - - - - - - - - -
    18th - - - - - - - - - -
    19th - - - - - - - - - -
    20th - - - - - - - - - -
    Code immediately below (spoiler)
    Spoiler
    Show
    [B]Spells per Day/Spells Known[/B]
    [B]Spells per Day/Spells Known[/B]
    [table="class:head alt1 alt2"]
    [tr]
    [th][B]Level[/B][/th]
    [th][B]0lvl[/B][/th]
    [th][B]1st[/B][/th]
    [th][B]2nd[/B][/th]
    [th][B]3rd[/B][/th]
    [th][B]4th[/B][/th]
    [th][B]5th[/B][/th]
    [th][B]6th[/B][/th]
    [th][B]7th[/B][/th]
    [th][B]8th[/B][/th]
    [th][B]9th[/B][/th]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]1st[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]2nd[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]3rd[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]4th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]5th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]6th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]7th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]8th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]9th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]10th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]11th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]12th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]13th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]14th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]15th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]16th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]17th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]18th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]19th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [tr]
    [td]20th[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [td]-[/td]
    [/tr]
    [/table]

    For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list.
    Speculation: Please don't post or speculate on possible builds until the "reveal," in order to avoid spoiling the surprise if a particular competitor is producing a build along those lines.

    Leadership is banned; we're producing a meal, not a seven-course banquet for a hundred diners. If your entry includes a prestige class or ACF that grants Leadership or a Leadership-like ability as a bonus feat, the feat should be ignored and is not eligible to be traded away for another feat or ACF through any means.

    So! Who wants to sign up as a contestant, and who wants to sign up as a judge? Looking for as many contestants and judges as feel like playing!

    We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honourable mention. The honourable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honourable mention via PM. If there are no votes, Honourable Mention will go to the chairwoman's favourite build.

    The Builds

    Past Competitions

    Spoiler: The First Fifty
    Show
    Iron Chef I: Entropomancer
    Iron Chef II: Psibond Agent
    Iron Chef III: Cancer Mage
    Iron Chef IV: Stonelord
    Iron Chef V: War Chanter
    Iron Chef VI: Master of Masks
    Iron Chef VII: Green Star Adept
    Iron Chef VIII: Pyrokineticist
    Iron Chef IX: Animal Lord
    Iron Chef X: Mythic Exemplar
    Iron Chef XI: Blade Bravo
    Iron Chef XII: War Mind
    Iron Chef XIII: Vigilante
    Iron Chef XIV: Seeker of the Song
    Iron Chef XV: Drunken Master
    Iron Chef XVI: Assassin
    Iron Chef XVII: Ardent Dilettante
    Iron Chef XVIII: Unseelie Dark Hunter
    Iron Chef XIX: Dread Pirate
    Iron Chef XX: Incandescent Champion
    Iron Chef XXI: Ghostwalker
    Iron Chef XXII: Dervish
    Iron Chef XXIII: Divine Crusader
    Iron Chef XXIV: Tactical Soldier
    Iron Chef XXV: Scion of Tem-Et-Nu
    Iron Chef XXVI: Shadowdancer
    Iron Chef XXVII: Mindbender
    Iron Chef XXVIII: Cryokineticist
    Iron Chef XXIX: Consecrated Harrier
    Iron Chef XXX: Initiate of Pistis Sophia
    Iron Chef XXXI: Shadow Sentinel
    Iron Chef XXXII: Temple Raider of Olidammara
    Iron Chef XXXIII: Drow Judicator
    Iron Chef XXXIV: Dragon Disciple
    Iron Chef XXXV: Death Delver
    Iron Chef XXXVI: Acolyte of the Skin
    Iron Chef XXXVII: Justiciar
    Iron Chef XXXVIII: Hand of the Winged Master
    Iron Chef XXXIX: Renegade Mastermaker
    Iron Chef XL: Nightsong Infiltrator
    Iron Chef XLI: Geomancer
    Iron Chef XLII: Shadowblade
    Iron Chef XLIII: Bladesinger
    Iron Chef XLIV: Urban Soul
    Iron Chef XLV: Talon of Tiamat
    Iron Chef XLVI: Cipher Adept
    Iron Chef XLVII: Cold Iron Warrior
    Iron Chef XLVIII: Shadow Sun Ninja
    Iron Chef XLIX: Thrall to Orcus
    Iron Chef L: Corrupt Avenger

    Iron Chef LI: Black Flame Zealot
    Iron Chef LII: Anointed Knight
    Iron Chef LIII: Zerth Cenobite
    Iron Chef LIV: Osteomancer
    Iron Chef LV: Mountebank
    Iron Chef LVI: Dwarven Defender
    Iron Chef LVII: Darkrunner
    Iron Chef LVIII: Spellsword
    Iron Chef LIX: Fleet Runner of Ehlonna
    Iron Chef LX: Lasher
    Iron Chef LX(II): Acolyte of the Ego
    Iron Chef LXII: Dungeon Lord
    Iron Cheff LXIII: Witchborn Binder
    Iron Chef LXIV: Slime Lord
    Iron Chef LXV: Thunder Guide
    Iron Chef LXVI: Dwarven Chanter
    Irogn Chef LXVII: Gnome Giant Slayer
    Iron Chef LXIX: Fang of Lolth
    Iron Chef LXIX: Shiba Protector
    Iron Chef LXX: Order of the Bow Initiate
    Iron Chef LXXI: Silver Key
    Iron Chef LXXII: Spellfire Channeler
    Iron Chef LXXIII: Flux Adept
    Iron Chef LXXIV: Crinti Shadow Marauder
    Iron Chef LXXV: Thief of Life
    Iron Chef LXXVI: Legacy Champion
    Iron Chef LXXVII: Great Rift Skyguard
    Iron Chef LXVIII: Risen Martyr
    Iron Chef LXXIX: Black Blood Hunter
    Iron Chef LXXX: Master of Many Forms
    Iron Chef LXXXI: Serene Guardian
    Iron Chef LXXXII: Elocator
    Iron Chef LXXXIII: Winterhaunt of Iboorighu
    Iron Chef LXXXV: Waverider
    Last edited by Heliomance; 2017-03-24 at 07:26 AM.
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    FAQ:
    Q: What's this even about?
    A: I'm glad you asked, actually...

    Q: Is Dragon Compendium Allowed?
    A: Yes (as well as its Errata), but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

    Q: What about 3.0 materials?
    A: 3.0 materials, whether online or in printed form, are allowed unless they've been officially updated to a 3.5 edition.

    Q: Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources?
    A: The Dragonlance Campaign Setting is allowed, but the subsequent books for Dragonlance are considered 3rd party, and are therefore not eligible, despite the "WotC approved" status of those books. The same holds for Oriental Adventures (1st party) and the subsequent Rokugan books (3rd party). Materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.

    Q: What about online sources in general?
    A: If the online source is a) published by WotC, and b) not replaced by an updated version at a later time, it is eligible. Use it, link it.

    Q: Where's the line drawn with "acceptable/unacceptable" for Unearthed Arcana? This will likely vary a bit from Chairman to Chairman. Item Familiars and Gestalt have always been verboten, since before IC migrated to GitP; don't expect that to change. Flaws have similarly always been noted as warranting a deduction; while I am Chairman, I'm extending that to Traits, though they warrant 1/2 the penalty in Elegance that a Flaw would because they're roughly 1/2 as useful. Alternate spell systems, alternate skill systems and alternate crafting rules all create an uneven playing field, and as such, will be disallowed for as long as I am Chairman. In a similar vein, LA buyoff and fractional BAB are also disallowed. Bloodlines and the Retraining options presented in the PHB2 are ripe for abuse, and will be strongly discouraged as long as I am Chairman. Note that judges are allowed to look askance at any use of Unearthed Arcana not specifically mentioned above, at their discretion, and otherwise penalize Elegance according to their preference.

    Q: What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean?
    A: As folks have started to try to work around the edges of this one, I'm forced to spell it out more plainly. No Leadership, Draconic Cohort, or Feats that grant a similar ability are allowed EXCEPT Wild Cohort while Heliomance is chairman. Any PrC you choose with Leadership or a Leadership-analog has that ability entirely ignored for this contest, as it may neither be used nor traded away via any means whatsoever.

    Q: What's the minimum score in a category?
    A: Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is mechanically illegal by the RAW, the judge may give the build a score of 0 in Elegance, and proceed to judge the entry as if the offending material was not included. Failing to meet a special requirement for a prestige class does not merit a 0, but may qualify for a penalty, at the judge's discretion. Because this contest focuses on Player Characters, an entry that is not technically allowed for a PC, but is viable as an NPC, counts as a legal entry, but may receive a minimum score at the judges' discretion.

    Q: Creatures and templates with no listed LA are playable, right?
    A: No. No listed LA is equivalent to LA: -. It is not suitable for PCs. If you use it, expect judges to look extremely disfavourably on it.

    Q: So what's the deal with equipment, anyway?
    A: There is no official policy on how much equipment you should list. Historically, judges have frowned upon "item dependent" builds, but unfortunately the definition of that has been applied to mean anything from builds that don't function if you remove one very specific item, to builds that so much as mention a particular weapon. Builds that don't list gear should be assumed to buy useful generics - items to boost their primary stats, cloaks of resistance, appropriate magical weapons and armour, and so forth. If a build would find particular items useful, they should be listed, but experience suggests that the more generic you keep them, the more favourably judges are likely to look upon them, as a build being shut down because the Thundering Bagpipes of Urist McTrumpetbritches were unavailable is considered a weakness. Similarly, requiring items in order to be able to qualify for things tends to be frowned upon.

    Q: Do you have any other rules and guidelines on how to judge?
    A: We do, actually, designed to try and avoid unpleasantness we've encountered in past contests. The things we've come up with to avoid repeating this are given below.

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    One Mistake, One Penalty
    Spoiler: What does this mean?
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    Judges are only allowed to penalise once for a given mistake. If someone messes up their skills and doesn't qualify for a PrC, ding them as hard as you like. Once. In one category. You don't then get to declare that because they didn't qualify for that PrC, they don't get those levels, and thus don't qualify for anything else. If Ranger is a common ingredient, ding them for Originality. Once. Don't also take off points for Two-Weapon-Fighting being a common ingredient.

    Non-exhaustive list of examples:

    Skills
    Allowed:
    • Giving a penalty for miscalculating the number of skill points gained
    • Giving a penalty for not having enough ranks to meet a prerequisite
    • Increasing the harshness of a skill miscalculation penalty if it affects critical skills including prereqs


    Not allowed:
    • Giving separate penalties for miscalculating skill points and for non-qualification where the non-qualification is solely caused by the miscalculation

    Prereqs
    Allowed:
    • Giving a penalty for not meeting prereqs
    • Scaling the penalty depending on how important the item that the build failed to qualify for is
    • Giving minimum score in UotSI for not qualifying for the SI
    • (Trial, may be disallowed later)Not giving credit for (note: not the same as penalising for) tactics using feats or classes other than the SI that were not qualified for (but see below)


    Not Allowed:
    • "Cascading" failures to qualify - declaring that because a build doesn't qualify for a feat, for example, it also doesn't qualify for anything using that feat as a prereq
    • Treating a build as having fewer levels than it does because of FtQ for classes


    Other general things that are no longer allowed:
    • Penalising because someone has chosen to build a tribute to an existing creative work
    • Deciding that a backstory has not met a fluff prerequisite well enough, or because its method of meeting it is "unrealistic". You may penalise if a fluff prereq is not addressed at all, but not for how well it is addressed.


    Note that these are protections, not licenses. Deliberately taking a feat that you know you don't qualify for hoping to just suck up the judging penalty for a feat that you couldn't normally take is not okay, and may lead to your build being disqualified.


    Q: Do you have any contest house rules or clarifications to ambiguous rules?
    A: Some that have come up in previous contests and needed answers to:
    • All creatures are proficient with any natural weapons they may have or acquire.
    • Bonus feats that are granted even if you do not meet the prerequisites do not require you to meet the prerequisites in order to use.
    • Able Learner's benefit applies to the level you take it.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kalirren View Post
    The only person in the past two pages who has known what (s)he has been talking about is Heliomance.
    Quote Originally Posted by golentan View Post
    I just don't want to have long romantic conversations or any sort of drama with my computer, okay? It knows what kind of porn I watch. I don't want to mess that up by allowing it to judge any of my choices in romance.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Astral Dancer: because getting to use your bad class features on multiple planes is apparently overpowered.

    Seriously, this is going to be tricky.
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    I am at a loss on what to cook up...
    The beatings will continue until morale improves!

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Whoa.

    I have a rough idea, but the amount of fromagery it's taking to get it within spitting distance of maybe being mediocre in a very limited number of situations is truly astounding.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    oh boy, a new iron chef.

    what the hell is this thing?

    I am flabbergasted by how worthless this class is.
    Last edited by Venger; 2017-03-24 at 10:41 AM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
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    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    got an idea ... lets see if that can be iterated into something valuable...

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Oof. There's a crappy class. Crappier even than I'd remembered. Upon rereading, I've noticed an issue with what had been my preliminary idea from when this class was listed as a possible SI.

    I'll see what I can come up with. I've got a few busy weeks coming up, so I might just end up judging. I'm due anyhow.
    Last edited by WhamBamSam; 2017-03-24 at 12:05 PM.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Aaaaaand Astral Dancers don't have full BAB. I feel like I should be surprised, but I think this class has left me drained of all human emotion.
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Inevitability View Post
    Aaaaaand Astral Dancers don't have full BAB. I feel like I should be surprised, but I think this class has left me drained of all human emotion.
    Why would they? Look at all those sweet class features you get!
    I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.

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    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
    Iron Chef Medals!
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Wow... this is... absolute garbage. Literally every single ability has an easier to acquire, less complicated, or better counterpart somewhere else. Its chassis is built for a skill monkey, but it doesn't have the list to properly fill the role. It has bad BAB, no casting advancement whatsoever, and all of its abilities don't function without either fiat or some method of plane shift, which is exceedingly difficult to get without overpowering this absolutely useless secret ingredient. This is, without a doubt, probably the least usable ingredient I've seen. I would rather play an Expert. Yeah, I guess I'm skipping this one.
    Last edited by Technetium43; 2017-03-24 at 02:02 PM.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Technetium43 View Post
    Wow... this is... absolute garbage. Literally every single ability has an easier to acquire, less complicated, or better counterpart somewhere else. Its chassis is built for a skill monkey, but it doesn't have the list to properly fill the role. It has bad BAB, no casting advancement whatsoever, and all of its abilities don't function without either fiat or some method of plane shift, which is exceedingly difficult to get without overpowering this absolutely useless secret ingredient. This is, without a doubt, probably the least usable ingredient I've seen. I would rather play an Expert. Yeah, I guess I'm skipping this one.
    I think this would actually lose a fight to an expert.
    I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.

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    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
    Iron Chef Medals!
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Ugh. I have a... I guess the word is 'viable'... build stub. Every time an SI comes up with Spring Attack as a prerequisite, I find myself blessing the designer(s) who, in their great wisdom, thought Spring Attack was too powerful to get with a mere +3 BAB.
    Iron Chef in the Playground veteran since Round IV. Play as me!


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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Venger View Post
    I think this would actually lose a fight to an expert.
    and it doesn't even got the style that Thunder Guide does

    Quote Originally Posted by Amphetryon View Post
    I find myself blessing the designer(s) who, in their great wisdom, thought Spring Attack was too powerful to get with a mere +3 BAB.
    The main issue with Spring attack aren't the need for Bab+4, its the need for two fairly dead feats
    Last edited by Sian; 2017-03-24 at 02:20 PM.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Amphetryon View Post
    Ugh. I have a... I guess the word is 'viable'... build stub. Every time an SI comes up with Spring Attack as a prerequisite, I find myself blessing the designer(s) who, in their great wisdom, thought Spring Attack was too powerful to get with a mere +3 BAB.
    if we had all those feats online at level 3, there's nothing the entirely reasonable cr3 monsters like that damn crab and shadows could do to stop us. what with our ability to kind of move and attack sometimes.
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    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
    Iron Chef Medals!
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    ....Wow.
    A monk class that doesn't even have the decency to advance anything from monk. This might edge out cipher adept as the worst ingredient I've ever dealt with. Thank you for this opportunity.
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    Only playing Tier 1s is like only eating in five-star restaurants [...] sometimes I just want a cheeseburger and some frogurt. Why limit yourself?
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Sian View Post


    The main issue with Spring attack aren't the need for Bab+4, its the need for two fairly dead feats
    Yeah, no. Particularly not within the parameters of the Iron Chef in the Playground competition, where bad Feat prerequisites are fairly common.
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    So this is probably a stupid question:

    The Astral Plane as described in the DMG has directional subjective gravity, not no gravity. Assuming it hasn't been updated or changed between there and Manual of the Planes, does that mean all references from the class take effect
    1. Only on planes or regions with no gravity
    2. Only on planes or regions with directional subjective gravity
    3. On planes or regions with no gravity, and also the Astral Plane
    4. On planes or regions with no gravity or with directional subjective gravity
    Or some other thing I haven't thought of?
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    Quote Originally Posted by willpell View Post
    Only playing Tier 1s is like only eating in five-star restaurants [...] sometimes I just want a cheeseburger and some frogurt. Why limit yourself?
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    This class has no useful features. You've given us the ingredient 'water' and told us to make a tasty soup. If the main ingredient isn't going to be the star of the show, why bother making it the main ingredient? All the flavour is going to be coming from the meat, vegetables, and spices.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    The trick, then, is to make stone soup.

    Or just put a really heavy emphasis on the whole no gravity bit, I guess.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by The Viscount View Post
    So this is probably a stupid question:

    The Astral Plane as described in the DMG has directional subjective gravity, not no gravity. Assuming it hasn't been updated or changed between there and Manual of the Planes, does that mean all references from the class take effect
    1. Only on planes or regions with no gravity
    2. Only on planes or regions with directional subjective gravity
    3. On planes or regions with no gravity, and also the Astral Plane
    4. On planes or regions with no gravity or with directional subjective gravity
    Or some other thing I haven't thought of?
    I'll be nice and give you interpretation 4.

    ...your responses are hilarious, guys. Love it. Also apparently I need to get better at eyeballing class value - I knew Astral Dancer was bad, I hadn't realised it was quite as utterly trash tier as you're all saying. Sorry!
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    Quote Originally Posted by Kalirren View Post
    The only person in the past two pages who has known what (s)he has been talking about is Heliomance.
    Quote Originally Posted by golentan View Post
    I just don't want to have long romantic conversations or any sort of drama with my computer, okay? It knows what kind of porn I watch. I don't want to mess that up by allowing it to judge any of my choices in romance.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Heliomance View Post
    I'll be nice and give you interpretation 4.

    ...your responses are hilarious, guys. Love it. Also apparently I need to get better at eyeballing class value - I knew Astral Dancer was bad, I hadn't realised it was quite as utterly trash tier as you're all saying. Sorry!
    Glad our pain brings you joy. I've got a stub ready to cook with this thing. Generally speaking, if a single thing from the list of necessary magic items is better than all your class features, that's an extra tough ingredient.
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    Quote Originally Posted by weckar View Post
    Venger, can you be my full-time memory aid please?
    Iron Chef Medals!
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Heliomance View Post
    I'll be nice and give you interpretation 4.

    ...your responses are hilarious, guys. Love it. Also apparently I need to get better at eyeballing class value - I knew Astral Dancer was bad, I hadn't realised it was quite as utterly trash tier as you're all saying. Sorry!
    That certainly makes things interesting. I can feel the ideas forming already.

    Don't feel bad about it. It's a really horrendous class, but I think some of our best rounds come from some of the toughest ingredients. We need one every once in a while to keep us from going soft. It builds character, like Calvin's dad always said.

    I still can't get over the designers writing their class based off of 3.0 rules for a 3.5 book.
    Last edited by The Viscount; 2017-03-24 at 09:14 PM.
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    Quote Originally Posted by willpell View Post
    Only playing Tier 1s is like only eating in five-star restaurants [...] sometimes I just want a cheeseburger and some frogurt. Why limit yourself?
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Manual of the Planes gives the Astral Plane the "No Gravity" trait - the 3.5 DMG does give it the directional one and technically might overrule that (but the Planar Handbook clearly disagrees).

    I don't know what, if any, trait the 3.0 DMG gave to the Astral Plane.

    IMHO you should probably assume that the PrC assumes that the Astral has no gravity?

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Gemini476 View Post
    Manual of the Planes gives the Astral Plane the "No Gravity" trait - the 3.5 DMG does give it the directional one and technically might overrule that (but the Planar Handbook clearly disagrees).

    I don't know what, if any, trait the 3.0 DMG gave to the Astral Plane.

    IMHO you should probably assume that the PrC assumes that the Astral has no gravity?
    It doesn't matter: Heliomance already ruled that subjective directional gravity triggers the ability as well.
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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Since this class requires Spring Attack, it's probably a good idea to repost the Premium reprint stealth-errata:
    When using the attack action with a melee weapon, you can split your move action in that round in order to move both before and after the attack, provided that your total distance moved is not greater than your speed. Moving in this way does not provoke an attack of opportunity from the defender you attack, though it might provoke attacks of opportunity from other creatures, if appropriate. You can't use this feat if you are wearing heavy armor.

    You must move at least 5 feet both before and after you make your attack in order to utilize the benefits of Spring Attack.


    (Copy-pasted from a 2014 Curmudgeon post.)

    Quote Originally Posted by Inevitability View Post
    It doesn't matter: Heliomance already ruled that subjective directional gravity triggers the ability as well.
    It still kind of does matter, though, since subjective directional gravity doesn't allow turning (and moves at falling speeds - 150ft the first round, 300ft thereafter - and requires a DC16 Wis check to change direction) while the Manual of the Planes (maybe the primary source on planes?) gives you a 10ft*Intelligence perfect flight speed (down to average for double move, down to clumsy for four times speed (effectively running)).

    Given that the class in question has a class feature that kind of depends on Manual of the Planes' Astral Plane movement rules (Improved Maneuverability) and does bupkis without them, this is kind of important!

    Also, it kind of vastly changes what you can do with a build if being able to turn mid-movement is impossible and requires Wisdom. Whether or not it counts as flight or falling also changes a whole bunch with what feats do or don't interact with it, not to mention weird stuff like whether or not a Full Attack is even possible or strange interactions with fall damage.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Quote Originally Posted by Inevitability View Post
    It doesn't matter: Heliomance already ruled that subjective directional gravity triggers the ability as well.
    But... that's really, really odd.

    The "moving around in no gravity" rules are in the 3.0 Manual of the Planes... and nowhere else, apparently. When you're on the astral plane in 3.0, you have a flight speed equal to 10' x Int score with perfect maneuverability, and you move around by "thinking" the direction you want to move. Your maneuverability drops if you want to go faster than a single move action. A double move drops your maneuverability to "average", and running (x4) drops it to "clumsy". This flight stuff is necessary because otherwise without any other form of movement, you'd be stuck on the astral plane with no way to move around.

    In subjective gravity, this "flight" ability doesn't exist. You just pick which way is down, and either walk on whatever surface is handy or fall that way (150' first round, 300' second+ round). You can change direction by making a DC 16 Wisdom check as a free action.

    In the 3.5 DMG, the astral plane no longer has "no gravity", it's now "subjective gravity", and the flight rules for "no gravity" are no longer in the rules. The DMG does mention "force of will" but doesn't actually have rules for this.

    So... if I understand Helio's ruling... Astral Dancers have a "flight" speed as per the 3.0 Manual of the Planes rules whenever they are in "no gravity" planes (where it's necessary to move around) and in "subjective gravity" planes, where it's not needed but hey at least "Improved Maneuverability" does *something* useful.

    Hmm. I think I need to nail this down a bit...

    1) Do Astral Dancers have "flight = 10' x Int score" at Astral Dancer 1 when in a no/subjective gravity environment? Or does this ability become active at Astral Dancer 3?

    2) Do any other creatures have this flight ability or "force of will" when in no/subjective gravity environments? Essentially, do the 3.0 Manual of the Planes rules still exist in the 3.5 rules?

    3) Do all planes with "no gravity" automatically have "force of will" movement? The MotP isn't clear on this... on the one hand, it only describes this movement under the entry for the Astral Plane, and the other "no gravity" planes either don't mention it or may mention another form of movement. The elemental planes apparently assume "force of will" is possible, but the Far Realms says movement is only possible by "swimming" through the thick air, and then Carceri says "But unlike other planes with the no gravity trait, force of will doesn’t provide a means of locomotion."

    4) Ok, so... beating a dead equestrian here, but... subjective gravity. If "force of will" movement is present here, you've got two contradictory forms of movement: perfect flight (including hovering) and falling 150'/300' in a chosen direction. I am assuming that even though perfect flight allows you to hover in place, you can choose to deliberately fall if you want to?

    5) Assuming #4 is true, let's say a creature is walking on a surface with subjective gravity. They fall into a 100' pit trap. Do they take falling damage, or can they instantly "hover" to escape all falling damage?

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Ok, I may have a solution to the "flying/falling" problem. It's not quite RAW, so this may count as homebrew, but how about:

    On a plane with subjective gravity, "each individual chooses the direction of gravity’s pull." (DMG p. 148/MotP p. 9)

    However, each individual may choose "no direction". When this is chosen, the individual treats the environment as having "no gravity", and they may move around as per the "force of will" rules (MotP 49). Here's the text:

    "This is akin to flight with perfect maneuverability and a maximum speed of 10 feet per point of Intelligence. When one is maneuvering through astral space, 'up' and 'down' are determined solely by the traveler’s orientation (down is beyond your feet, and up is above your head). Unlike normal flying, climbs and dives on the Astral Plane don’t change a character's speed, and there's no minimum speed to avoid a stall. An astral character may double move, but his maneuverability drops to average. An astral character may move at four times his speed (effectively running), but maneuverability drops to clumsy."

    If an individual in a subjective gravity environment has chosen a direction for gravity, then this flight is no longer available until they decide to choose a different direction. If this individual unexpectedly falls, they may attempt to change the direction of gravity by making a DC 16 Wisdom check as a free action. They may only attempt this once per round. If the check is unsuccessful, they can try again next round with a cumulative +6 modifier, but are otherwise subject to the normal falling rules: fall 150' on the first round, 300' on any subsequent round. If they are unable to change their direction or choose "no gravity" before landing on a solid surface, they take falling damage as normal.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    http://www.d20srd.org/srd/planes.htm

    No gravity still exists: unattended objects and nonsentient creatures behave as if there is no gravity.

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    Default Re: Iron Chef Optimisation Challenge in the Playground LXXXV

    Compare, if you will, the different descriptions of "No Gravity":
    Quote Originally Posted by 3.5 DMG
    No Gravity: Individuals on a plane with this trait merely float in space, unless other resources (such as magic or force of will) are available to provide a direction for gravity’s pull.
    Quote Originally Posted by MotP
    No Gravity: Individuals in a plane without gravity merely float in space, unless other mechanisms (such as magic or force of will) are available to provide a direction for gravity’s pull. An example of a plane with no gravity is the Astral Plane, where everyone gets around by simply imagining themselves moving in a particular direction.
    Pretty much identical except for the Astral being its posterchild in MotP, basically.

    The standard planes with the "No Gravity" trait are:
    The Ethereal
    The DMG is silent on how you're supposed to move around.
    The MotP has you pretty much move normally except you can also go up or down. There's a constant "down", but no falling, and all movement is at half speed. You can "walk" upwards, basically - it's all fog.

    The Astral
    The DMG gave it subjective directional gravity.
    The MotP gives it that "fly 10ft/INT" thing. (Note that this is the only place flight comes up.)

    ...And that's pretty much it. All the other standard ones have other traits - the elemental plane of air has subjective directional gravity, for instance. (There's mention of non-standard gravity on some Abyssal layers, but it's left undefined.)

    Non-standard planes, however (all descriptions from the MotP since they aren't in the DMG's cosmology):
    The Far Realm
    You don't actually physically move in the Far Realm but instead pass through its layers in a vaguely defined "with but a thought" way. Who knows how it works - the Manual of the Planes sure doesn't.

    Demiplanes
    10% of randomly generated demiplanes have "no gravity", but the Manual of the Planes doesn't define how to move through them (for obvious reasons).

    And that's it for gravityless planes. If you include subjective directional gravity planes you open up the Air/Water/Positive/Negative inner planes and Limbo, but RAW the Astral Dancer is kind of extremely limited in where its abilities function.

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