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  1. - Top - End - #1
    Titan in the Playground
     
    PirateWench

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    Default help with a 3.5 character build

    so as the title suggests I am looking for a few ideas for a character build with the following restrictions
    no eberron, dragon magazine, RHD or LA

    I have no desire to go full caster anything.

    now I need charisma , Intelligence (for leadership, followers & crafting for various reasons - these are required by GM)
    all other attributes are not as important.

    Thus leading to what classes would work within an 8 level Human build

    I have looked at Factotum + Chameleon - seems to fill the base needs and grants some spell casting, though not sure if its the best choice

    I have looked at Martial Rogue + Human Paragon + Fighter + Marshal - seems to fill the base needs though not sure if its the best choice

    so I look to the playgrounders for thoughts.

  2. - Top - End - #2
    Troll in the Playground
     
    NecromancerGirl

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    Dec 2014

    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    CG Silverbrow human bard 2/crusader 1/bard +4/crusader +1
    Feats: Dragonfire Inspiration1, Song of the White Raven3, Leadership6, Skill Focus (Diplomacy)human.
    (Ideally, you would go bard 4/crusader 1, but in order to take SotWR at level 3, the crusader level needs to move up. This costs you some second-level maneuvers, but it's not too bad.)

    Take your 9th level in marshal, and pick up Words of Creation and Draconic Aura as feats.

    At level 8, you grant your allies +2 to hit and damage and +2d6 fire damage on each attack.
    At level 9, you grant your allies +4 to hit and damage and +4d6 fire damage on each attack, as well as +2 Spot, Listen, Initiative, and they add your Charisma bonus to one set of checks (such as Dexterity checks, which include initiative).

    If you can, pick up a vest of legends. At level 10, it increases the bonuses you grant to +6 attack and damage and +6d6 fire damage on each attack. The vest costs 16 000 gp, out of 49 000 gp WBL for a 10th-level character, so it's on the expensive side, but it is very powerful.
    Last edited by ExLibrisMortis; 2019-10-20 at 11:31 AM.
    Spoiler: Collectible nice things
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    Read ExLibrisMortis' post...

    WHY IS THERE NO LIKE BUTTON?!
    Quote Originally Posted by Keledrath View Post
    Libris: look at your allowed sources. I don't think any of your options were from those.
    My incarnate/crusader. A self-healing crowd-control melee build (ECL 8).
    My Ruby Knight Vindicator barsader. A party-buffing melee build (ECL 14).
    Doctor Despair's and my all-natural approach to necromancy.

  3. - Top - End - #3
    Titan in the Playground
     
    PirateWench

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    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    Quote Originally Posted by ExLibrisMortis View Post
    CG Silverbrow human bard 2/crusader 1/bard +4/crusader +1
    great idea... the TOB has been added to the banhammer.
    thanks for the thought

  4. - Top - End - #4
    Ogre in the Playground
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    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    Human Factotum 1/Incarnate 3/Human Paragon 1/Chameleon

    Average intelligence based chameleon with some fun soulmelds

    Alternatively
    Half elf Paragon 3/Marshal 1/Human Paragon 1/Chameleon

    Good at most skills gets.

    And the cha heavy one
    Half elf Paragon 1/Marshal 1/Incarnate 3/half elf Paragon 2/Chameleon

    Heavily invests in cha skills

    Human Bard 1 (precocious apprentice + able learner)/Binder 1/Incarnate 3/Chameleon 2/Anima Mage

    The: your everything build
    Quote Originally Posted by Zaq View Post
    I feel like telling the ghost of Gary Gygax to hold your beer is a good way to suddenly stop being the GM, but I have to admit that this would probably be remarkably effective. At what, I dunno, but effective.
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    I am continually astounded by how new you are here in contrast to how impressive your mind is.

  5. - Top - End - #5
    Ogre in the Playground
     
    GrayDeath's Avatar

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    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    If you want high Chrisma and to lead Stuff AND craft Stuff, why not go Warlock?

    usually not banned, at Level 12 you canc raft anything, and before that you can get quite some mileage of Inocations and Social Skills.
    A neutron walks into a bar and says, “How much for a beer?” The bartender says, “For you? No charge.”

    01010100011011110010000001100010011001010010000001 10111101110010001000000110111001101111011101000010 00000111010001101111001000000110001001100101001011 100010111000101110

    Later: An atom walks into a bar an asks the bartender “Have you seen an electron? I left it in here last night.” The bartender says, “Are you sure?” The atom says, “I’m positive.”

  6. - Top - End - #6
    Titan in the Playground
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    Dec 2004

    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    Let's nail down some prioritization:
    • Charisma - There are plenty of good builds that can use a high Cha score, but most of them get some kind of spellcasting. Doesn't really have any synergy with high Int, and if not making a spellcaster, you'll need other (physical) stats as well.
    • Intelligence - There are plenty of good builds that can use a high Int score, but most of them get some kind of spellcasting. Doesn't really have any synergy with high Cha, and if not making a spellcaster, you'll need other (physical) stats as well.
    • Leadership - This just costs you a feat, but starting at 8th level it needs to be your 6th level feat, unless you're getting it for free because the DM is requiring it.
    • Followers - These should come from having Leadership, but what are they going to be used for? Do you need an army? Can they be experts who do mundane crafting so you don't need to do that?
    • Crafting - What do you need to craft? Most craft skills could probably be handled by your followers, or just trained hirelings unless it's something highly specialized like Alchemy or Poisonmaking, or requiring a high skill check (that a team of low-level crafters can't stack Aid Another to accomplish). Are you needing to craft magic items, or golems, and if so, what kind?


    With the above in mind, I recommend going with something with some spellcasting (i.e. multiclass with a primary spellcasting class), and prioritize either Cha or Int, and make the other no higher than a 14 so your other stats won't suffer. Otherwise you'll have a bad case of MAD and everything your character does will be mediocre, at best.

    Have your followers/cohort do as much of the mundane and even magic item crafting as possible. Having spellcasting should automatically qualify you for the 'special power' modifier of Leadership, and you can write your backstory to qualify for the 'fairness and generosity' and even the 'great renown' modifiers as well. With a base of operations, you could start out with a leadership score of 18+ for followers if you max out Cha.

    If you need lots of followers who can fight, i.e. an army, then consider going with some kind of necromancer with an army of undead instead. Ask your DM about taking Undead Leadership in Libris Mortis, and make something like a Dread Necromancer 8 which happens to be exactly the level you need to seriously inflate the number of animated dead you can control. A Necropolitan would be a good option as it doesn't have a level adjustment (you would have lost a level becoming a Necropolitan, but you would have been behind a level and gaining more xp per encounter for long enough to likely catch back up if you gained it very early).


    For a good aligned character, consider a Sorcadin gish build: Illumian (Naenhoon), Paladin 2/ Sorcerer 4/ Spellsword 1/ Abjurant Champion 5/ Sacred Exorcist 8, mostly in that order but take the first level of Sacred Exorcist asap. You'll need Combat Casting to meet prerequisites, and probably Arcane Preparation to use sanctified spells like (Greater) Luminous Armor, plus Leadership at 3rd. Always take two flaws (more here) if possible to get two extra feats. You'll want Extend Spell and Persistent Spell by the time you get that Sacred Exorcist level so you can use Naenhoon to persist two buffs each day (Shield and Wraithstrike, or Draconic Polymorph and Wraithstrike). You definitely want Power Attack as well, as you'll be using a two-handed weapon with Wraithstrike.

    Ideally you'll want Ancestral Relic, make it an Elvencraft Composite Longbow which counts as a quarterstaff and a bow, it needs to be made masterwork three times but it should be able to have three wand chambers as well. It can be made into three magical weapons, an any type of bow or staff item such as a magical staff with charges of spells and even a custom Runestaff (MIC p224). You can likely put sanctified spells on that and not need to take Arcane Preparation, you can also put Dismissal on that to qualify for Sacred Exorcist (and once that class it gives you Dispel Evil it meets its own prerequisite), otherwise this mostly negates your otherwise limited number of spells known.

    Get an Eternal Wand (MIC) of Hound of Doom (CW), anyone who can cast arcane spells can use any eternal wand. For the three wands in your wand chambers you should choose from Benign Transposition, Nerveskitter, and Wings of Cover, and Wraithstrike. Per the Rules Compendium, spell trigger and spell completion items (wands, staffs, scrolls) take the same action to activate as the spell being used, so a wand of a swift or immediate action spell takes that same type of action to activate. You can also cast Wraithstrike with Extend Spell from a 3rd level slot, the PHB rules on spontaneous spells with metamagic only says the casting time is increased if the spell's original casting time is a standard action or longer.

    Spell choices should be powerful buffs, a few niche utility spells, and a few powerful crowd controls that hit multiple targets. Shield, Alter Self, Wraithstrike, and (Draconic) Polymorph are among the best buffs for their level. Web, Glitterdust, Sleet Storm, and Solid Fog are some of the best crowd controls, you'll want to maybe use one in the first round then stick to attacking for the rest of the fight.

  7. - Top - End - #7
    Titan in the Playground
     
    PirateWench

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    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    thanks for the thoughts all I have a good idea with what has been offered up.

  8. - Top - End - #8
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    nedz's Avatar

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    Default Re: help with a 3.5 character build

    Dread Necromancer 8 is the sweat spot for lots of minions.

    Now it is a full caster, and your minions are all undead, but it meets your other requirements.
    π = 4
    Consider a 5' radius blast: this affects 4 squares which have a circumference of 40' — Actually it's worse than that.


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