Iron Chef Optimization Challenge In The Playground XXVI

[Venger]

And once you realize that you can't poof around Nightcrawler-style with it, as it requires a standard action, it becomes sort of a letdown.

not only does it require a standard action to use, it ends your turn once you use it, so you can't even use the move action you're entitled to once you've shadow jumped into your enemy's boudoir or whatever. this is especially confusing since about all it's likely to be used for is quick escapes. the distance on the ability is really lacking, it'd be more useful if it had a cap like yachthol (sp?) webrider. they can hop like 1/4 mile away, so it would be really great if your cunning plan du jour didn't work out the way you intended

[The Gilded Duke]

not only does it require a standard action to use, it ends your turn once you use it, so you can't even use the move action you're entitled to once you've shadow jumped into your enemy's boudoir or whatever. this is especially confusing since about all it's likely to be used for is quick escapes. the distance on the ability is really lacking, it'd be more useful if it had a cap like yachthol (sp?) webrider. they can hop like 1/4 mile away, so it would be really great if your cunning plan du jour didn't work out the way you intended

Where does it say ending your turn? I didn't notice that on either the Shadowdancer or Dimension Door page.

Edit- Apparently I'm blind.

[TroubleBrewing]

Where does it say ending your turn? I didn't notice that on either the Shadowdancer or Dimension Door page.

After using this spell, you can’t take any other actions until your next turn.

Check it out.

[Venger]

Where does it say ending your turn? I didn't notice that on either the Shadowdancer or Dimension Door page.

Edit- Apparently I'm blind.

no big deal. people often forget that little clause about dimension door, since it's most commonly used to get out of combat and thus switch your game out of round-by-round mode, so losing the rest of your turn doesn't matter as much.

[TroubleBrewing]

Hope that didn't screw up your build too badly. Still, better to know about it now, with roughly 2 days to finish, rather than have your build get totally hosed in the judging phase.

[OMG PONIES]

Holy mackerel! I just realized that I nearly forgot to include something crucial in my build; I must be slipping in my old age. Deadline is 11:59 PM GMT on Friday, right? On the east coast of the US, that translates to 6:59 PM, right?

Sheesh, you'd think I'd have this down by now.

[Private-Prinny]

Holy mackerel! I just realized that I nearly forgot to include something crucial in my build; I must be slipping in my old age. Deadline is 11:59 PM GMT on Friday, right? On the east coast of the US, that translates to 6:59 PM, right?

Sheesh, you'd think I'd have this down by now.

Yup. 7 PM EST. The only reason I know is because I'm in the same timezone.

[Venger]

Holy mackerel! I just realized that I nearly forgot to include something crucial in my build; I must be slipping in my old age. Deadline is 11:59 PM GMT on Friday, right? On the east coast of the US, that translates to 6:59 PM, right?

Sheesh, you'd think I'd have this down by now.

can't wait to see what you submit.

[Zipding]

can't wait to see what you submit.

I can't wait to see what everyone else submitted.

[OMG PONIES]

I can't wait to see what everyone else submitted.

I second that emotion. When it comes down to it, my build is nothing special; I don't think I'll be in the "weirdest possible build" subcompetition . Instead, I'm just trying to make what I believe is the best use of shadowdancer I could muster.

[Zipding]

I second that emotion. When it comes down to it, my build is nothing special; I don't think I'll be in the "weirdest possible build" subcompetition . Instead, I'm just trying to make what I believe is the best use of shadowdancer I could muster.

Neither of my builds are what you would call special either, both would work as NPCs like much of the PrCs in the DMG, much like my Scion of Tem Et Nu characters. However, the weird subcompetition, I do have one possible entry for that, it's on the mild edge of weird, though.

[OMG PONIES]

I did just think of a "weird" build, but it doesn't really stand a chance so I'll just save it for after the reveal.

[Venger]

Yup. 7 PM EST. The only reason I know is because I'm in the same timezone.

darn. no builds yet. this is my own fault for mentally remembering builds were posted at midnight and as a result unintentionally muddying the issue of whether midnight friday meant 7PM EST on thursday or 7PM EST on friday that having builds posted at 1159PM was intended specifically to avoid.

one day left! looking forward to it.

[Zaq]

How many builds have been actually submitted so far?

[Venger]

How many builds have been actually submitted so far?

oh hey, zaq! loved your truenamer guide, it was hilarious and if nothing else got me thinking about playing harry dresden as a truenamer.

as of the 6th, Amphetryon says there are 12 submitted. I submitted my second one after that, so we are up to at least 13. after that post by amphetryon, no one else except me mentioned submitting a build in-thread.

17 hours left till builds are revealed, so definitely time for another couple to squeak by. I really don't think that we'll get more than 14 though, which was how many we got for assassin, since shadowdancer's harder to use/get into than assassin is.

kinda relieved you didn't compete. you optimised truenamer. I'd be a little scared to throw down in an optimisation contest with you. hope you enjoy the show! I hope my builds can entertain you as much as your truenamer guide entertained me

[Zaq]

I'm actually not that good at Iron Chef. The highest I've taken in the proper competition is 3rd, though I'm two for two in taking second place in the Appetizer Edition. (Speaking of, I'd love to have another one of those . . . whaddaya say, Amechra?)

Anyway, I just started at my new job a week or two ago, and I'm working a schedule with a lot less free time than I'm used to. Add in a secret ingredient that doesn't do much to inspire me AND a really wide playing field (making it exceptionally easy to turn into a forgettable also-ran), and there's just no way I would have even considered entering this particular round.

I'm just as intrigued as everyone else to see the reveal, though. With the number of people self-identifying their builds as "weird," this oughta be good. I have nothing but respect for someone who volunteers to judge this round.

[Hunter Killer]

My build is not really weird, but it is interesting.

It doesn't use the Shadowdancer's abilities in any broken or truly amazing ways, but it does make most of them at least useful.

Hopefully I can get it done in time to post. I have to hop a plane tomorrow, so I might not...

[Feytalist]

Darn it all to heck. I wish I had seen this one sooner. I've spent the past 4 days reading through the previous challenges, heh. The moment I read this an idea popped into my head, and I even started statting it, but it's much too late to even give it a fair go. Meh. I'll post my idea after the builds are presented.

Incidentally, I found a relatively obscure PrC that does almost everything that Shadowdancer does, only with a slightly different flavour. My main problem was balancing that with this, without giving up elegance.

Also, expect me to be participating in coming challenges

[TroubleBrewing]

Oh, how these few days of building have taught me to hate Shadowdancer.

If I never see this class again it'll be too soon.

[Amphetryon]

How many builds have been actually submitted so far?

I'm at 16 in my inbox right now, if my pre-coffee math is right. With just under 12 hours to go, I doubt we'll have trouble breaking 20.

[TroubleBrewing]

I'm at 16 in my inbox right now, if my pre-coffee math is right.

Yowza. With only 17 days to judge, that's a build a day with only one day off. Do the judges think they need more time?

[OMG PONIES]

I'm at 16 in my inbox right now, if my pre-coffee math is right. With just under 12 hours to go, I doubt we'll have trouble breaking 20.

Yowza. With only 17 days to judge, that's a build a day with only one day off. Do the judges think they need more time?

Due to the high number of builds submitted and my inability to get psyched about my entry in its final state, I'll judge.

My Criteria

Spoiler

Show

Originality: simply put, does your character stand out in a crowd? Having common build elements (class chassis, particular feat/trick combos) with the WotC example will not gain you any points, and having common build elements with other entries in the same round will lose points.

On the other hand, using a unique entry class will gain points. Using a class I didn't think could even qualify or would never think to use will gain even more points. Since I encourage good writing, a solid and engrossing backstory may earn you a bonus as well. However, brevity is important; just because a backstory is long does not mean it is good.

Power: to boil this category down to its essence, how strong is your build compared to a similar chassis without the Secret Ingredient? Additionally, how does that comparative strength fare over the course of a standard adventuring day? Nova powers are good, but shouldn't be all a character relies on.

Elegance: at its core, I look at three things for this category--simplicity, legality, and progression.
Simplicity is straightforward: would most DMs be willing to allow this at their table, or does it involve jumping through hoops/penalizing yourself? It is worth noting that I will no longer be penalizing for dips unless they are incredibly convoluted or result in multiclass XP penalties. The big culprit here will be rules interpretations that, while not outright illegal, could cause significant controversy by RAW. If you're doing something quirky, please back it up. As per contest rules, flaws will see a deduction of 1 point apiece in this category.
Legality is similar: we are showcasing optimization work, so let's make sure we understand the rules. Failing to qualify for the SI is dealt with below. Failing to qualify for a class will lose you 1 point per class, while failing to qualify for a feat will lose you 0.5 points per feat. Other rules issues will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Progression is the most subjective of the three: how does the build flow? Does it feel like one continuous class, ramping up steadily in ability through all 20 levels?

Use of Secret Ingredient: This is ultimately a contest about the Secret Ingredient. As such, three things will be considered--qualification, optimization, and completion.
Qualification: First and foremost, failure to qualify for the Secret Ingredient will result in an automatic score of 1 for this category. Beyond that, however, I will look to see what you did with anything required for qualification. Is it simply there to get you into the Secret Ingredient, or is it a viable part of your character's identity?
Optimization: do you use all of the class features granted by the Secret Ingredient to their fullest? Do you make them better via synergy with existing class features, feats, etc? Class features that are not mentioned will see a penalty here. Ideas that do not pan out fully will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis; I'd rather see you try something truly original and fail than play it safe.
Completion: Are all levels of the Secret Ingredient taken? If not, is sound reasoning provided for why not finishing the SI makes the build a better [Secret Ingredient] than more levels in the SI would have?

[kestrel404]

Build submitted, though I feel I had to rush this one. I simply don't have the free time I used to.

[gbprime]

Yowza. With only 17 days to judge, that's a build a day with only one day off. Do the judges think they need more time?

No, I think they need a TROPHY.

[TroubleBrewing]

Unless I'm mistaken, they have in the past.

Or a medal, or somesuch.

[Cieyrin]

Unless I'm mistaken, they have in the past.

Or a medal, or somesuch.

I got mine and Amph has at least 2, I believe.

[gbprime]

Unless I'm mistaken, they have in the past.

Or a medal, or somesuch.

Yes. and our chairman is aware of that. Suggestion delivered.

[gbprime]

Build submitted, with over 4 hours to spare. Early for me.

Good luck all!

[Diefje]

Iiiiiiiiiii. I'm getting all giddy.

[Hunter Killer]

I don't know if I'll get done. If I don't, I'll post my build after the reveal. Hopefully I can get in just under the wire because I just need equipment and a source list at this point...