Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII

Amphetryon · 09-08-2012, 06:23 PM

Welcome, contestants, judges, and guests to Iron Chef XXXVII. Here in Optimization Colosseum, contestants will endeavor to create an optimized and flavorful character using a specified D&D3.5 prestige class as a "Secret Ingredient".

Contestants: You will need to present a write-up of your build at at least one of the following points: 5th level, 10th level, 15th, 20th, and a "sweet spot" that you feel is the high point of the build, as well as presenting a fully-fleshed out 20-level build in the table below. Feel free to present as many of these as you like, and please give a rundown of the build's abilities and playability at all of the levels you didn't show. The rules are as follows:

Menu: For most challenges, the "special ingredient" will be drawn from Core plus Completes. There will, from time to time, be special challenges that showcase secret ingredients from other books--for example, the XPH.

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 are not allowed, as they create a different playing field. Also, item familiars are forbidden because I hate 'em. This comes up often enough to bear mention in the rules: Dragon Compendium is allowed.

Cooking Time: Contestants will have until 11:59PM GMT on Saturday, September 22th, 2012 to create their builds and PM them to the Chairman, Amphetryon. Builds will then be posted simultaneously, to avoid copying. Judges will have until 11:59PM GMT on Saturday, October 6th, 2012 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 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 an automatic loss of one point per flaw in this category. Other things that will cause lost points here are excessive multiclassing, 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 be an Elegance deduction at the judges' discretion, but a book's relative obscurity may not.

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

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	New Feats	New Class Abilities
2nd	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
3rd	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
4th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
5th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
6th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
7th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
8th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
9th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
10th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
11th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
12th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
13th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
14th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
15th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
16th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
17th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
18th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
19th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities
20th	New Class Level	+x	+x	+x	+x	Skills	New Feats	New Class Abilities

Code

Spoiler

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

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!

This week's special ingredient is:
Complete Warrior's Justiciar
We will award 1st through 3rd places, as well as a shout-out for honorable mention. The honorable mention prize is given to the most daring or unexpected build. Judges, contestants and guests alike are invited to vote for honorable mention via PM.

Allez optimiser!

Contestants

Judges

The Builds

Past Competitions

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

Venger · 09-08-2012, 06:28 PM

Booyeah. I'm all over this, I've got just the build.

mattie_p · 09-08-2012, 06:29 PM

If I can, I will enter. I've sat out the last two due to real life, would love to compete with this ingredient. We will see...

eggs · 09-08-2012, 08:07 PM

After the conspicuous shortage of judges last time, I'd volunteer on that front.

Amphetryon · 09-08-2012, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eggs

After the conspicuous shortage of judges last time, I'd volunteer on that front.

Thank you, kindly.

Narsis · 09-08-2012, 09:06 PM

looks interesting. at least his abilities mesh somewhat well with each other. might try a build. and if that doesn't work i guess i could judge...

Kuulvheysoon · 09-08-2012, 09:16 PM

I might try a build, but I'll likely be too busy.

We'll see how inspired I get, I guess.

ThreeDSix · 09-08-2012, 10:37 PM

Oh look! So close! Just two pages off the mark!

Please excuse me while I come up with criteria that isn't completely arbitrary!

eggs · 09-09-2012, 01:23 AM

Just to get this out of the way early, I'll try to sketch out a rubric for the criteria:

Spoiler

EDIT: Spoilered to not obnoxiously hog space.

Dumbledore lives · 09-09-2012, 01:43 AM

I'll try to get an entry in, though you know how these things are, I got a few ideas already.

Zaq · 09-09-2012, 02:31 AM

Those are some . . . deceptively restrictive prereqs. Getting in here is harder than it looks, at least if you're trying to do anything interesting.

I have some hypotheses about what we'll be seeing, both obvious and somewhat less obvious. We shall see.

Also, those are some eyebrows in that picture. Look at those buggers. I bet he spends half an hour a day maintaining them.

GreenSerpent · 09-09-2012, 06:14 AM

Hmmm. This one should be interesting.

Amphetryon · 09-09-2012, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaq

Those are some . . . deceptively restrictive prereqs. Getting in here is harder than it looks, at least if you're trying to do anything interesting.

I have some hypotheses about what we'll be seeing, both obvious and somewhat less obvious. We shall see.

Also, those are some eyebrows in that picture. Look at those buggers. I bet he spends half an hour a day maintaining them.

Not just the eyebrows, either; there's actually no wind blowing his hair.

EDIT:
FAQ:
Is Dragon Compendium Allowed? Yes, but individual issues of Dragon Magazine are not.

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

Are Dragonlance, Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, or Kingdoms of Kalamar allowable sources? 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). Similarly, materials from Ravenloft, Planescape, Dark Sun, and Kingdoms of Kalamar are considered 3rd party for purposes of this contest, and are therefore not allowed.

What about online sources in general? 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.

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. Bloodlines 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.

What, exactly, does the ban on Leadership mean? 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 Amphetryon 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.

What's the minimum score in a category? Assuming an entry is legal, the minimum score in any category is 1. If a judge is convinced that an entry is illegal by the RAW, the judge may give a 0 or decline to score a given entry. 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.

Does the Urban Tracking Feat count for Justiciar's prerequisites? Not unless someone can link to an official WotC ruling saying it does.

The Dark Fiddler · 09-09-2012, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Piggy Knowles

Awesome job, Fiddler! I really enjoyed the story behind your build. And great job also to Venger, Gilded Duc and Kazyan!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazyan

Whoa, thanks to those who put Zhirvaush in for Honorable Mention. Glee! Congratulations to The Dark Fiddler, Venger, and The Gilded Duke. And to everyone else who made something of the Acolyte!

Thanks! It was great to win my first IC contest, but... I feel kind of bad winning with only one judge.

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.G. Oskar

That said, I'm not entirely sure if I should ever judge again.

Well, I had no problems with your judging, and would certainly have no problems with you judging again, but I can understand why you might not want to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Draz74

Another thing that has discouraged me from judging is the need to post criteria beforehand. Not only does doing so feel like making a commitment to have time to judge; it also is something that I don't know how to express or put in words.

Hmm, is that a requirement? I thought it was tradition, but not strictly necessary. If I judge, I probably won't know exactly what my criteria would be until I actually sit down and start...

Anyway, I may enter this one, if I can think of a build. If not, I'll judge.

If I judge, Batman references are going to get an automatic 1 in everything

Piggy Knowles · 09-09-2012, 09:59 AM

Thus far I've got a couple of ideas, but nothing earth-shattering. If I don't get a eureka moment, I'll throw in my hat as a judge.

Careless · 09-09-2012, 10:21 AM

You know what? I'll try it. I'm aiming for not-last-place. Perhaps a bit ambitious, but I might be able to pull it off.
Good luck everyone.

Menteith · 09-09-2012, 10:37 AM

If I can come up with something worthy of submission, I'll compete. Time to go splatbook diving for inspiration!

Venger · 09-09-2012, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dark Fiddler

Thanks! It was great to win my first IC contest, but... I feel kind of bad winning with only one judge.

hey, you earned it! you made something worthwhile with acolyte.

Quote:

Hmm, is that a requirement? I thought it was tradition, but not strictly necessary. If I judge, I probably won't know exactly what my criteria would be until I actually sit down and start...

it isn't a rule of the contest, but it does help you a lot when you are judging so you can have a baseline to compare everyone to.

Quote:

If I judge, Batman references are going to get an automatic 1 in everything

man, does no one on the message board like batman? I was also shocked to see the absesnce of batmen back in vigilante.

Sgt. Cookie · 09-09-2012, 11:43 AM

I think I have an idea for this one. I just might join in.

Kuulvheysoon · 09-09-2012, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venger

man, does no one on the message board like batman? I was also shocked to see the absesnce of batmen back in vigilante.

I think that this was more due to everyone thinking that everyone else was going to do something Batman-esque.

ThiagoMartell · 09-09-2012, 01:10 PM

I think I'll judge as well.

The Dark Fiddler · 09-09-2012, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venger

man, does no one on the message board like batman? I was also shocked to see the absesnce of batmen back in vigilante.

I like Batman. Batman's cool.

I don't like 5 Batmen, and I I think that 5 Batmen would get incredibly low Originalities all around.

My original post was facetious, but every joke carries a kernel of truth.

GreenSerpent · 09-09-2012, 01:35 PM

Oh god I have several ideas. Now to actually get working with the mechanics...

Dusk Eclipse · 09-09-2012, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Dark Fiddler

I like Batman. Batman's cool.

I don't like 5 Batmen, and I I think that 5 Batmen would get incredibly low Originalities all around.

My original post was facetious, but every joke carries a kernel of truth.

Ok no batman, but what about Nightwing? Batgirl? Batsrael?

Devmaar · 09-09-2012, 02:09 PM

I want to enter but I go Uni next weekend!

Let's see what happens

Venger · 09-09-2012, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dusk Eclipse

Ok no batman, but what about Nightwing? Batgirl? Batsrael?

whoa dude. justiciar azrael-batman circa 1991 during the knighfall arc would be awesome. you've gotta do that now.

Kazyan · 09-09-2012, 03:14 PM

Like others, I have an idea, though I'm struggling to make everything fit.

Unlike others, I find Batman to be a very uninteresting character.

Dusk Eclipse · 09-09-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Venger

whoa dude. justiciar azrael-batman circa 1991 during the knighfall arc would be awesome. you've gotta do that now.

Nah, Justiciar doesn't inspire me to do anything with it, I will have little to no free time in the next few weeks, I don't really know much about Batsrael, just the bare basics by skimming Wikipedia and tvtropes and finally it was meant as a joke.

eggs · 09-09-2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazyan

Unlike others, I find Batman to be a very uninteresting character.

But...
But...
His parents are DEAD!

Venger · 09-09-2012, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kazyan

Like others, I have an idea, though I'm struggling to make everything fit.

Unlike others, I find Batman to be a very uninteresting character.

each to his own. as with any character who's been around so long, there are a lot of writers who've done him, not all of them well. it's really like reading a different character when different writers work on him, so it's all about finding one you like. obviously a high degree of subjectivity is involved.

these skills are really killing me. Finding a class that has all of them as class skills is proving especially difficult