[3e] Taking Creative Build Requests

[BooNL]

Request #53
A gnome and his love for badgers. Intepret as you will. ECL breakdowns at 5, 10 and 15 please .

[Grifthin]

Request #54

A character of any class/race who dual wields two other creatures who are each dual wielding as well.

[sonofzeal]

Oh dear lord people! I am but one man! I'll get around to as many as I can, but no guarantees.

flabort - My own opinions on that one piece of homebrew are a matter of public record. I honestly love the idea, and I'm glad it got cleaned up a little, but it's still far too openly exploitable for me to condone using it in a serious build. The worst part is, at least once a month, I'll be struggling to piece together some funky little build and realize that Project Mutator is exactly what I need to connect all the dots.



Anyway, I'll do this one tonight and come back tomorrow when I'm a bit more rested. I'm choosing this one, because it reminded me of one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite shows.

Request #45

What's that? Killua you say? You're on!

Comments: Houserule here, on the destruction of ammo after being used, because it's a really stupid rule a lot of the time. Also, allowing Energy Sub to work on maneuvers, and strikes work on ranged attacks, because why not?

Concept: Electric yoyo assassin!
Build: Human Unarmed Swordsage
Components: Skiprock (RotW), Conductivity (UA)
Result: Unarmed Swordsage gets you the nasty nasty things Killua does with unarmed strike and the focus here is on Shadow Hand and Desert Wind (shifted to Electricity of course). Things start getting nasty when his Returning Skiprock of Shock starts getting into play. Due to the rather unusual way Skiprocks are worded, they actually end up playing brutally well with ToB strikes, allowing you to hit two targets with the same single-target strike and getting the full effect on both. Many DMs obviously won't allow this, but it appears to satisfy the wording and it's amusing so I'm going with it. Conductivity is just in there for lulz, as I'd nearly forgotten Spelltouched feats existed and the flavour is exactly right even if the result is different. If you gain Electricity resistance (Shock's Blessing stance possible) or immunity, check about hitting yourself with the ricochet and using Conductivity to double-zap a single target.

[The_Scourge]

No joy on the Rat Lord then?

Ok, here's something a little less unorthadox.

Request #55
A quartet of assassins/bounty hunters who draw their fighting styles from the four classic elements (magic is fine but something more unorthadox than a guy who chucks fireballs would be shiny). Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Have fun.

[sonofzeal]

No joy on the Rat Lord then?

Ah shoot, totally missed it. Alright, seriously now, last one for the night....



Request #35

Comment: I'll go with the Rat King vibe since he sounds like a pretty cool guy. That requires base race Human, and a double helping of "oh dear lord this man's disturbed"

Build: Human Druid
Components: Child of Winter, Pipes of the Sewers, Leadership, Vermin Lord
Result: You're a Druid, so you can wildshape into a rat, and can summon Dire Rats pretty easily. Pipes of the Sewers reinforces that. Child of Winter doesn't add any particular Ratness, but definitely works with the theme at large, and ties in perfectly with Vermin Lord; see if you can declare rats and rat swarms to be "vermin" for the purposes of his abilities. Oh, and with the Leadership feat, grab as many low level Rattakin Wildling followers as you can, just for fun.

[Moonlitdreams]

SonofZeal, would you perhaps be able to give me a build that is based off of Pathfinder, with D&D 3.5 supplements allowed?

If so, Request #56:

Basically, a self-reliant, sorcerer based caster that specializes in illusions and summoning. Preferably built around the assumption that it will be in a party with mostly martial characters. Oh, and up to ECL 20, if you can. Thank you very much!

Request #57: (Note: This one is pure D&D 3.5)
A sorcerer (at least initially) who is destined to become the the God of Potential and Secrets. Basically, Vecna's successor, just without the lich. Any and all official WotC books, whatever classes as long as it matches the theme, up to ECL 60. I'm curious to see how awesome this turns out.

[Pharaoh's Fist]

Request #58

Build me a Monk/Bard.

[Thurbane]

If the requests are coming too thick and fast, maybe the OP can sub some of them out, if people are willing?

...anyway...

Request #59

A half-ogre fighter/barbarian/frenzied berserker who loves all things spiked! Spiked armor, spiked gauntlets, Bloodspiked Charger feat etc. ECL 12?

[erikun]

Request #52:
A melee build focusing on hitting things with shields and controlling the field.
I want to see how you do this one.

The equipment you will want:

1 Animated Tower Shield
6 Throwing Returning Bashing Spiked Large Shields
1 Defending Spiked Small Shield
1 Glove of Storing
Two-Weapon Fighting feats
Quick Draw feat
Improved Shield Bash feat
levels in rogue (probably)

Begin by animating your tower shield, freeing up your hands for two large shields. Throw them at your opponent with the Throwing properity, using Quick Draw to grab two more shields. Once you have used your full attack, draw your small shield from your Glove of Storing as a free action, and apply the enchantment bonus on the shield spikes to your AC.

Damage is 11d6 per hit at level 20, assuming sneak attack applies. The best class mix is likely Fighter (Sneak Attack variant) 1/Rogue X for the weapon proficiencies. This assumes that your DM will allow Returning weapons to return to their sheathes, rather than dropping to the ground if your hands are full - if you can find a "Quick Stow" feat, it would probably help. Of course, you can SA Shield Bash as a melee attack as well.

Request #53
A gnome and his love for badgers. Intepret as you will. ECL breakdowns at 5, 10 and 15 please .

Forest Gnome Barbarian/Animal Lord. Take the Leadership feat, then get a cohort of a Gnome Druid/Beastmaster with a pair of Dire Badgers. Ride around on them, charging with with lances. The forest gnome has an at-will Speak with Animals ability to talk with forest animals, including badgers, all the time.

The Forest Gnome and Dire Badger are in Monster Manual; both Animal Lord and Beastmaster are in Complete Adventurer. You'll want to talk to the DM about creating a "Badgerlord" rather than the standard ones listed, along with maybe a Badger Barbarian variant. Throwing werebadger in the mix would work too, but I'm not familiar where the build-your-own-lyncanthrope rules are.

Request #58

Build me a Monk/Bard.

Bard/Unarmed Swordsage with the Song of the White Raven feat. Sing and buff while punching people in the face. For that matter, your fists should count as light one-handed melee weapons, allowing stuff like Snowflake Wardance to apply...

On the other hand, a Bard 10/Monk 2/Druid 1 could become a Fochlucan Lyrist. I don't recall if Unarmed Swordsage has Evasion, though.

[Runestar]

No joy on the Rat Lord then?

Ok, here's something a little less unorthadox.

Request #55
A quartet of assassins/bounty hunters who draw their fighting styles from the four classic elements (magic is fine but something more unorthadox than a guy who chucks fireballs would be shiny). Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Have fun.

Sorta already done.
http://community.wizards.com/go/thre...ur_Experiences.

Spoiler

Show

I'd like to thank Tempest for helping me put together these character descriptions.

The name of the game comes from character creation, when one too many jokes about Chrono Trigger led to the creation of a team where each member reflects a specific, single, almost elemental theme (indicated below). It's set in a custom world, which by most games' standards would be considered high-magic (or at least higher-magic, especially in the movers and the shakers). The team was originally a small security company from an oppressive magocracy who hired two renegade bodyguards from the nation the magocracy is currently at war at. At the time, the goal was to escape the magocracy's iron fist; it seems like this is within the team's grasp right now. Every adventure has been homebrew, with a serious focus on intrigue, character development, timing, and magic. Lots and lots of magic. Combat, when it happens, is often off the hook in that the team works as one, devising carefully timed teamwork attacks that serve to overwhelm the opposition.

Liam Cross (Water): Human Swordsage, Shadow Sun Ninja, and Warblade
With a class breakdown like that, Liam looks like a mobile heavy hitter, something more like a skirmishing monk. In truth, he is rather monklike in that he prefers to fight unarmed, but that's about where the similarities end (especially since he just got himself a shiny new spiked chain). This fellow is the TANK. He's impossibly hard to hit (and his default battle stance, Pearl of Black Doubt, amps his AC every time he's missed). He packs a lot of counters. He uses Setting Sun judiciously to relocate the enemy, often over cliffs, in pits, or in lakes. He tanks by forcing the opponent to deal with him -- or end up somewhere where they will be unable to strike their targets. It's a sort of active defense, one might say. However, tanking is not the limit of his abilities by far. Like Torrin in Eclipse Inquisitives, he's able to provide vital in-combat healing with Touch of the Shadow Sun. He's also an excellent scout with Hide, Move Silently, Spot, and Listen checks of an impressive caliber, and a Sense Motive check that gives him a lie detector role in social situations.

Ethan Cross (Fire): Human Swordsage
Of all the characters in this game, Ethan's the closest to a stock party role -- but it isn't the melee skirmisher you'd expect from the monk-like swordsage. Ethan's a Desert Wind specialist, and really plays the swordsage more like a melee warmage. We're at the level where direct damage is beginning to wear out as an effective trick. In the meantime, though, he's been dishing out serious damage -- overwhelming amounts of it, mostly fire-based -- while demonstrating Desert Wind and Tiger Claw's great mobility options to boot (along with a few, but not many, Stone Dragon defenses). His defense is seriously lacking (his AC and HP are respectable, but nothing special for the level he's at), and his attacks are rather one-dimensional -- these would be serious impediments to his style, were it not for two other things: Liam, and Dayvid. Liam often provides defensive cover for Ethan's offensive punch, and Dayvid's battlefield manipulation enables Ethan to focus on whatever targets he needs to. (Besides, Dayvid typically packs Transposition spells, just in case Ethan bites off more than he can chew.) Ethan is extremely versatile in the manner in which he delivers damage, with ranged single shots, area effects at melee range, the multitargeting Firesnake maneuver, several charge-based maneuvers and a devastating full attack after bonuses from the Blood in the Water stance and a Desert Wind boost have been applied. He's also got Jump and Tumble to move where he's needed, very handy for giving Dayvid options with those Transpositions. A nice Sense Motive helps him do lie detection like his brother, and can assist in 'coercion' encounters with his Intimidate skill.

Xek (Mirrors): Changeling psychic rogue (Mind's Eye), Chameleon
Xek is an infiltration specialist, as the rogue core might suggest. However, that's where the similarity ends -- Xek has Persona Immersion, and is played in an interesting way which maps different forms to different Chameleon specialities. One day, Xek may be in the form of Ikaros, a charming rogue in every sense of the term with a touch of arcane trickery up his sleeve. The next, she may be Shevitha, a xeph acrobat with a healing gift and an almost childlike innocence about her. On another day, she may be Carlak, a mogrelfolk warrior with a "hold the line" infantryman attitude and a mean glaive at his side. At the moment, circumstances in-game prevent controlled switching (you'll know why if and when I'm bugged into providing RP summaries for these characters), but it still allows the "rogue" of the party to handle herself in melee without too much difficulty *and* provide some spell support. Simply put, a Chameleon fits whatever role they feel like at the moment.

Dayvid Thales Dalawann: (Smoke) Gnome Illusionist / Shadow Adept/ Geometer / Shadowcraft Mage
Yeah, he does fit the bill as far as a wizard goes. The difference? He's banned Evocation and Necromancy, and has zero ranks in Concentration, and yet it has been his contributions to the game that often secure victory for the team. Proper application of enchantment and illlusion lead to enemies being confused out of their wits, debilitated, sealed off from combat, or worse. Furthermore, Dayvid's a skilled liar and manipluator, quite capable at leading people on even without magic if he needs to, while still providing the party knowledge base. Dayvid also has untold versatility as a vancian wizard: he's able to use shadow magic and various spells to mimic the effect of other spells on a spontaneous basis. The normal drawbacks of shadow illusions are mitigated (and in a few levels, will be completely reversed once he starts casting shadow spells more real than the real thing!). Despite his low defenses (I don't think his AC's ever beat 11), he has been hit *twice* in the entire campaign to this date. He's also as likely to spend a round cleaning his nails as casting a spell, given how many combats he's reduced to waiting for the foes to succumb to his powerful lasting battlefield control effects. Blasting and worrying about preparation is for suckers - Dayvid's options are so versatile he's practically a role unto himself.

Only problem is that no known specific build for them exists.

[CCM]

Request #60

Build me a spellcaster that focuses on extremely flashy, pretty spells! I know which ones are flashy, but I'm not sure who gets the most, who can use the most of them, which ones are effective, etc. I don't care if evocation isn't as good as save-or-lose, it's cool-looking and attention-grabbing, which fits my character concept. Would I be going for a specialist wizard, or something with psionics? I know very little about this beyond the bread-and-butter grey elf wizard.

[erikun]

Request #60

Build me a spellcaster that focuses on extremely flashy, pretty spells! I know which ones are flashy, but I'm not sure who gets the most, who can use the most of them, which ones are effective, etc. I don't care if evocation isn't as good as save-or-lose, it's cool-looking and attention-grabbing, which fits my character concept. Would I be going for a specialist wizard, or something with psionics? I know very little about this beyond the bread-and-butter grey elf wizard.

Spell selection (level, source):

Color Spray (1st, SRD)
Hypnotic Pattern (2nd, SRD)
Rainbow Beam (2nd, Spell Comp.)
Prismatic Mist (3rd, PHB2?)
Rainbow Blast (3rd, Spell Comp.)
Rainbow Pattern (4th, SRD)
Prismatic Ray (5th, Spell Comp.)
Prismatic Eye (5th, Spell Comp.)
Prismatic Spray (7th, SRD)
Scintillating Pattern (8th, SRD)
Prismatic Bow (8th, Comp. Mage)
Prismatic Wall (8th, SRD)
Prismatic Sphere (9th, SRD)

Most of these are illusion, although the prismatics are evocation or abjuration. Prismatic Ray/Eye can be found here.

Fitting prestige classes are the Rainbow Servant (Comp. Divine) and Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil (Comp. Arcane). In addition, the Rainbow Servant allows you to add divine spells to your spell list, so you can cast Chaos Hammer and Entropic Shield.

I also know of a "Radiance Domain" found in Dragon Magazine 321. I don't know anything beyond that, though. It might be useful if you're planning a domain wizard. Beyond that, sorcerer can cast any of them at-will. I don't think the other classes (such as Beguiler) nets you as many similar spells, though.

And finally, you'll want to equip yourself. Robe of Scintillating Colors will get you noticed on the street, although the Prism Staff is limited to epic levels. Appropriate familiars would include a Lanturn Archon or Will-o-Wisp. I believe there is actually an intelligent parrot which can Color Spray at-will in one of the books; unfortunately, I've forgotten its name.

[EDIT]
Just found it. It's called a Corollax. Check with your DM to see if you can get one with the Improved Familiar feat.

[JaronK]

Request #56:

Basically, a self-reliant, sorcerer based caster that specializes in illusions and summoning. Preferably built around the assumption that it will be in a party with mostly martial characters. Oh, and up to ECL 20, if you can. Thank you very much!

Sorcerer/Shadowcraft Mage would do it nicely, as long as you're happy with illusions that mimic summons. Something as simple as Gnome Sorcerer 6/Shadowcraft Mage 5/Earth Dreamer 5/Mindbender 1/X 3, where X is any full casting PrC (or more Sorcerer). Take flaws if you can, as feats will be important. Spell Focus Illusion, Earth Sense, Heighten Spell, Earth Spell, Arcane Thesis (Silent Image), Residual Metamagic, Echoing Spell, and if you can fit them in Twin Spell and Easy Metamagic (Heighten Spell).

Your summons (which are illusions) last twice as long as normal, your illusions can do almost anything, and you just plain rock.

JaronK

[BooNL]

Forest Gnome Barbarian/Animal Lord. Take the Leadership feat, then get a cohort of a Gnome Druid/Beastmaster with a pair of Dire Badgers. Ride around on them, charging with with lances. The forest gnome has an at-will Speak with Animals ability to talk with forest animals, including badgers, all the time.

The Forest Gnome and Dire Badger are in Monster Manual; both Animal Lord and Beastmaster are in Complete Adventurer. You'll want to talk to the DM about creating a "Badgerlord" rather than the standard ones listed, along with maybe a Badger Barbarian variant. Throwing werebadger in the mix would work too, but I'm not familiar where the build-your-own-lyncanthrope rules are.

Thanks for that. I hadn't thought of Animal Lord yet, I'll mull this one over .

[Touchy]

REQUEST 61:

Purely for amusement, I want how possible it is to avoid as many spells as possible as martial classes only, I'm not saying killing wizards, I'm saying avoiding spells. It does not even need to be good at fighting, just avoiding as many spells as possible.

[strider24seven]

Request #61b:

A swordsman (i.e. not a caster) who wields at least three blades simultaneously and can attack with all of them multiple times per round. Bonus points if he wields at least one in his mouth. Further bonus points if the word "bamf" is involved.

Edit: I made mine #61b. Darn you ninjas!

[sonofzeal]

Request #61a

Concept: Avoid Spells
Race/Class: Elan Commoner 1 / Survivor 4
Necessary components: Tower Shield
Result: Total Cover from Tower Shield (note: since there's no facing rules and the shield text doesn't specify, you get Total Cover from all directions simultaneously). Improved Evasion from Survivor, as well as Improved Uncanny Dodge. Elan means you're not humanoid and invulnerable to the "Charm/Dominate Person" line, and get a nice last-ditch bonus on saves. The only spells that should trouble you at all are Area-of-Effect spells that don't target Reflex (like Glitterdust or Solid Fog). For further advancement, make sure to dip Warblade for Iron Heart Surge.




Request #61b

Honestly, I don't think I can improve on Haberdash the Masked for sheer awesomeness. Maybe give him Handle Animal, get a modifier of 9, and Take 10 to rear yourself a riding-trained Deinonychus named Bamf. Playing as a Warforged with a 1 level sidetrack in Ninja and another in Dread Pirate, may also improve things. Unfortunately, Gravetouched Ghoul and Necropolitan are out, but speak with your DM.

[Grifthin]

Any luck with Request #54

[Soranar]

sonofzeal , you seem a little swamped , figured I'd help

Answer # 46

Lots of things to do in combat, without preparation, no factotum.

Play a Bard. With UMD, your own spells, your singing and your fighting capacity, you should always have something to do.

[sonofzeal]

Request #54

Concept: Dual-Wielding dual-wielders
Race/Class: Human Monk 2 / Psion 3 / Drunken Master 5 / Thrallherd 10 (in no particular order)
Result: Two Thralls, at your level -2. These should also be Drunken Masters. With a sufficient Strength score, you can pick them up one-handed. If you can do that, you can treat them as improvised weapons and do all the nastiness that comes with that from Drunken Master. As your DM if Tashalatora will apply to both Psion and Thrallherd for extra lulz.

[Soranar]

Answer # 47

Play a kobold unarmed swordsage 20

feats: weapon finesse, shadow blade, underfooted combat, confound the big folk

strategy: You're small and you count as tiny whenever it helps you, if you're 2 levels smaller than your ennemy you can enter his hex, gaining softcover (+4 to AC) and concealment, any attack that misses you hits the creature you're using as a shield.(it can even attack itself).

If you face something too small, just use reduce size spell with a wand.

You rely on tiger claw strikes (mostly jump attacks) and shadow hand stances (sneak attack damage, on all 3 of your natural attacks) to deal respectable damage. Or simply go the sneak attack route (swordsage 3, rogue 17 with desert kobold to prevent xp penalties)

[sonofzeal]

sonofzeal , you seem a little swamped , figured I'd help

Appreciated! Of course, try to remember that the goal is creativity, not just viable builds. When possible, try to aim for "entertaining", rather than "effective".

For example, for #47 I'd have done a Jermlaine PsiWar with Compression, to get down to Fine. On top of that, I'd give him Titan bloodline, and by a strict RAW reading that lets him use a warhammer designed for creatures 7 size categories bigger than he is, without penalty.

He'd still probably lose to your guy, but damn if he wouldn't look good doing it!

[Soranar]

Answer #49:
Dragonwrought Whitedragonspawn kobold Sorcerer 10/Swiftblade 9/

Technically, you can't exist, and yet you do (see previous threads of the same title), you're constantly in a state of flux so spells don't affect you properly and you move unusually fast, you also cast like a sorcerer 2 levels higher than you actually are (which means you get level 9 spellcasting and access to Timestop) so you can superhaste yourself and Timestop at the same time


Answer #50:

Factotum 10/Chameleon 10

Basically, anything you can do I can do better.

Answer #51:

Necropolitan bard with words of creation, you have to be good aligned

Bard 10/War Chanter10

You can have 2 inspirations active at once and they're both twice as effective as they should be through Words of creation, you also ignore non lethal damage, you have d12 hitpoints (and you ignore Con which lessens your MAD= you only need STR, CHA and some DEX

your last ability is Legionnaire's march (or song) which gives you and your friends the BAB of the best warrior around (on top of your inspire courage 2x from Words)

all of that took 1 feat, the rest you can spend on fighting oriented features

Careful around undead rockers, they hit hard.

[Soranar]

Appreciated! Of course, try to remember that the goal is creativity, not just viable builds. When possible, try to aim for "entertaining", rather than "effective".

For example, for #47 I'd have done a Jermlaine PsiWar with Compression, to get down to Fine. On top of that, I'd give him Titan bloodline, and by a strict RAW reading that lets him use a warhammer designed for creatures 7 size categories bigger than he is, without penalty.

He'd still probably lose to your guy, but damn if he wouldn't look good doing it!

I'm not familiar with the jermlaine, my build was restricted in weapons for certain strikes, but looking like Itchy and Scratchy duking it out with a big hammer does sound better.

[Grumman]

Request #61:

A swordsman (i.e. not a caster) who wields at least three blades simultaneously and can attack with all of them multiple times per round. Bonus points if he wields at least one in his mouth. Further bonus points if the word "bamf" is involved.

If you can find a humanoid-shaped creature with a tail attack (using a counts-as Saurial character, for example), the Prehensile Tail feat lets you wield weapons with your tail.

Assuming you're going for a Nightcrawler build, a Warblade with the Shadow Jump maneuvers gained via feats or prestige classes would let you teleport 3 times every two rounds, while Telflammar Shadowlord would let you full attack every time you teleport, for a total of four full attacks every two rounds.

[Soranar]

Answer # 61b

Race: anything with hair, although I guess you could attach them (braidblades) with a rope and glue
alignment: any

template: multiheaded

you gain an extra head if you're medium or smaller, (you can get more if you're large or more)

you gain the feats: improved initiative and combat reflexes

choose 1: superior multiweapon fighting, superior two-weapon fighting or improved natural attack

in this case superior multiweapon fighting (no penalties at all, no dex requirement)

equipment

2 braidblades (assuming 2 heads)
3 swords (1 in each hand + tail)
2 footblades

feats: dragontail (works for kobolds, dragonblooded, draconic template or dragonborn of bahamut) + strong tail feat

not exactly your teeth but it's better than nothing, your movement is reduced to 5ft but who cares?

still 7 blades

[a typical hero]

Request 62

Human melee type who can "smite" (not necessarily the ability) his foes all day long with divine/holy/positive energy.

Max lvl 10, preferable functioning from lvl 1 onwards.

Thank you

[BooNL]

Request 63 (man, this is getting crazy )

How would you do an elven paladin? Holy warrior type of character from the woods.
If you could make it gestalt that be really awesome.

[Grifthin]

Request #54

Concept: Dual-Wielding dual-wielders
Race/Class: Human Monk 2 / Psion 3 / Drunken Master 5 / Thrallherd 10 (in no particular order)
Result: Two Thralls, at your level -2. These should also be Drunken Masters. With a sufficient Strength score, you can pick them up one-handed. If you can do that, you can treat them as improvised weapons and do all the nastiness that comes with that from Drunken Master. As your DM if Tashalatora will apply to both Psion and Thrallherd for extra lulz.

That is seriously creative, A internets for you good sir.

[Grumman]

Request 62

Human melee type who can "smite" (not necessarily the ability) his foes all day long with divine/holy/positive energy.

Max lvl 10, preferable functioning from lvl 1 onwards.

Thank you

Crusader 5 / Hellreaver 5 (or Crusader 5 / Hellreaver 4 / Crusader +1)

As well as the Crusader maneuvers, he can use Furious Strike 4+CHA times per battle, each time getting +4 to hit and +2d6 damage against any evil enemy.