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2013-12-29, 08:20 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Location
- the periodic table
- Gender
Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Welcome one and all to the twentieth Zinc Saucier challenge, where Playgrounders come to test their skill in the art of beautiful and bizarre (and bizarrely beautiful) builds, summoning a savory dish of superb swordplay and sublime sorcery.
The challenge? To come up with a build that has the same abilities and feel as the Secret Ingredient WITHOUT actually using it!
For the twentieth challenge, get ready to spread the power of thirst to victory, from the Sandstorm it's the Walker in the Waste
Our challengers will have about 2 weeks to build a complete build up to Effective Character Level 20 using a 32 point buy and all official WOTC D&D 3.5 materials (excluding dragon magazine, but including any WOTC online enhancements) with the abilities and feel of a Walker in the Waste without actually using any levels in it.
Entries must be submitted bySunday, 11:59pm GMT, 12 January, 2014.Extended to Monday 11:59pm GMT, 13 January, 2014. As usual, please submit your entries via private message to the chairman, so as not to influence the other sauciers.
Judges will then have until Sunday, 11:59pm GMT, 26 January, 2014, to post scores for all dishes.
Contestants will be judged and awarded a score out of 5 in each of 4 categories;
* Innovation (Uniqueness in character concept, race, class, etc)
* Power (How powerful and versatile it is compared to the base class)
* Elegance (What can only be described as how well the build "flows", i.e not using lots of 1-2lv dips, sacrificing flavour for power or using flaws)
* Ingredient (How well the build captures the abilities and feel of the base class)
Presentation would be best in the style of how the iron chef does their presentations, however any style is allowed so long as it is clear on how the build was made.
Recommended style:SpoilerNAME OF ENTRY
{table=head]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[/table]
Copy and Paste:Spoiler[b]NAME OF ENTRY[/b]
{table=head][b]Level[/b]|[b]Class[/b]|[b]Base Attack Bonus[/b]|[b]Fort Save[/b]|[b]Ref Save[/b]|[b]Will Save[/b]|[b]Skills[/b]|[b]Feats[/b]|[b]Class Features[/b]
1st|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
2nd|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
3rd|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
4th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
5th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
6th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
7th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
8th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
9th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
10th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
11th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
12th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
13th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
14th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
15th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
16th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
17th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
18th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
19th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities
20th|New Class Level|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|[center]+x[/center]|Skills|New Feats|New Class Abilities[/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). For other systems (Psionics, ToB, Incarnum, etc.) keep track of PP/maneuvers/essentia separately, preferably in a nice neat list, similar to this:
SpoilerSpells per day/Spells Known
{table=head]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|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]
Copy and Paste:Spoiler[b]Spells per day/Spells Known[/b]
{table=head][b]Level[/b]|[b]0lvl[/b]|[b]1st[/b]|[b]2nd[/b]|[b]3rd[/b]|[b]4th[/b]|[b]5th[/b]|[b]6th[/b]|[b]7th[/b]|[b]8th[/b]|[b]9th[/b]
1st|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
2nd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
3rd|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
4th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
5th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
6th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
7th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
8th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
9th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
10th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
11th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
12th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
13th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
14th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
15th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
16th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
17th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
18th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
19th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-
20th|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-|-[/table]
Please do not post details of your build on the board before it is ready, so as not to spoil the surprise for others.
Sauciers may submit as many builds as they want but please don't use leadership, as we don't want to overfeed the judges.
Previous challenges;- Soulknife
- Bard
- Monk
- Assassin
- Barbarian
- Warlock
- Paladin *
- Warblade
- Pyrokineticist
- Ninja *
- Druid
- True Necromancer
- Dervish
- Whisperknife
- Epic Infiltrator *
- Master of Vipers
- Ranger *
- Flayerspawn Psychic
- Totemist
* Classes marked with an asterisk have had their original posts updated to reflect the final results.
This competition is inspired by the Playground Iron Chef Competitions and uses mostly identical rules.
Also it comes with double prize money. Why? Because we care!
Allez Sauciers!Last edited by dysprosium; 2014-01-12 at 10:04 PM.
Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests:
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2013-12-29, 08:21 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Location
- the periodic table
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
A few administrative notes:
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.
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, may lose you points. Please note the following: 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.
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.
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). 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. Variant class features and variant character classes are espressly permitted. 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 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 I am 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.
How the heck do I even do this? Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to select a combination of race, templates, classes, alternate class features, prestige classes, skills, and feats, meld them into a single character that progresses from ECL 1 to ECL 20, that is as close as possible to the secret ingredient as possible in look, feel, class features. How you do it is up to you, I recommend you read previous competitions if you are interested in seeing how others have done it before you. Capture the essence!
A thread for your amusement/edification:
Handy Tips for the Iron Chef in the Playground NoobChairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests:
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2013-12-29, 08:32 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
a sandstorm one - could be fun
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2013-12-31, 12:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Location
- the periodic table
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I was hoping for a little more chatter from this one.
Or did I choose a difficult ingredient (again)?Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests:
-
2013-12-31, 12:09 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2012
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I'm thinking of entering this one. I think timing may just be a thing, half the world is still nursing a hangover I think, and the other half is preparing to get one.
I know I am :).
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2013-12-31, 12:16 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Michigan
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Iron Chef Medals
SpoilerSir Driscoll Conia - Silver - IC L
Nick Snarespan - Gold - IC LIII
Lucy "Legs" Silvertail - Bronze - IC LXVIII
Bolfarg of Knoss - Gold - IC LXXVII
Ivarr Deathborn - Bronze - IC LXXVII
Ahmtel - Silver - IC LXXVIII
Tocke of Nessus - Gold - IC LXXIX
The Blessed Third - Silver - IC LXXXI
Galahad Galapagos - Gold - IC LXXXIV
Sai-don, Knight of the Tide - Bronze - IC LXXXIV
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2013-12-31, 12:55 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2012
- Location
- In the Playground. Duh.
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I'd actually like to judge this time around, if that's alright.
White is my color for internal monologue. (without the black highlight, of course)
Judge's choice in the Pathfinder Grab Bag XIX
Spoiler
Avatar by the ever-brilliant Ceika
Paizocarnum - A 3.p update of Incarnum, now in PDF!
The Beastmaster: Master of Beasts! (Pathfinder homebrew class)
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2014-01-01, 12:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Gender
-
2014-01-01, 01:49 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I'll give this one a go.
By the way, I have been gone from the 3.5 DnD section for awhile. What happened to Mattie P?
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2014-01-01, 02:29 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
- Location
- The Great White North
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
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2014-01-01, 03:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- May 2007
- Location
- The Land of Cleves
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Am I the only one who saw the title and thought this was going to be Drunken Master?
Time travels in divers paces with divers persons.
—As You Like It, III:ii:328
Chronos's Unalliterative Skillmonkey Guide
Current Homebrew: 5th edition psionics
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2014-01-01, 04:15 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Apr 2011
- Location
- The Great White North
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
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2014-01-01, 04:38 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
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2014-01-04, 03:01 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Location
- the periodic table
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I hate when I do not get to log on to the Playground. I miss things like this.
No problems here.
Glad to have you back Humble Master. I don't know what happened to mattie_p either. I hope he is all right too.
I thought I was being clever here but I see how you guys would think about this being Drunken Master. My tag line would have worked for that too.
But I was thinking about the thirsty part of the catch phrase instead of the product part of the catch phrase.
I'll keep Drunken Master in my back pocket though.Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests:
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2014-01-05, 11:46 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2012
- Location
- Secret Lair on Sol c
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
going to join up ... think i have the mechanic parts nicely lined up (if still somewhat simplistic), but the fluff is likely going to be an ugly one (or very obscure)
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2014-01-05, 10:16 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
My build is wrapping up nicely. I haven't been able to elegantly/interestingly emulate [redacted],[removed] and [censored] but other than that I have all of the WitW abilities down. Also, I found a really cool way to mix a class feature, two spells and a feat.
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2014-01-07, 12:07 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2010
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
looks like there will be a few builds this go around and a couple judges from the looks of it
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2014-01-07, 04:44 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Michigan
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I'm kind of bored by by build idea. I'll judge instead. At least I've got a baseline for the Ingredient category.
Last edited by WhamBamSam; 2014-01-07 at 04:44 PM.
Iron Chef Medals
SpoilerSir Driscoll Conia - Silver - IC L
Nick Snarespan - Gold - IC LIII
Lucy "Legs" Silvertail - Bronze - IC LXVIII
Bolfarg of Knoss - Gold - IC LXXVII
Ivarr Deathborn - Bronze - IC LXXVII
Ahmtel - Silver - IC LXXVIII
Tocke of Nessus - Gold - IC LXXIX
The Blessed Third - Silver - IC LXXXI
Galahad Galapagos - Gold - IC LXXXIV
Sai-don, Knight of the Tide - Bronze - IC LXXXIV
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2014-01-08, 12:33 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2011
-
2014-01-08, 01:17 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Nov 2012
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I've got mine completed, just finishing the fluff for it and then double checking. I'm fairly confident I've managed to get it all nailed down anyhow. Stuggled only with being able to get [X], and [X] as a [X], but other than that, I'm confident, not to mention coming out with sufficient flexibility to play at most levels.
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2014-01-08, 05:52 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jul 2011
- Location
- Michigan
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Looking forward to it! The ideas that you've mentioned not quite being able to put together the past few competitions have sounded awesome.
Also, criteria:
Innovation
SpoilerStart from a baseline score of 3.
Up to 1 point of bonus or penalty based on how common various elements of your build were compared to other entrants. I won't deduct points for using Human. Particularly stinky known cheese may see a deduction here.
Up to 1 point of bonus or penalty based on how much you surprised me personally.
Up to a 0.25 point bonus if I find your fluff to be particularly excellent.
Power
SpoilerStart from a baseline score of 3.
The point of reference here is the SI, so a 3 is roughly equal in versatility and power. A 5 is a noticeable improvement across the board which still retains the feel of the ingredient. Brute forcing the emulation is poor form. If the SI was Monk and you used a Druid 20 because Druids can do everything, you would see penalties here, even though you would be very powerful. Admittedly, since the SI in this case is a casting PrC, such issues probably won't come up, as full or near-full casting is expected.
The baseline build I'll be using here is a simple Cleric 10/Walker in the Waste 10.
Up to 0.75 point of bonus or penalty for versatility. Are you more or less flexible than a the baseline build.
Up to 1.25 points of bonus or penalty for how well you do the things that you do. Are you better at those things than the baseline build?
Elegance
SpoilerStart from a baseline score of 4.
Each failure to qualify for a thing results in a 0.5 point deduction.
A rule interpretation which is highly questionable or likely not to fly at the average table will result in a penalty of up to 0.25 points depending on severity. I'm pretty cheese tolerant as judges go though.
Up to 0.75 points of bonus or penalty based on the overall flow of the build. A clean, flowing progression will score more points, whereas something that feels awkward may be penalized. As with cheese, I'm not going to try to be especially punitive toward dipping, but some dips are too glaring not to warrant some deduction. If you incur multiclass penalties, change alignment mid-build for crunch reasons, or the like, you can expect to be dinged here.
Up to 0.25 bonus points if the build just screams classy.
Ingredient
SpoilerStart from a baseline score of 1.
I will award bonus points for every class ability or prerequisite that I see emulated in some way. The better the emulation, the larger the bonus. These bonuses will never add up to more than +3.75.
If the build really captures the feel of the SI, I'll award an additional 0.25 point bonus.Last edited by WhamBamSam; 2014-01-08 at 05:52 PM.
Iron Chef Medals
SpoilerSir Driscoll Conia - Silver - IC L
Nick Snarespan - Gold - IC LIII
Lucy "Legs" Silvertail - Bronze - IC LXVIII
Bolfarg of Knoss - Gold - IC LXXVII
Ivarr Deathborn - Bronze - IC LXXVII
Ahmtel - Silver - IC LXXVIII
Tocke of Nessus - Gold - IC LXXIX
The Blessed Third - Silver - IC LXXXI
Galahad Galapagos - Gold - IC LXXXIV
Sai-don, Knight of the Tide - Bronze - IC LXXXIV
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2014-01-08, 06:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Sep 2011
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
... okay, I took a new direction with mine involving [INFORMATION REDACTED] and [INFORMATION REDACTED], with sprinkles of [SPRINKLES REDACTED]. But assuming there's no oiled succubi in the area, things should go okay.
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2014-01-10, 10:54 AM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2013
- Location
- the periodic table
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I'm glad to see all of the interest and involvement. Thank you everyone!
Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests:
-
2014-01-10, 01:04 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Feb 2010
- Location
- The Great PNW
- Gender
Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
I love WitW, but I got nothing...
So I'll judge! Criteriaforthcoming.Here.
Innovation
SpoilerThis is mostly a factor of how much of your score in the other categories is dependent on the sort of stuff that will be suggested on your average help request thread here on the boards. Known Cheese™ will ding you heavily. Obvious stuff will get you a smaller, but still healthy ding.
A 5 would be something that uses ingredients I've never seen used or suggested, or combines them in a way I'd never think of. You probably will not get that. A 1 would be Pun-Pun, Rainbow Warsnake, STP Erudite 20, or the like.
Power
Spoiler- The baseline here is a garden-variety cleric 10/WitW 10 or druid 10/WitW 10. Something with that power level would score a 3.
- A 1 would be a poorly-optimized shugenja 20 (basically the weakest divine caster).
- A 5 is unlikely, but would probably be in the power-level of a well-optimized archivist with access to spells from almost all divine sources.
Going beyond that archivist would likely hurt you in elegance and/or innovation.
Also note that, while obviously combat is important, an inability to deal with people peacefully (though not necessarily nicely) will hurt you here too. In particular, think about how you're going to deal with people who don't like undead monstrosities bringing the desert into their cities. People who have Holy Avengers and high-level clerics backing them up.
Elegance
SpoilerThis is more of a gestalt category, but can generally be split into:
Legality. This one doesn't get you any points, but will get you penalties if you break it. The degree of penalty is somewhat subjective, as are what's legal. In general, if something wouldn't fly at the average table, you might get a -0.25 to -0.5 penalty. If something wouldn't fly at my table (more lenient), a -0.5 to -1. Going wildly against common sense (heal drowning) or RAW will get more severe penalties. (This is also modified by how important it is. A few too many spells or minor errors won't get a penalty, while an un-qualified for feat whose order could be swapped with another to create a legal build that doesn't impact anything else a more mild one, and one that invalidates your build could mean you end up with a 0 in the category. And Power, SI, and Innovation, if bad enough.)
Since it comes up frequently, here's how I'd judge on archivist spell access: Average table would be okay with cleric, druid, ranger, paladin, shugenja, adept, and domains not given by prestige classes (e.g. Oracle, Glory). My table would additionally be okay with bard, prestige domains, initiate spells and 3.5 prestige classes with their own casting. I recognize that RAW additionally allows up to sixth-level Sorcerer/Wizard spells and all Sorcerer/Wizard spells from Divination, Abjuration, or Necromancy, and if you can convince me of RAW for others (not through Hexer), that works too.
Flow, ~2 points. I don't care too much about whether you bounce around from PrC to PrC to pick up abilities or fighter to barbarian to warblade. But suddenly going from cleric to fighter, or dips in thematically irrelevant classes, are going to hurt you. Likewise, wild shifts in alignment will hurt you, as will thin-to-non-existent fluff or fluff that doesn't match your crunch.
Playability ~2 points. Could this build be played 1 to 20 without any drastic swings in power. In particular, if your build has a level or span of levels where it would be terribly difficult to survive or have an impact will lose you points.
Interesting ~1 point. How much fun would it be to play? Are you restricted to one trick (regardless of how powerful), or can you mix it up if you want? Are the abilities themselves interesting, or do you basically just kill things?
Depending on how it's used, using material from Sandstorm (other than the WitW) might get you a small boost here, as would anything else particularly tied to the desert, though be careful about the risk to your Innovation score using obvious choices.
Notability of source is irrelevant, within the normal source rules.
Ingredient
Spoiler- Prerequisites: 0.25 points total.
- Spellcasting: 1 point. Since the class as intended requires five levels of casting and gives eight, I'll expect the ability to cast or emulate through means other than WBL spells of at least seventh level.
- Desiccating touch: 0.5 points.
- The wasting and pillar of salt: 0.25 points total.
- Create salt mummy and create sand golem: 0.25 points each. For salt mummies something equivalent is okay. If you're able to figure out how to create actual salt mummies you'll probably get a bonus since I can't find one. For sand golems, assume your exploits have so impressed the Dusty Enclave that they've taught you even though you're technically not a member to get around the "Only the Dusty Conclave of walkers in the waste has the
hidden knowledge of sand golem creation" clause. Something equivalent will get you partial credit. - Local drought and greater drought: 1.25 points total.
- Dry lich: 1.25 points. The actual template isn't necessary, but the abilities it grants beyond WitW's class features should be covered. For Turn Resistance, since the template gives +6 but has +5 LA, I'll expect Turn Resistance of at least your ECL +1 (or some other equivalent defense against turning and rebuking).
Partial credit is possible.Last edited by Jeff the Green; 2014-01-11 at 01:14 AM.
Author of The Auspician's Handbook and The Tempestarian's Handbook for Spheres of Power.Greenman by Bradakhan/Spring Greenman by Comissar/Autumn Greenman by Sgt. Pepper/Winter Greenman by gurgleflep
Ask me (or the other authors) anything.
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2014-01-12, 02:13 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Potential contestants!
Please do not forget to send me your builds!
And there is still time for anyone who has been on the fence.Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
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2014-01-12, 05:37 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
With the danger of being Vizinnied, i'd pulling due to having an to obvious build
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2014-01-12, 11:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
ZS is generally lighter on the fluff than IC is. My criteria have a quarter point for fluff, but it's actually possible to get a 5 in that category without getting that particular bonus. A shorter, quicker write up is probably fine.
How many entries have you gotten so far?
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2014-01-12, 11:14 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Zinc Saucier XX: stay thirsty my friends
Chairman emeritus for Zinc Saucier.
Contests: