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2012-09-22, 08:05 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
He's good, bad, and ugly, all in one.
Originally Posted by Dustie
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2012-09-22, 08:08 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
What do you call him? 'I can't say.'
Originally Posted by Unspeakable
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2012-09-22, 08:10 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Does he cast Fist?
Originally Posted by Zaroff
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2012-09-22, 08:13 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I present Br'er Breagar Bearclaw. Say that 10 times fast.
Originally Posted by Sheriff Breagar Bearclaw
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2012-09-22, 08:16 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Finds clientele in dive bars. Get it?
BilblibliipHunter of the tides,
I will end your life!
"Mourn your fallen brave,
Sleep in a sunken grave."
Feel the deadly fin,
My nets drag you in.
Bloodstained sand, and gore,
All that's left upon the shore!
Empty eyes, never blinking,
Armored scales, but never sinking
Puddle jumper, the Coastal Runner
Call me the Tide Hunter!
Gliding through the depths,
Gliding to your death,
Upon the shore I rise
Hold my flippers to the skies!
Image
Spoiler
Bilblibliip
LN Kuo-toan Ranger 5 / Justiciar 10
STR 18 (increments due to level go here) DEX 14 CON 16 INT 14 WIS 14 CHA 8
Background
SpoilerSince Bilblibliip emerged from the breeding pools he was marked by the Sea Mother, Blibdoolpoolp. He grew stronger than other Kuo-toa, and keep a hold of the madness that lurks in the deeps.
Trained as a Harpooner he specialized on hunting the maddened Kuo-toa who escaped the grasp of the Sea Mother. It didn't take long before Bilblibliip was sent to hunt other creatures in the underdark. Duergars, sliths, svirnerfirs all made fine slaves for the fish men.
Bilblibliip expertise led him further, hunting even above ground, tracking, stalking and searching for its target for days, weeks or even months before finally capturing them and bringing them back to the wet pools of the Underdark and into the claws of Bibdoolpoolp.
Build
Spoiler{table=head]Level|Class|Base Attack Bonus|Fort Save|Ref Save|Will Save|Skills|Feats|Class Features
1st|Kuo-toa RHD|+1|+0|+2|+2|Knowledge (local) 4, Listen 4, Search 4, Spot 4|Exotic weapon proficiency (kuo-toan harpoon), Alertness (bonus)|Kuo-toa abilities, LA +3
2nd|Kuo-toa RHD|+2|+0|+3|+3|Knowledge (local) 5, Listen 5, Search 5, Spot 5|-|-
3rd|Ranger 1|+3|+2|+5|+3|Gather information 2, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 1, Move silently 1, Listen 6, Search 6, Spot 5, Survival 1, Use rope 1|Urban tracking|Favored environment (aquatic) +2, Spiritual connection, Fast movement, Track
4th|Ranger 2|+4|+3|+6|+3|Gather information 4, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 2, Move silently 2, Listen 7, Search 7, Spot 5, Survival 2, Use rope 2|-|-
5th|Ranger 3|+5|+3|+6|+4|Gather information 6, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 3, Move silently 3, Listen 8, Search 8, Spot 5, Survival 3, Use rope 3|-|Endurance
6th|Ranger 4|+6|+4|+7|+4|Gather information 8, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 4, Move silently 4, Listen 9, Search 9, Spot 5, Survival 4, Use rope 4|Skill focus (Gather Information)|Urban companion (Sewerm), Spellcasting
7th|Ranger 5|+7|+4|+7|+4|Gather information 10, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 5, Listen 10, Search 10, Spot 5, Survival 5, Use rope 5|-|Wildshape 1/day, Favored environment (aquatic) +2, Favored environment (underground) +4
8th|Justiciar 1|+8|+4|+7|+6|Gather information 11, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 1, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 6, Listen 11, Search 11, Spot 5, Survival 6, Use rope 6|-|Bring 'em back alive, nonlethal strike +1d6
9th|Justiciar 2|+9|+4|+7|+7|Gather information 12, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 2, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 7, Listen 12, Search 12, Spot 5, Survival 7, Use rope 7|Quick reconnoiter|Improved grapple, cripling strike
10th|Justiciar 3|+10|+5|+8|+7|Gather information 13, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 3, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 8, Listen 13, Search 13, Spot 5, Survival 8, Use rope 8|-|Exotic weapon proficiency (manacles), street savy +2
11th|Justiciar 4|+11|+5|+8|+8|Gather information 14, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 4, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 9, Listen 14, Search 14, Spot 5, Survival 9, Use rope 9|-|Nonlethal strike +2d6
12th|Justiciar 5|+12|+5|+8|+8|Gather information 15, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 9, Listen 15, Search 15, Spot 5, Survival 9, Use rope 10|Keen eared scout|Hog-tie
13th|Justiciar 6|+13|+6|+9|+9|Gather information 16, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 10, Listen 16, Search 16, Spot 5, Survival 10, Use rope 12|-|Street savy +4
14th|Justiciar 7|+14|+6|+9|+9|Gather information 17, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 11, Listen 17, Search 17, Spot 5, Survival 11, Use rope 14|-|Non lethal strike +3d6
15th|Justiciar 8|+15|+6|+9|+10|Gather information 18, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 12, Listen 18, Search 18, Spot 5, Survival 12, Use rope 16|Quick draw|Improved hog-tie
16th|Justiciar 9|+16|+7|+10|+10|Gather information 19, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 13, Listen 19, Search 19, Spot 5, Survival 13, Use rope 18|-|Street savy +6
17th|Justiciar 10|+17|+7|+10|+11|Gather information 20, Knowledge (dungeoneering) 5, Knowledge (local) 5, Knowledge (nature) 5, Move silently 14, Listen 20, Search 20, Spot 5, Survival 14, Use rope 20|-|Intuition, Nonlethal strike +4d6[/table]
ECL 6
SpoilerKuo-toa / Ranger 1
Yes, a Kuo-toa.
Kuo-toa are described as playable races in Underdark but they function perfectly as monsters on the monster's handbook. Interestingly this gives a minor problem, kuo-toa in the monster manual have alertness as a bonus feat while kuo-toa in the Underdark do not. Supplements posterior to Underdark, such as monster manual V, list kuo-toa (some using prestige classes from the Underdark) and they always list them as having alertness as a bonus feat. As I understand the monster manual is the primary source regarding monster races and since the kuo-toa player character doesn't appear in the player's handbook the monster manual takes precended, thus giving kuo-toa alertness as a bonus feat. All the other traits from the description on Underdark fits the monster entry from the monster manual.
Some things on being a kuo-toa.
Adhesive: Fear the grappling power of the kuo-toa! This ability is strong by itself, but when it combines with hog-tie or improved hog-tie from justiciar levels it can become hilarious, just wait till that damned monk attacks you and grapples itself.
Pincer Staff (Underdark): Kuo-toa treat a pincer staff as a martial weapon instead of exotic. The pincer staff allows Bilblibliip to initiate grapples without risking melee nor being grappled back, in addition it deals continuous damage as long as he holds the grapple and... works on creatures up to one size larger (or smaller) so it works perfectly with hog-tie. Pro tip use a dastana (arms and equipment guide) that can be used in conjuction with a two handed weapon, in order to apply adhesive to it.
Kuo-toan Harpoon (MM V): If he uses a sticky buckler in conjunction with the harpoon he gains a +5 on the opposed STR check. That and the option to slam the buckler into the ground (freeing both hands) makes the harpoon a great close range weapon, to use before getting to melee.
Keen sight: Combined with a good number of skill ranks in listen make easy to locate invisible creatures for Bilblibliip.
Spoiler
Immunity to poison (and paralysis): Bilblibliip never risks poisoning himself when applying poison to weapons, well he risks to but he doesn't care. This poison immunity is also useful against several enemies with poison attacks. Kuo-toan known relation to drows, and Bilblibliip great ability for gathering information can give him access to several poisons.
Light blindness: This would be a bad thing, if it weren't for sun lenses on sandstorm, Bilblibliip wears sunglasses like a boss.
But Bilblibliip is not only a kuo-toa he is also a ranger with Favored environment (Aquatic) ACF that means that he gets bonuses while fighting underwater. The ranger ACF from unearthed arcana that grants bonus speed as a Barbarian and wildshape instead of combat styles, that means that Bilblibliip speed is 30 feet, as most medium creatures. He also has a spiritual conection (ACF from complete champion) allowing him to use speak with animals 3/day this will be specially relevant later on, but atm, it benefits him more than wild empathy due to his low charisma. Track and Urban tracking help Bilblibliip to locate any of the targets that try to escape the rage of Blibdoolpoolp. Note that he even can track things underwater, per stormwrack page 51
Another thing to take into account is that through skilled city dweller Bilblibliip gets gather information as a class skill.
ECL 10
SpoilerKuo-toa / Ranger 5
At this level Bilblibliip has five levels in ranger, other than his kuo-toa HD. What can he do now?
The simplest addition is favored environment (Underground) that increases Bilblibliip abilities while in the underdark, and he probably will be there most of the time.
Another straigthforward addition is spellcasting, ranger spells have some of the most useful tracking spells in the game and they will help Bilblibliip to tail any fugitive, he can prepare one level 1 spell a day (Marked object, scent, lay of the land or quickswim are good examples of spells)
Wildshape is a bit more difficult to handle but it can give him access to more combat oriented forms, an ape or dire ape that can use weapons are good choices, though the most useful forms are probably going to be uncunsipicous forms, such as taking the form of a dog, that can travel to places without rising the suspicions a kuo-toa might rise.
Bilblibliip's urban companion is a great asset in itself, and it deserves several mentions. The Sewerm has a great grapple check (+16), it has attach, that is slightly better than an improved grab, that can affect enemies of any size, and since it uses Bilblibliip attack bonus (so it has a full attack bonus progression) it is a great grappler. Per the grapple rules if both the Sewerm and Bilblibliip grapple together they can be devastating to their enemies. The Sewerm can choose to aid Bilblibliip in any skill check and he can succeed reliably in any skill in which Bilblibliip has more than 9 ranks, adding 2 to the check. The Sewerm is intelligent and Bilblibliip can use its speak with animal ability to give it instructions if need be. It also offers an anesthetic poison (in order to not deal damage to Bilblibliip targets, the kuo-toa itself is immune). Finally it grants a +2 bonus on saves to resist pain.
ECL 15
SpoilerKuo-toa / Ranger 5 / Justiciar 5
Improved grapple aids Bilblibliip when using its Pincer staff making it easier for him to grapple enemies (and hold them with the pincer staff).
Bring 'em back alive + nonlethal strike combined with the Sewerm's poison allow Bilblibliip to deal a good chunck of damage to its targets without them noticing.
Street savy adds to the gather information bonus, specially in conjunction with urban tracking.
Hog-tie, once Bilblibliip is able to hog tie its opponents (from 10 feet away due to its pincer staff) he can bind them pretty well due to high ranks on use rope.
Quick reconnoiter + Keen eared scout combined with its natural keen sight make Bilblibliip great at localizing hidden enemies, listen functions even when a creature can't see, and even if it is negated on a silence area most possible enemies make noise (or rely on making noise, such as spell casters), are sightable or use invisibility.
ECL 20
SpoilerKuo-toa / Ranger 5 / Justiciar 10
The cherry on top of the build is improved hog tie. It allows Bilblibliip to hog tie an opponent 10 feet away (due to its pincer staff) as an attack action (so he can do so as part of a full attack) after establishing a grapple (in effect after hitting an opponent with its pincer staff) without need of having manacles in hand (thanks to quick draw). He can even use antimagic shackles (from book of exalted deeds) to create a 5 feet antimagic field arround the hog tied creature (thus not being affected itself, since it is standing 10 feet away). Rendering a creature, bound (with a huge DC to escape or break free) and helpless in an antimagic field.
Finally its capstone combined with enough ranks on survival, the sewerm's aids, and hopefully being on its favored environment (undreground) will make Bilblibliip succeed a good part of the time.
Sweetspots
SpoilerBilblibliip build has a couple of levels in which he exceels in power, due to getting major boons.
The sewerm's aid is a great asset, it has strong grappling powers and provides a poison that Bilblibliip can use 24 hours 7 times a day to bring its targets back without dealing pain to them.
The sweetest spot though is ECL 18 when Bilblibliip gets improved hog tie and quick draw, allowing him to bind characters almost at the time of grappling them.
Magic item support
SpoilerSome magic items are really valuable for Bilblibliip, other than the mentioned antimagic shackles the shackles of silence (book of exalted deeds pg 116) or the dimensional shackles might be useful when dealing with spellcasters.
Hog tie relies on Bilblibliip having the shackles or rope or chain on a free hand. Thus a spare hand (magic item compendium pg 137) can be handy (pun intended).
Items that grant a bonus to grapple such as gloves of titan's grip (magic item compendium pg 107) enhance its grappling checks, thus making the combo more deadly.
Bilblibliip relies on substituting attacks for grapple checks, and then hold the opponent, thus items that grant extra free movement or pounce are important for Bilblibliip, belt of battle (magic item compendium pg. 73) can allow Bilblibliip to burn a charge to move and get into melee and then full attack, or a wand of lion's charge (2nd level ranger spell, from spell compendium pg. 133) grants pounce for a round and it can be into a wand chamber (dungeonscape pg. 34) in the pincer staff.
Similarly Bilblibliip uses on track and urban tracking to find its targets when it is convinient for him, and tools that aid him in that manner can be helpful. A wand of bloodhound (spell compendium pg. 34) allows him to reroll survival checks, other spells such as living prints or stalking brand both from spell compendium can help in that direction.
Even if he is most likely able to stalk its prey and get to it without being ambushed itself, Bilblibliip tactics rely on acting first and disabling the enemy as fast as possible, thus, items that grant initiative bonus are also a great addition to the arsenal.
Finally as every character, Bilblibliip benefits from items that increase its ability scores.
Sources
Spoiler
Other than the PHB
Underdark: Kuo-toa (as playable race), Pincer Staff
Monster Manual I: Kuo-toa
Monster Manual V: Kuo-toan Harpoon
Arms and equipment guide: Dastana
Unearthed Arcana: Wildshaping ranger ACF, Urban Tracking feat, favored environment ACF
Complete Champion: Spiritual connection ACF
Cityscape web enhancement Skilled city dweller, Urban Companion ACF
Serpent kingdoms: Sewerm
Complete adventurer: Quick Reconnoiter
PHB II: Keen Eared Scout
Complete warrior: Justiciar
Book of exalted deeds and DMG: Magic shackles
Magic item compendium: Some referenced magic items
Spell compendium: Some referenced spells
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2012-09-22, 08:19 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Claw of the Cult of the Dragon Below.
Originally Posted by Ximen BaoLast edited by Amphetryon; 2012-09-22 at 08:35 PM.
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2012-09-22, 08:21 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Armin Long, long arm of the law.
Originally Posted by Armin LongLast edited by Amphetryon; 2012-09-22 at 09:08 PM.
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2012-09-22, 08:31 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
"Son," she said. "Have I got a little story for you." - Pearl Jam
Part 1:
Originally Posted by AliveLast edited by Amphetryon; 2012-09-23 at 06:21 AM.
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2012-09-22, 08:32 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
And now, Part 2:
Level 20Spoiler
Here it is. You're done with Justiciar and have its last unique ability (as opposed to improvements to existing ones which I haven't bothered talking about)
Intuition Your survival check is pretty excellent, especially with skill mastery enabling you to take 10. by the time you get this, you'll have a 30 to the check, so getting away from you, in combo with your other abilities, should be really hard.
Remember your synergy bonuses! Since track is seldom used at all (much less optimized as it is here) the rules are not well known. Relevant info regarding tracking:
bonus to know (nature)
bonus when on other planes (thanks, awkward nature's warrior prerequisites!)
5 ranks in search (thanks awkward justiciar prerequisites! and now we know why we need 5 ranks in search to get in) gives you a bonus when following tracks.
This is especially important due to your level 18 feat. Scent is a pretty nice ability, and burning a wild shape use to get scent for 1 hour/HD (not effective druid level) is pretty awesome indeed. With 3 wild shapes per day, each lasting 9 hours, and gaining scent for 18 hours a day when it comes online, you can be wild shaped all day, and have scent the whole time. it's especially helpful when dealing with invisible opponents since you can detect them when they're within 30 feet of you. Masking your scent is pretty difficult to do in the first place in this game, and fewer individuals still will actually think of it.
But the real reason you're taking this feat is slightly different. if you have track (you do!) then you can track creatures by scent, and you retain this ability regardless of your form, meaning you can enjoy it even when not wild shaped.
Check out the track DC modifier table again. See how they're all about visual input?
tracking with scent works a bit differently and it's a bit harder to pump your check as high as the 30 you have when following mundane tracks, surface conditions and visibility don't slow you down, so, the DC won't be as high. This is also part of the reason for allocating points to wisdom.
As in life, the most common way of shaking an enemy with scent who's following you is to run through a river, but once more, wild shape saves the day. If you shape into something that breathes underwater, you keep right on trucking, and don't need to burn a wild shape for the scent special ability, since tracking with scent persists regardless of current form.
What you're all about is having a very particular set of skills; skills that you have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make you a nightmare for people like your enemies. If they agree to arrest, then that's the end of it. You will not look for them; you will not pursue them. But if they don't, you will look for them. You will find them, and you will kill them.
Bring 'em back, Alive
Or:
The Sheriff and the SuccubusSpoiler
The sheriff didn't have an easy job. There was no right way to say what'd happened. Demons had few indeed who would call them friend, but nonetheless, what had happened to the succubus who now lay weeping in front of him was simply cruel.
He wrapped a blanket around her too-bare flesh. Succubi weren't exactly well known for wearing an abundance of clothes, but he had never seen one without its skin on before.
The sheriff leveled a baleful glare at the cadre of paladins that had brought her in. One of them still gripped the iron chain that dangled lazily from the collar around the succubus's neck, showing no sign of letting go.
"Did you do this?" There was no malice in his tone, just a simple cause and effect. The only language understood by men like the grim-faced paladins that stood, unblinking before him.
The largest of them gave a barely perceptible shake of the head, the motion so slight that the chain in his hand didn't even rattle.
"It was like this when we found it."
"Do you have any idea who or what did this to her?" He placed deliberate emphasis on the last word. Protect and serve didn't have an asterisk attached. It would be far more fitting for those suns proudly emblazoned on the paladins' cuirasses to be asterisks. The groups who they did not consider worthy of their protection were nearly as numerous as their enemies in the first place.
The paladin holding the succubus's leash slammed it down on the sheriff's desk and drove an iron nail through the last link, holding it fast with a loud bang from the pommel of his sword.
"She gave us a name after a while."
The sheriff grit his teeth. There shouldn't have been much trouble. He knew of the succubus's ability to speak in tongues. The only reason there would have been trouble is if she had some reason not to want to cooperate with them. Given what he'd seen so far, he didn't exactly wonder why.
"What was it?" the sheriff said. No matter who was getting skinned, he had to put a stop to it.
The paladin knelt on the ground around the shuddering succubus and laid out the circle of powdered silver, a mutter of magic laying out an intricate pattern of shining suns boxing her in.
"Miguel Gustan. Mean anything to you, sheriff?"
The sheriff squinted as the light of Pelor burned brightly before fading to a dull hum, a softly glowing light emanating from the circle. It seemed more blinding than comforting, and he was sure the succubus felt much the same way.
"No. Sounds fake."
"That was my thought as well. Our divinations haven't turned anything up."
"How many have you cast?"
The sheriff noticed a small upwards quirk of the paladin's upper lip. Had he blinked, he would have missed it. Disgraceful. He hoped the paladin hadn't prepared [i]detect thoughts[i] today, but doubted it.
"We've reached our daily limit."
The sheriff bit his tongue.
"Either way. It's your problem now." He cast a dismissive gaze at the succubus on the floor.
"Am I right to assume that I cannot rely on the church's assistance in this endeavor?" he tried to mimic the paladin's stentorian tone and elaborate diction. The words felt cumbersome and uncomfortable in his mouth.
The paladin's contempt was less concealed now as he let out a more overt smirk.
"We wouldn't dream of infringing on your jurisdiction, sheriff."
"Thought so. You know your way out." They certainly used it often enough.
A department of one was hardly an unstoppable army, especially with a rogue demon in his slam.
After another second, it was just the two of them.
The sheriff tried not to stare. It wasn't right to stare at a lady without her clothes on. It could only be truer for one without her skin on.
He tried not to deliberately avert his gaze. The last thing she needed was insult added to her significant injury.
"I could get a fire going. I know it's cold out. I think you might be more comfortable with your skin on. I know you can change 'em. I understand why you didn't wanna do it in fronta them."
"Can't," she hissed, her forked tongue tinging the word with her peppery Abyssal accent.
He backed toward the fireplace and tossed in some wood. He murmured a dirty little magic word and spat out a spark.
"Ma'am, if you wanted to put on a different shape, I could turn away." He knew she couldn't get out of the circle, so he was in no real danger.
"Can't!"
The room shook as the power of her voice boomed through it. Though she may be caged and wounded, the sheriff couldn't afford to forget that she was still dangerous.
"What do you mean?"
"My power lies in my skin. Not something that we like to let get out, but it's not like you wouldn't have figured it out. You seem sharper than those blunt instruments that brought me to your humble abode."
Even through the magic of the silver circle, the sheriff felt his head begin to fog as though he'd had too much whiskey.
"None of that." He tried not to smile. It was only natural to try to escape from a cage: man, beast or demon.
He had seen demon hunters before, of varying degrees of success. The paladins embossed miniature suns on their armor for every fiend they felled. He had seen other hunters from the tribes across the river. They had scalps hanging from their belts, some allegedly fiendish, some discernibly less so. There was often one of their number cooling off in the jail, usually little more than a drunk tank.
He had never heard of a fiend's entire skin being removed, and though he knew it would be tactless to ask, wondered why she had been left alive. He could rule out the tribes across the river. For better or worse, they wasted nothing of their victims. This was the crime of someone from the city. Someone with a hideout, or house, and plenty of time.
Taking the skin off a wolf or a sow took hours, he couldn't imagine it was much easier with a succubus, especially if she was kicking and screaming the whole time.
"Why would he want your skin?"
"Can't say I know. Usually when someone wants the flesh of a succubus, it's in a more metaphorical sense."
Though the succubus's lips were missing, along with the rest of her face, he could still feel the power behind her gaze and her slippery words. He swallowed and knew that even though his intention was to help, he would have to take reasonable precautions with her.
"Is there anything you can tell me about the man who did this to you?"
"Not sure it was a man, myself."
"What do you mean?"
"He's been making the rounds. Wasn't much man left."
The sheriff quirked an eyebrow.
"He looked… stitched together. Badly. I could see why. Neither of the hands attached to his wrists looked like the ones he was born with."
The sheriff's eyes leapt forward. He knew never to let a criminal see the whites of his eyes, but couldn't help himself.
"He was grafting?"
The succubus nodded.
It wasn't so much that it was illegal. It certainly was. Wildly so. But it was so wildly illegal that the possibility had almost left his mind. Success rates were limited to say the least. Due to its illegality, people in the field had to look to less than reputable sources for their parts, many of which didn't come from anything approaching natural causes, fewer still were well-preserved.
In those rare cases when the body didn't reject a graft outright, attacking it as an invader and leading to the subject's death of blood poisoning, they were never the same, mentally as well as physically.
"What did he look like?" the sheriff reached for a stick of charcoal.
"He had a long, segmented tongue with pincers on the end. He got me in the back of the neck with it, and I couldn't move. It kept knocking against a pair of vampire teeth when he tried to talk. I could understand him, tongues and all, but I'm sure you wouldn't be able to."
The sheriff set the charcoal down for a moment after he had finished the teeth. There couldn't be two men that looked like Gustan. Could there?
"What did he say?"
"Just what you'd expect. Telling me to put lotion on my skin, or he'd hose me with holy water."
The sheriff swallowed. "You didn't find that unusual?"
She shrugged. "I didn't think much of it at first. I'm used to being summoned to fulfill the Rite of Friendly Contact with an Evil Outsider, and know some folks like a little foreplay first. 'sides, it wasn't like there was much I could do, I was stuck in a summoning circle. I thought he was just trying to be tough."
"Was there anything else?"
"He had one skeleton arm. I don't know what it was from, it only had three fingers, and his other arm was this huge muscled… thing. Its knuckles dragged on the floor when he walked, so he had to do all his fine motor manipulation with the bony one."
The sheriff kept his hand steady as he ran it across the contour of an imaginary ulna.
"There was a scorpion tail coming out of his back. He kept knocking things over with it, I think it might have been a new addition. It was joined just above the snake tail."
The sheriff blinked and looked at his picture.
"Did you say he had a snake tail and a scorpion tail?"
"Yes."
"Under each other?"
"No. He didn't have any legs, just a snake tail, and the scorpion tail was held on just above it. There were bandages around it, where it must've been attached. I don't know how the hell he did it, but he must've done it himself, like the wings."
"Wings?"
"Yeah. They came from a vrock I went to finishing school with. I recognized the tattoo on the back of one of them."
"What did it say?"
For the first time so far, the succubus looked away, her blasé attitude evaporating for a moment.
"It's not important."
"Ma'am, it could have come up. I don't know how, but maybe he disguised himself. Wore a cloak and let the wings come out the back and pretended to be a vrock or an angel and someone gave him shelter. An inn, a hospital where he was treated for the host of infections he no doubt has by now. Please. I'm trying to help you."
"Just my name."
He waited as long as he could to see if she would answer without him having to ask. The last thing he needed to do was make it worse. When it became clear he would have no choice, he did.
"What is it?"
The succubus, even without a face, looked uncomfortable.
"Lily," she murmured, the word clear even without her lips.
"Short for Lillian?"
She did her best to smile. "Most people assume Lilith."
Though it was against procedure, he returned it. "I'm not most people.
"There was one other thing," she said, pulling him back to the reason for their discourse.
"What?"
"I was able to get a swipe at him, I got him in the neck, but the wound closed itself back up. The blood was-"
"Bright green?"
"How could you have known that?"
"Silthilar. Hard to find. There's only one place nearby that sells it. Is there any reason to believe he'd have gotten far?"
"Not really. Like I said, his wings weren't looking at all functional. I'm sure he had to sleep off the damage taken from the scorpion tail. Whatever he was, he still needed to sleep. He would sleep in the summoning room after he was done with me for the day."
"Did he-"
"Honestly, I'm not even sure if he can anymore. He's crazy. He kept talking about "perfection," and how he was getting closer."
"So he's going to keep doing this?"
"Why shouldn't he? It's not like the LG brigade cares if he's cutting up demons. They think he's doing them a favor, I heard them say it themselves. I appreciate the thoroughness, but I'm not exactly expecting much from you, Sheriff."
"Alive."
"Hm?"
"You told me your name. I might as well tell you mine. And I may be lawful, but I never said I was good."
She gave a laugh, her tongue making a hissing noise as the air whiffled through it.
"That still doesn't mean I'm ever getting out of this cage."
"Who said that?"
She once more dropped her jaded facade, kept up until now ten through the bare muscles of her face and showed genuine surprise.
"You can't be serious."
"Dead serious. Pelorites said it themselves. Case is in my jurisdiction. I can solve it any way I see fit. Way I see it, something was stolen from you, and you oughta get it back. I sure don't have any way of keeping a skin fresh for the ride back with Gustan from whatever spider hole he's hiding in, so it looks like I'll have to bring you with me."
Despite her lack of lips, he could tell by the crinkling around her eyes that she was grinning.
"You said something about bringing him back. Was it dead or alive?"
"When in doubt, I go with alive," her face fell, "but not well," it rose again.
"Hold out your hand."
She did so. He reached into his office drawer for a rubber stamp with an A on it. He used it to sign documents with the sheriff's seal. He tossed it into the circle into her palm.
"Go ahead and put the mark over your heart."
She examined it. "A scarlet letter? How Puritanical. Doesn't seem like you at all."
"More for your benefit than mine. Anyone sees me consorting with a succubus, you're gonna have to be able to display your mark of justice pronto to show that you're being kept on a short leash."
"Then we're keeping this?" She pulled at the collar around her neck.
He tossed in the key. "Couldn't if I wanted to. Captain sunshine made sure I'm not going to be able to get that chain out of my desk, and I don't fancy bringing it along."
She unlocked the collar and a plume of smoke came out, showing a blackened ring around her neck. It did not heal.
"Comes from the skin too," she said before he could ask.
"Bastard."
"What are the terms?"
"Hm?"
"For the mark of justice."
"Just not to try and escape or do me any harm."
"Sounds fine." She pressed the ink to her breast and came away with a crisp, red A.
He spat on the floor, the touch of a mortal disrupting the circle and letting Lily step out.
He gave her his spare uniform.
"Cover up, it'll help us lie low."
"Mind if I cut a hole for my tail? I can't shift it away."
"There's a knife in the boot."
She knelt and retrieved it, making a small slit for her spade-tipped tail to slither out of. It was hidden well enough by the hooded cloak she clasped around her neck, as were her wings, which she wrapped around herself under the arms, like a dress, the two bat-like protrusions on the top clasping together like a brooch .
"You trust me with this?" She spun the knife around her finger.
"How else're we gonna get back what's yours?"
"Alive, I think this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."
He didn't bother hiding his smile. "We'll see."
***
A pair of law enforcement boys in matching uniforms sat down on stools in "The Shaky Gun." Their synchronized movement let the bartender know they'd been working together a while. A fight between these two was unlikely. He could afford to take his eyes off them a moment. Both of their faces were hidden behind hoods. Not particularly unusual, as there was a dust storm outside.
As he turned away, one of them tapped the bar with what he knew from the sound to be a gold piece. He turned on his heel and gave his best cordial smile, pulling up the ends of his moustache and pushing his glasses up his nose.
"Evening, sirs. What'll it be?"
"How about a nice, big, steaming bowl of information?"
The barkeep rolled his eyes. Like he hadn't heard that one before.
"Why can't you people ever just have a drink and leave?" He turned his head both ways like an owl and made sure no one was listening. There wasn't much of a demand for a bar that couldn't keep your secrets.
"I know you have a silthilar blood for sale here. You've got a guy."
"That's illegal, sir. I'm sure I don't know anything about that."
"Relax. I ain't here for that."
"Oh, I gotcha. How much you need?"
The second one slammed a knife into the bar deep enough for it to stand on end. It caught the bartender's attention, though no one else in the noisy bar batted an eye.
He took a step back as he saw the hand wrapped around the knife was missing its skin.
"None. He took something from me. Three guesses what."
He could think of only one person, though he used the term loosely, who would want a woman's skin.
"I… I had no idea. I thought he'd acquired them legitimately, I swear."
"Save it. Where is this thing?" The skinless woman unrolled a scroll with a hideous monstrosity that was all too familiar to him. The blood-spattered giant's cloak he wore did a poor job of hiding the numerous additions to his form. He had paid well for the blood, and had departed quickly, leaving a trail of foul-smelling juices of various colors and viscosities on the dirt floor.
"There's a minin' shaft outside of town. Been closed down more than a coupla years. I ain't seen him in town since he bought the blood. He was bleeding' pretty bad. He couldn't have got far."
"Much obliged," said the man, leaving the coin on the bar. He handed him a drink for those who may have been listening. After all, he couldn't be seen being too cooperative with the law.
As soon as they'd left, he reached under the bar and unrolled a scroll. He read the confusing, jittery writing that a pair of mismatched hands had scribed. The writing evaporated from before his eyes and the inky words slipped between his lips. His mouth felt greasy and thick. He had only 25 words to spare.
"Gustan. There's a pair of local yokels on their way to you. They're heading towards the mine. Get ready for them."
***
Alive found a misshapen track leading to the mine. It looked like a larger version of a sidewinder's hopping gait, to avoid touching the hot sand that lay outside for longer than necessary. It was uneven, due to Gustan's unfamiliarity with the new body and his injured state.
"He's in here. I can feel it."
"Is it normally this easy?" Lily asked.
"For me, it is. Why? You smell something?"
"Metaphorically. If he was able to lie low this long, why would he break cover now? He either ran out of places to run or knows he's cornered. Be careful. Animals are dangerous when they know they're beat."
Lily drew her cloak tightly around herself, the dust clinging painfully to her bare muscle.
"I'm going to do something… different here. Don't be alarmed."
"You're going to change your shape."
"How'd you know?"
"I smell it on you."
He smirked and shrugged off his shape, his cloak sliding wetly into his form, a wolf replacing the man standing next to Lily.
"Stay here," he barked at her, knowing she would understand.
"Will do," she barked back. Pincers maneuver. Alive was so cute.
She played the part of the damsel admirably, even without her skin. She shrugged off her cloak and bared her too-bare skin posing seductively on a rock.
"I do hope nothing happens to me," she purred in Abyssal, since that's what Gustan had summoned her with, she was sure he understood it.
As soon as she'd finished her invocation of misfortune upon herself, there was a rustling of wings. A dirty white feather fell on her lap. She looked up and delivered a well-rehearsed gasp.
Gustan had been hanging from a stalactite, his serpent's tail wrapped around it, his ill-fitting wings doing their best to wrap around him and failing. He dropped down and was able to glide down and land in Lily's lap, his weight greatly increased from his monstrous body parts.
"Hey zhere hot schtuff. Couldn't shtay away?" he slurred with a tongue too big to stay in his mouth, clicking it against four mismatched vampire fangs. A new pair of mandibles were stitched to his cheeks, clicking together and nuzzling at her cheek. She could feel they too were slightly misaligned.
Her skin fit him poorly, as she surmised it would. All the same, seeing her own face purring infantile profanities at her was unsettling, as were her own breasts being pressed up against her skin, sagging halfway down Gustan's stomach.
"You know it," she said with a lipless grin. She pulled him in tight, her fingers winding through her own hair, hanging lank and greasy on the back of Gustan's head. She felt her teeth click against his as she kissed her own lips, waiting.
And then it came.
Alive leapt onto Gustan's back and sank his teeth into his neck. Gustan let out a piercing shriek through Lily's lips and into her mouth.
It was delicious.
Just as soon as he'd struck, the wolf's face dissolved into the cold gaze of a boa constrictor. While Gustan no longer had any legs, he still had arms. Alive wound his body around his wings and arms and began to squeeze. Lily giggled at the snap of his borrowed bones.
"Gotcha."
Alive hissed venomously into Gustan's ear, one of the few things that was still his own.
"He says you're under arrest," Lily said.
Gustan croaked out a word, but even through tongues was indeterminable. His chest, unable to expand, had finally given out, the constrictor's preferred method of dispatch successful.
Alive slipped back into his own shape and took out a pair of manacles, tossing them aside as he saw Gustan's oversized wrist. He lashed his arms, wings, and tails together in a vague approximation of a hogtie.
"Justice is served," Lily purred.
"Not quite yet," Alive said. He tossed his knife into the ground.
"Aren't you going to mark of justice him?" Lily popped the crude seam at the back of Gustan's neck and pulled out the thread. Her skin, no longer held in place, slithered off his body, wriggled through the ropes, and poured itself onto her, sealing wetly closed as her fast healing reactivated. She looked good as new. If Alive didn't know better, he would never know there had been a problem.
"Nah. Rangers can't cast mark of justice. That mark on your chest is just ink."
"I know."
"Then why'd you stay?"
"Why indeed. What're you gonna say?"
Alive shrugged as he tossed Gustan's body over the back of his axebeak outside the mine's entrance.
"Say you outsmarted me. Not exactly far from the truth."
"Fair enough. What're you gonna do with him?"
"Take him back to the clink, tell the Pelorites I used you for bait and you got away. Long as they get something for the chopping block, figure it's all the same.
"Take care," Lily said with a soulful goodbye kiss.
"What was that for?"
"Systems check." She popped her lips. "Making sure everything's in working order."
"See you around." He hopped atop his mount so she couldn't see the redness in his cheek that he couldn't fully attribute to the negative level he'd just gained.
"Alive?" he heard her say behind him.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
He turned around his head to speak, but she had plane shifted away.
"You're welcome."
SourcesSpoiler
SRD: Skill Focus, Stand Still, Combat Reflexes, Shape-changing Ranger
Complete Mage: Favored Enemy (Arcanists)
Complete Warrior: Nature's Warrior, Justiciar
Complete Adventurer: Exemplar, Scent, Natural Bond
Cityscape Web Enhancement: Voice of the City, Skilled City-Dweller
Races of Destiny: Able Learner
Player's Handbook II: Lunging Strike, Robilar's Gambit
Arms and Equipment Guide: Axebeak
gather info for handle animal
tumble for ride
Last edited by Amphetryon; 2012-09-22 at 09:04 PM.
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2012-09-22, 08:37 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
That's the last of them, folks. Ready, set, JUDGE!
Incidentally, the weird dangling spoiler bit in Alive's build is now fix'd. Apologies to the author for the fact that the build doesn't precisely match her/his intended appearance; ya wrote more than a mere post could contain.Last edited by Amphetryon; 2012-09-22 at 09:07 PM.
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2012-09-22, 08:57 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Awesome!
Things I expected to see a LOT more of: Totemist, Factotum and PsyWar or Ardent. Only one Totemist and no Factotums/Ardents/PsyWars makes me very surprised!
I really, really, really wanted to make a Necrocarnate work. The idea of incapacitating foes and bringing them home to convert into essentia later just seemed too cool.
Unfortunately, I just couldn't make a decent one. Incarnates would be unable to qualify, because of alignment restrictions (Necrocarnate requires evil, Justiciar requires lawful, and Incarnates can be one or the other but not both). Totemist could work, but I worried about originality points for using Totemist, and anyhow there would be a bunch of wasted feats and abilities because Totemists don't get any necrocarnate soulmelds.
I was very close to submitting a Soulborn 8/Necrocarnate 2/Justiciar 10, just because I knew I'd get some cool points for submitting an IC build with 8 levels of Soulborn. The plan was to make it a synad, with the fluff that one of my three minds, the one I considered my soul, had disappeared, and I had to track down enemies, bring them back to my lair, and absorb their soul to try to find the one that was missing.
Crunch was that it used Psycarnum Infusion to max out either Girallon Arms (via Shape Soulmeld) or Sailor's Bracers for high grapple checks or high use rope checks, and.... that was about it. I couldn't even do both at once, since both soulmelds took up the arms slot for me. With only two soulmelds and one bind, there was really not much I could do. Those two soulmelds could be maxed out, sure, but that was where I was left.
It was such a cool concept and had some neat components to it, but in the end, it just wasn't very good.
I also thought about doing a PsyWar 5/Justiciar 10/Flayerspawn Psychic 5, with all of the Illithid Grapple feats, but it didn't really work out. PsyWar 5/Flayerspawn Psychic 5 didn't have sufficient BAB to enter Justiciar. PsyWar 6/Flayerspawn 4 did, just barely, but I had some feat troubles regardless. I did manage to get a PsyWar 10/Justiciar 10 build together that had all four Illithid Grapple feats by level 20, but it lost some oomph without Flayerspawn Psychic (since it lost the free Mind Blast), and I was again worried about getting hammered in originality with PsyWar.
Anyhow, I'm pretty happy with the build I submitted, even though I still kind of wish I'd found a way to make that synad Soulborn more powerful.Optimization Showcase in the Playground
Former projects:
Shadowcaster Handbook
Archer Build Compendium
Iron Chef Awards!
Spoiler
GOLD
IC LXXVI: Talos
IC LXXV: Alphonse Louise Constant
IC XLIX: Babalon, Queen of Bones
IC XLV: Dead Mists
IC XL: Lycus Blackbeak
IC XXXIX: AM-1468
IC XXXV: Parsifal the Fool
IC XXX: Jal Filius
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2012-09-22, 10:14 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Lots of great builds this time around. I was working on a Martial Rogue 4/Warblade or Swordsage 4/Duraakash 2/Justicar 10 TWFer, but didn't have time to write up the fluff.
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2012-09-22, 11:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Interesting crop this time around, and something I may be able to judge. The build I didn't have time to submit was a Factotum 8/Justiciar 10/Exemplar 2. The main gig was a combination of Martial Study (Sudden Leap), Improved Hogtie, Cunning Surge, and Death Blow. I'd be able to leap in, initiate a grapple, hog tie, and get off two nonlethal attacks against a helpless opponent. Then, Cunning Surge/Death Blow with a Quick Drawn scythe would allow a death attack with a Fort DC of (42+8d4) thanks to the scythe's high crit multiplier and maxed Knowledge Devotion.
Exemplar provided a competence bonus and the ability to take 10 on Knowledge checks as well as Use Rope, so I could consistently hit a 40+ on Use Rope. However, all the attention paid to the above meant my initial grapple checks were lacking, and the "criminal who hunts other criminals" fluff just came across very "Boondock Saints."
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2012-09-23, 12:01 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Well.... That just blows my idea out of the water.
My idea was a kalashtar Rogue 2/Lurk 8 (tracker archetype)/Justiciar 10 with Able Learner to maximize my Use Rope checks. Taking Deaden Blow as my first level power, he was going to function as a pseudo-Justiciar starting at about 4th level, psychic-reforming out Deaden Blow after I entered Justiciar.
Apparently, I would have gotten decent Originality points - I see no other kalashtar, and I'm really not surprised to not see another Lurk.
Fluff-wise, she specialized in hunting down Inspired Agents (and quori-possessed humans) with her Atavist (soulknife) lover. Work completely swamped me in the last week and a half, however, so I didn't get the chance to refine it as much as I liked, and I never even started formatting the damned thing.
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2012-09-23, 12:02 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I think this is the ideal number of contestants. Pretty cool!
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2012-09-23, 12:10 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
didnt have time to submit but would you believe i was working on an old west Thri-Kreen Totemist bounty hunter? Dustie is so close to what I was working on it's just scary.
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2012-09-23, 01:09 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I've got a new fantasy TTRPG about running your own fencing school in a 3 musketeers pastiche setting. Book coming soon.
Check out my NEW sci-fi TTRPG about first contact. Cool alien races, murderous AIs, and more. New expansion featuring rules for ships! New book here NOW!
Iron Chef Medals!
Amazing Princess Mononoke avatar by Dispozition
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2012-09-23, 01:25 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
And if I remember that correctly, 'twas you and I, friend.
Although I had it Duskblade 5/Abjurant champion 5/Shadow Sentinel 10, while the other one was Duskblade 5/Shadow Sentinel 10/Abjurant Champion 5. Mine maintained a full caster level throughout the entire build, while Sue was stuck with CL 5 until 20th level.
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2012-09-23, 02:31 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Interesting stuff. I was expecting to see Subduing Strike and sneak attack in most of the builds; I'm really surprised not to see it once.
Last edited by eggs; 2012-09-23 at 02:32 AM.
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2012-09-23, 06:17 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I thought we'd see more Crimson Scourge this time around, myself.
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2012-09-23, 09:40 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Mar 2009
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Oh gosh this whole judging thing takes up a lot of time and mental energies. I've judged up to Zaroff, who I'll be starting on later today, after a break. In the meantime, have my judging criteria:
SpoilerOriginality: This is very much a first-impression thing. If I look at your build, or general idea, and think, “yes, that seems fairly obvious,” then you won't be getting a good score. If it's something I never would have guessed, then you'll get a good score. If it's something that I sort of expected, but didn't think was painfully obvious, you'll get an average score. This applies to choices within the build, as well as the race and class combinations, however.
Power: I'm not going to lie, I'm not a very good judge of power. For this competition, I'll be judging this one one of two criteria: does the build have a good deal of strength in a single area; does the build have a wide selection of abilities. If you fit either of those, I'll judge on that; fulfilling both will obviously be better, fulfilling neither is a bad thing.
Elegance: Let me say up front that formatting is going to be a significant part of this category, for me. I don't think anybody will have an absolutely atrocious presentation, but things like frequent misspellings will get you a penalty here; presentation is definitely a factor, so anything that makes it more difficult to read your build will get you penalized. In a similar vein, having abilities that interact with each other in odd ways, and then not properly explaining them, will get you penalized as well; how am I supposed to judge your build if I can't manage to figure out how it works?
Also into this category is using any tricks that I think are executed poorly or not strictly possible without a very permissive DM (though at the same time, doing something may get you points elsewhere; a balancing act). I'm usually a permissive person when it comes to dipping, but if you get a lot of abilities you're not putting to use, then expect a penalty (i.e. dipping cloistered cleric for knowledge devotion and not using the casting, or barbarian for pounce and not using rage). On the flip side, however, sticking to a small selection of classes may get you a bonus. Anything above and beyond a typical entry would also go in here, making this a sort of catch-all for stuff that won't fit into other categories.
Yes, this is a big category.
Use of Secret Ingredient: Out of all the categories, I imagine this will be the most mechanically judged; I'll go through and see if you used each of the class abilities, and how well you've used them. Unlike the other categories (which will start with an average score and add/subtract) I'll start with a high score here and subtract for anything unused. After the tally for which abilities went unused, I'll also consider whether the backstory of the character makes the path embodied by the ingredient a logical choice.It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
Unless you're the DM, in which case you should talk to your players.
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2012-09-23, 10:07 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Bellona
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Optimization Showcase in the Playground
Former projects:
Shadowcaster Handbook
Archer Build Compendium
Iron Chef Awards!
Spoiler
GOLD
IC LXXVI: Talos
IC LXXV: Alphonse Louise Constant
IC XLIX: Babalon, Queen of Bones
IC XLV: Dead Mists
IC XL: Lycus Blackbeak
IC XXXIX: AM-1468
IC XXXV: Parsifal the Fool
IC XXX: Jal Filius
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2012-09-23, 10:45 AM (ISO 8601)
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- Feb 2012
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- <<Undetected>>
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
I guess it is table time for the entries, hyperlinked for ease of judging:
{table=head]Name|Race|Build
Doril Shadowbane|Centaur|Paladin 1/Shadow Striker 3/Justiciar 10
Dustie|Thri-Kreen|Totemist 4/Swordsage 2/Justiciar 10
Sixteentoes "Unspeakable" Componentgaurder|Ghost Tibbit|Ranger 6/Justiciar 10
Zaroff|Human|Ranger 4/Monk 2/Fighter 1/Fist of the Forest 3/Justiciar 10
Sheriff Breagar Bearclaw|Half Orc|Half-Orc Paragon 3/Human Paragon 3/Swordsage 2/Crimson Scourge 1/Justiciar 10/Bear Warrior 1
Bilblibliip|Kuo-toan|Ranger 5/Justiciar 10
Ximen Bao|Lesser Drow|Duskblade 3/Cleric 1/Master of Shrouds 6/Justiciar 10
Armin Long|Human|Cleric 1/Human Paragon 3/Church Inquisitor 6/Justiciar 10
Alive|Human?|Wildshape Ranger 5/Nature's Warrior 4/Justiciar 10/Exemplar 1[/table]Last edited by mattie_p; 2012-09-23 at 12:18 PM.
Blank 3.5 Character Creator Iron Chef Style Tables (in Google Sheets)
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2012-09-23, 11:33 AM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
My own terrible idea that I'm kind of relieved not to see was a pair of Dvati twins with Tracker Lurk 8/Monk 2 entry to mix one's Expanded, Grip of Ironed, Yuan-Ti-grafted grapple with the other's Nonlethal+Sneak Attack shredding. I was kind of surprised when I couldn't think of a single Spaghetti Western with a brother/twin-based conceit to nod heavily toward.
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2012-09-23, 12:43 PM (ISO 8601)
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- Jul 2007
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- Bellona
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Because I can't stop myself from toying around with new builds, even though the contest is closed, here's one I was thinking about while doing cleaning the house...
Warforged, Ardent 3/Totemist 2/Landforged Walker 5/Justiciar 10
Use Skilled City Dweller to make Gather Info a class skill for the Totemist.
FEATS:
1. Totemist1- Ironwood Body
2. Ardent1-
3. Totemist2- Practiced Manifester (Ardent)
4. Ardent2-
5. Ardent3-
6. Landforged Walker1- Track
7. Landforged Walker2-
8. Landforged Walker3-
9. Landforged Walker4- Skill Focus (Gather Information)
10. Landforged Walker5-
11. Justiciar1-
12. Justiciar2- Improved Grapple, Psycarnum Infusion
13. Justiciar3-
14. Justiciar4-
15. Justiciar5- Psionic Meditation
16. Justiciar6-
17. Justiciar7-
18. Justiciar8- Shape Soulmeld (Sailor's Bracers)
19. Justiciar9-
20. Justiciar10-
MANTLES: Law, Natural World, Freedom
Landforged Walker would give me all sorts of fun plant forms. Octopus tree in particular sounds fun, with crazy grappling and a ton of attacks to deal crippling strike damage from. That said, treant might be the more reasonable option, since a treant should still have most necessary body slots for shaping soulmelds.
Bind Girallon Arms to the totem chakra. Shape Sailor's Bracers to arms, and Sphinx Claws to hands.
Turn into a huge treant to smash things with (or octopus tree, if for some insane reason your DM decides that an octopus tree can shape soulmelds to the arms and hands chakras). Keep your essentia in Sphinx Claws for the boost to Strength checks. Manifest grip of iron (Law mantle), expend focus to max out Girallon Arms' grapple check via Psycarnum Infusion, and have a truly ridiculous grapple modifier. Next round, use a move action to refocus, use Psycarnum Infusion again to max out Sailor's Bracers, and hog-tie them.
A little too similar to Jael Filius from the Pistis Sophia round for me to be willing to submit, but it could be a fun option.Optimization Showcase in the Playground
Former projects:
Shadowcaster Handbook
Archer Build Compendium
Iron Chef Awards!
Spoiler
GOLD
IC LXXVI: Talos
IC LXXV: Alphonse Louise Constant
IC XLIX: Babalon, Queen of Bones
IC XLV: Dead Mists
IC XL: Lycus Blackbeak
IC XXXIX: AM-1468
IC XXXV: Parsifal the Fool
IC XXX: Jal Filius
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2012-09-23, 02:59 PM (ISO 8601)
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Interesting idea, but as you say, the hint of plagiarization in these contests is enough to turn off some judges. Honestly I thought I'd see more totemist in this round, since they make such fine grapplers. And really surprised at no expansion focused psionic characters.
Blank 3.5 Character Creator Iron Chef Style Tables (in Google Sheets)
Chairman Emeritus of Zinc Saucier.
Avatar by Derjuin, sing her praises to Elysium.
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2012-09-23, 03:53 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Mar 2009
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Brain hurts. Tired. No more reading.
Judgings
SpoilerDoril Shadowbane
SpoilerOriginality: A paladin isn't exactly unexpected, but I did expect people to stay away from the class for various reasons, so neutral points there. Centaur and Shadowstriker were certainly unexpected, and you also get points for not just treating the Centaur as a mounted warrior who is always mounted. Your backstory, however, is pretty standard fair. Score: 3.5/5
Power: You do fairly well here, with a simple and obvious focus. Your large size gives you a sizable boost to your grappling capabilities, and your end-game tactics of hitting with your greatsword before starting the grapple with Snap Kick is useful and clever. You're good at grappling, and could do decent outside of that with your greatsword and high strength, and while Shadowstriker doesn't give you as much as you might hope, it's still a little extra damage, and noteworthy. Score: 4/5
Elegance: Nothing really stands out here to penalize you, aside from a few grammar errors early in the entry and failing to completely update the statblock for the latter levels you present (your javelin is certainly not +8 at level 20). You don't use any questionable tricks, and use a fairly simple progression. As I mention elsewhere, your backstory, however, is fairly simple and if anything is a bit lacking. Score: 3.5/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: Although you don't specifically mention making use of a few of the abilities (biggest offender here is Nonlethal Strike and Crippling Strike, since you have no real way to get the drop on enemies), it's fairly obvious how you're using almost all of the abilities. Score: 4/5
Total score: 15/20
Average: 3.75/5
Dustie
SpoilerOriginality: I don't really know what to say. Looking at this, I should have expected a cowboy, I really should have, but I didn't. Totemist and Swordsage are also a bit of a surprise, so good on ya. And, of course, there's Thri-Kreen. It's original, but surprisingly so... Score: 4.5/5
Power: You grapple, and you tear people to shreds with your many attacks. Your grappling isn't quite as good as Doril's in straight up number-comparison, but your use of Crippling Strike and other damage boosters with your large number of attacks gives you a very respectable damage output. Your frailty early on is a bit of a black mark, however. Score: 4.5/5
Elegance: I like the backstory, I really do. At first, I thought it was going to be a fairly standard “born for greater things” story, but your surprised me, and it's written quite well, as well. The little bit at the beginning of your entry was a short, fun read, too. That's a plus. However, there's a few issues with your build. The first problem, and the one I feel strongest about, is that your tactic of grappling people and THEN tearing them apart with your natural attacks doesn't really work, because the rules for grappling state that “If your base attack bonus allows you multiple attacks, you can attempt one of these actions in place of each of your attacks,” and you're attempting to use extra attacks from other sources.Additionally, my source doesn't give Thri-Kreen players the +30 racial modifier on jump checks, though that may have been an error (in which case I will gladly amend this score).Taking a feat and outright stating “you need a rainbow ioun stone” is a bit on the non-kosher side of equipment reliance. I'm not so certain on your suggestion of delaying to initiative 100 after the surprise round, since you'd need a triggering action, but even if you can't do that it doesn't really change your tactics that much. Power Attack at level 20 seems a bit late, and relatively pointless too. You can't actually use Crippling Strike in a grapple, because you don't lose your Dexterity against those you're grappling with. Lastly, I have a slight problem with how you dance between Swordsage and Totemist levels; it seems a bit unnecessarily convoluted. It's mostly a bunch of small problems I have, but they do add up. Score: 2/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: You use everything in the secret ingredient quite well, and it fits excellently into your build. The only thing I'm not too hot on is how exactly watching hunters taught Dusty non-lethal methods of combat since, you know, you usually kill things you hunt. Score: 4.25/5
Total score: 15.5/20
Average: 3.875/5
Unspeakable
SpoilerOriginality: Ranger was obvious, but other than that? Damn. A Tibbit Ghost using the Fabulous Cats! rules? Consider me impressed. It takes something extreme to make me want to give absolute scores, in either direction, but you've done that, despite the ranger entry. Score: 5/5
Power: I really don't know what to say, here. Telekinesis is hilariously good, you're really difficult to take out, you possess other creatures, and you grapple amazingly well. If you're not grappling, then you're using Telekinesis to kill them, or at least knock them out. I want to note here that using Nonlethal and Crippling Strike with Telekinesis is a nasty bit of rule manipulation, since they require a melee weapon, but not specifically a melee attack. Score: 5/5
Elegance: You don't have the 1 rank of Knowledge (Religion) necessary to take Fangshield Ranger. If you're using Weight Focus to boost your Telekinetic Grapple, then you're going to have acknowledge that size modifiers apply, which give you a not-so-tasty -8 from being tiny, which is canceled out by Improved Grapple and Weight Focus. Funnily enough, this actually helps you out when you're possessing a larger creature. You rely on some questionable rules-reading, a metric ton of ACFs, and a set of joke rules. Your backstory took me a moment or two of contemplation to grog; could've been written a bit better. Score: 1.5/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: Well, I'm a bit torn here. You use every ability the Secret Ingredient has to offer, that much is obvious, but it doesn't feel like a Justiciar. It feels like a Telekinetic Ghost Cat That Possesses Monsters (featuring Justiciar). The non-lethal fighting style of Justiciar doesn't really match well with Unspeakable's revenge-filled motivation, either. Score: 2.5/5
Total score: 14/20
Average: 2.8/5
This is my favorite build of this competition, and is my vote for Honorable Mention, as well, if it doesn't win. It has some issues, to be sure, but it's fun. I wish I could've given you a better Elegance score for that. Despite the questionable rules-reading, I would definitely let you play this build in a game I was running, because it is unique, it is original, and it is fun.
Zaroff
SpoilerOriginality: Okay, Ranger was an obvious entry, and neither Monk nor Human were particularly inspired, but Fist of the Forest was quite unexpected for what is essentially an urban PrC, and using the sacrifice rules was an interesting twist as well. Score: 3.5/5
Power: Unlike the other entries I've judged so far, you don't really have anything in your build that boosts your grappling, so you're not really that good in that respect. Your psuedo-pounce and not-quite-Ubercharge is interesting, though, getting you 1d10+1d12 base damage. Snap Kick gives you another attack, but at this point (with Flurry of Blows, Two-Weapon Fighting, and Snap Kick) you're eating a lot of penalties. Good thing you have Shock Trooper to take care of that on a charge, and invisibility to help with that otherwise. Like Dustie, you want to make as many attacks as possible to deal Nonlethal Strike and Crippling Strike damage as frequently as possible, and that's okay. Your triggering of them, however, trades a bit of versatility for reliability (invisibility every three rounds, whereas Dustie can nova his). I'm comparing you to Dustie a lot because your fighting style and his seem very similar, but he took it that extra bit further, in my mind. Score: 4/4.5
Elegance: Honestly, using Justiciar's non-lethal attacks for the sinister purpose of procuring sacrificial victims and punishing those who stand against your group is an interesting twist in what I expected be a competition full of Batman-wannabes. The way your presented your build was interesting as well; for a moment or two, I almost thought that maybe your build was actually the person tracking Zaroff. The only problem I really had was plopping your monk levels in the middle of your ranger levels for seemingly no reason, but that's a pretty minor thing, all things considered. You're lucky I'm attentive enough to notice that you're getting your SLAs from your organization, though, else you would have lost points for not explaining that better. You've failed to do anything with the spellcasting you gained from Ranger, though; you could've at least ACF'd it away. Score:4.254/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: There isn't really anything that stands out with your use of Justiciar, but at the same time there isn't anything that feels wrong, here. You use all of the abilities and I can see exactly why you took the time to learn the fighting style in the first place. It may not be the standard Justiciar, but dammit you make it work. Score: 4.5/5
Total score: 16/20
Average: 4/5
Sheriff Breagar Bearclaw
SpoilerOriginality: Hmph, bears. I never thought I'd say this, but the internet is making me tired of bears. Still, I definitely didn't expect it, so I'll set aside my ursine fatigue and give you some points there. Your race is nothing special (whoo, humans, I see them every day), but you've used a bunch of classes I never expected. Score: 4.5/5
Power: You can grapple, and that's about it. You do it well, I'll admit, but only when you're raging... still, you shouldn't run out of uses during a typical day. Still, once you're in a grapple you don't really have anything particularly exciting to do, beyond what Justiciar gives you (and everybody has). Score: 3.5/5
Elegance: You were right, I did wonder why you picked up Crimson Scourge. I don't find your reasoning solid, though, because natural attacks are absolutely melee attacks. As is, there's no reason for the level, which could have gone to something else. You dance around with your non-ingredient levels, taking them in seemingly random configurations. Intimidate, Heal, and Handle Animal feel tacked on, just to get entry into CS; I could probably let it go for one skill, but this is three skills you pick up and then ignore completely, for a class you didn't even need. Maybe if you'd given a story reason for picking them up, I could let you go, but... well, there's no story. I don't know how the other judges will feel, but that's just not right, as far as I'm concerned. Even something basic would have sufficed, but as is, I have no idea who Breagar Bearclaw is, except that he's sheriff of some place and can somehow turn into a bear. Score:1.51.75/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: The problem with bear builds is that they always feel like they're more about the bear than anything else. Maybe you could have solved this with a bit of a story, but without it, as I said above, all I know is that your entry is a Justiciar who turns into a bear. There's also the problem that he doesn't use Hogtie, Improved Hogtie, or Manacle Proficiency, which you comment on but make no attempt to fix. He also have difficulty making use of Nonlethal and Crippling Strike, with Cloak of Deception being the only real way to trigger it. Score: 2/5
Total Score: 11.75/20
Average: 2.9375/5
Bilplipliip
SpoilerOriginality: I'm tempted to take points of for having a name that's impossible to pronounce, but I'll be nice and let that go. :smalltounge:
Kuo-Toa is something I would never have expected, even more than the other races present in this competition, and you get mad points for it. However, Ranger was painfully obvious (you're the third one I've judged by this point), and your backstory is pretty basic. There's potential here. Score: 3.5/5
Power: I don't know what the Sewerm is, I don't have the book its from, and none of my other sources tell me what it is, so I have to hope that you were being honest about its capabilities. That said, its grapple and your grapple, while working well together, aren't exactly that exciting. The pincer staff you have (which seems to be a mancatcher in all but name) is a boost, and you've got some poison stuff going on, but you just don't seem that strong to me. However, your Sewerm does allow you to land Crippling Strike more often if it grapples a foe. Score:2.53/5
Elegance: A fairly simple build, and I can't really find anything wrong with it. Gotta give you some points for sticking with Ranger, and nothing else, before entering the ingredient. At the same time, there's nothing too amazing about your build, and your backstory leaves a lot to be desired. Decidedly average, here. You've failed to do anything with the spellcasting you gained from Ranger, though; you could've at least ACF'd it away. Score: 2.75/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: You use the abilities. Improved Hog-Tie is the one you use best, but you DO, in fact, use the others. You have the stealth to make Nonlethal and Crippling Strike useful in the surprise round, at the very least, and the grapple bonuses help with your pincer staff. Score: 4.5/5
Total score: 13.75/20
Average: 3.4375/5
Ximen Bao
SpoilerOriginality: Okay, so it turns out that the idea of using Justiciar to seize sacrificial victims, which was Zaroff's deal as well, wasn't all that unique, but I really and honestly didn't expect it, so you get points here. Duskblade, Cleric, and Master of Shrouds were not things I was expecting, so more points there. Score: 4.25/5
Power: You do well, here. Whereas most of the other entries focuses on the grappling with Crippling Strike as a bonus, you focus on it. With your shadows, your poisons, your spells, and Crippling Strike, you can drain and enemy quite quickly. Your spells also give you tremendous boosts to your skills, which is good. You're not quite as good of a grappler as some other builds, though. Still, you do well. Score: 4/5
Elegance: Thank you for giving sources! The thing you forgot to source, though, was the Master of Shrouds, which is kinda a thing since I have no idea where it's from (remember how I said I didn't expect it? I didn't know it existed until now). I can piece together what the class does, though, which is good for you. The story for Ximen was quite nice, and I enjoyed reading it. I was about to take points off for taking Duskblade and doing almost nothing with the casting, but you managed to stick to spells that, although hurt by the lack of the caster level, are still beneficial. Good job. Score: 4/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: It's at this point I start feeling like I'm repeating myself in this section. Still, you used all of the abilities, and even provided an explanation for each one, which was very nice of you. Your use of the class was obvious, and your build is a wonderful blend of the ingredient with your other classes. Score: 5/5
Total score: 17.25/20
Average: 4.3125/5
Armin Long
SpoilerOriginality: Man, so many classes being used in this competition I don't have access to. What a shame. Anyway, human is no surprise, but at the same time not something to penalize. Human Paragon, meanwhile, is a surprise, as are Cleric and Church Inquisitor. There've been two religiously motivated entries before this, but you're the first on the good side of the spectrum. Score: 4/5
Power: You just barely make your fourth iterative, but you've got some cleric spells to back yourself up. You go for a bit of a similar thing as Ximen, with the channeling spells (well, Smiting Spells, in this case). Your draining relies a bit more on saves, making it a bit more possible for your foes to resist you, and you don't quite have the oomph in your grapple as other characters do, but you make do. Score: 3/5
Elegance: There's nothing too out of the ordinary here, in either direction, other than your story. It's nice and short... but it leaves me wanting more, so much more. Why's Long at the bar? What'd the barkeep do? Who's the woman he remembers, the other kid, why's he taking him to a temple of Pelor if he worships Cuthbert? Score: 3/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: You use the abilities, and you use 'em well. You don't really have a consistent way to get Nonlethal and Crippling Strike active, but other than that, you use 'em all. Score: 4.25/5
Total score: 14.25/20
Average: 3.5625/5
Alive
SpoilerOriginality: I've already commented on the use of Ranger nearly half a dozen times this competition, but you're saved by Exemplar and Nature's Warrior. Human, I guess, because of the two feats at first level? Score: 3/5
Power: Good stuff, here. You're hurt a bit by the fact that you're not able to take forms bigger than medium with your wild shape, but you still get some very useful forms, and your grapple is pretty decent. Nice job catching the Use Rope thing; the implication is that when you Hog Tie with Use Rope you, well, use rope, but hey, that's not this category. You're not quite able to dish out the damage some of the other characters are, nor do you get as many attacks to use Nonlethal and Crippling Strike, but you make decent use of them. Score: 4/5
Elegance: I love that story. At first, the fact that your entry took up two posts scared me off, but I soldiered through and I'm glad I did. You sort of jumble the levels together, your Ranger spells don't really add much, and you get Scent a bit late, but things aren't too bad. Score: 3.5/5
Use of Secret Ingredient: Yup, you use the secret ingredient. You could get a bit more out of Nonlethal Strike and Crippling Strike, but other than that, it's all good. Score: 4.25/5
Total score: 14.75/20
Average: 3.6875/5
I have a feeling that I'll need to come back and fix something, but I'll do that if and when it becomes necessary. Here's hoping that I didn't get too rambly near the end of it.Last edited by The Dark Fiddler; 2012-09-24 at 08:55 PM.
It's been a bit, GitP. If you're reading this, you're either digging through old stuff, or I've posted for the first time in forever.
If you want to stay in touch, reach out to me on twitter (same username).
The best answer is always to ask your DM.
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2012-09-23, 04:22 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Oct 2009
Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
If I was going to guess, and I am, I'd say that the kuo-toa's name is probably pronounced blip - plip - plé - ip.
I am not seaweed. That's a B.
Praise I've received A quick outline on building a homebrew campaign
Avatar by Tiffanie Lirle
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2012-09-23, 05:39 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
- Jan 2010
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
IIRC, the Psionic Thri-Kreen from the XPH (The version with 2 LA, unlike the 1 LA version in the MM3) had a +30 racial bonus to jump. For some reason, though, they're not in the SRD...
[EDIT]Odd question: Maneuvers (obviously) aren't listed in the special actions you can use in a grapple. Can you still perform them in a grapple? And can you still sneak attack someone in a grapple if someone is flanking your opponent?Last edited by Fable Wright; 2012-09-23 at 05:57 PM.
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2012-09-23, 05:48 PM (ISO 8601)
- Join Date
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Re: Iron Chef Optimization Challenge in the Playground XXXVII
Expanded Psionics Handbook, p214, under Special Qualities.
Originally Posted by Expanded Psionics HandbookLast edited by Piggy Knowles; 2012-09-23 at 06:06 PM. Reason: Missing close-paren.
Optimization Showcase in the Playground
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