1 level dip class [Archive] - Wizards Community

1 level dip class [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
prozacman
02-12-06, 05:03 AM i'm looking for a class to take a single level dip into that has concentration as a class skill and can fight well. (full bab preferably.. but i'll take middle) a d8 or better would be spectacular..

oh yeah, it has to be a base class.

basically i'm looking to toss something good in, after 2 levels of psiwar, 2 levels of fighter, and before i go into pyrokineticist.

any ideas? please lemme know
Tempest Stormwind
02-12-06, 05:06 AM Hexblade, I believe, will work. 2-3 levels are considered enough for dipping, and you get pretty good mechanical benefits from it (Mettle!), and good Charisma synergy for the pyro.

You don't need to take those levels at once, either. Hoever, note that Pyros are optimized at level 8, drop off at 9, and break down at 10 -- so I would generally suggest Pyro 8 being your stop point.
JulesCARV
02-12-06, 05:43 AM Ranger seems to fit your needs well. You get plenty of skill points, concentration as a class skill, full BAB, d8 hit dice, wild empathy, a bonus feat (track), and two good saves. If your alignment matches, there's also paladin, but although they get Concentration as a class skill, their skill points are terrible. Also, if you're going into pyrokineticist, I'm guessing you're not lawful. You could do one of these weird "Paladin of Freedom/Slaughter" or "Holy Liberator" deals, although I'm not familiar with those, really.

Ranger sounds ideal.
Morotis
02-12-06, 08:52 AM You don't need to take those levels at once, either. Hoever, note that Pyros are optimized at level 8, drop off at 9, and break down at 10 -- so I would generally suggest Pyro 8 being your stop point.
Not meaning to go off topic, but what are you talking about?! I generally find that a full round action to use save or die as much as I want, that's worth 1 level, the level 10 ability isn't that great but going to level 10 gives you that increase in BaB and saves. and those last 2 levels give 2 more d6s to add to your bolt of fire....
wolfie-kun
02-12-06, 09:03 AM You could become lawful for a level or two of monk. Those first two levels provide you with some great bonuses (if you already have psychic warrior levels, you'd better have a good Wis score...) in addition to giving somewhat good skill points and a number of class skills for those levels. Not all the class features will be incredibly useful, but they work very well (from experience) with some psychic warrior powers--except for the fact you've only taken two levels in that class...

Take three monk levels, get Wild Talent and go for Fist of Zuoken (XPH, called Psionic Fist in SRD) so you can get some good powers; either that or two levels of monk and then start taking psychic warrior levels again.
Shadowfax7
02-12-06, 09:20 AM A level of either Ranger or Paladin will get you Full BAB, d8 or d10 and Concentration as a class skill, plus their 1st levels have good abilities.
neilthrun
02-12-06, 09:35 AM Samurai from Complete Warrior gives you concentration, although I presume there would be alignment conflicts, and Ranger or hexblade would be better.
Otherwise the Human Paragon and Half-Dragon Paragon both have concentration as class skills. This would all be race dependent though.
Tempest Stormwind
02-12-06, 12:22 PM Not meaning to go off topic, but what are you talking about?! I generally find that a full round action to use save or die as much as I want, that's worth 1 level, the level 10 ability isn't that great but going to level 10 gives you that increase in BaB and saves. and those last 2 levels give 2 more d6s to add to your bolt of fire....
He's a Fighter/Psychic Warrior. While Heat Death may be useful, the DC will not be as high as it should be since Charisma isn't as important an ability score to his character than it would be for others. 9th is worth considering, but it isn't required.

And if you're taking Pyro 10 for simply BAB/Saves, know that a full base-attack class here can provide that, along with (likely) better saves due to the +2 at first level.

8th level gives you Greater Weapon Afire, which is awesome with a TWF character or the like (including psywar natural attacks), and 8d6 is about as strong a blast as a high-level warlock, so I wouldn't complain. Especially if melee is your specialty.
Munchmausen
02-12-06, 04:02 PM i'm looking for a class to take a single level dip into that has concentration as a class skill and can fight well. (full bab preferably.. but i'll take middle) a d8 or better would be spectacular..

oh yeah, it has to be a base class.

basically i'm looking to toss something good in, after 2 levels of psiwar, 2 levels of fighter, and before i go into pyrokineticist.

any ideas? please lemme know

If you're only taking a 1-level dip, what's the difference between a medium and low BAB?
thepuregamer
02-12-06, 05:34 PM I was more of the opinion that the optimum cutoff for the pyrokineticist / twfer was 1st lvl for fire lash. 15 ft reach ranged touch attacks for a rogue wielding two of them would be supremely sweet against hard to hit enemies. Allows you to also give yourself low str without suffering from it too.
prozacman
02-12-06, 07:05 PM the difference between a low and medium BAB in our game is that like BABs stack.

ranger's not a bad idea.. worth considering.

wish i could justify paladin.. full bab, d10 hd, smiting abilities... cha bonus to all saves... <drools>

hexblade could work.. but the hexblades curse would be all but useless (since i'd only be taking 1 level).

I realize the best drop level for pyro is 8, but i simply can't resist the level nine power. I'll probably drop out of it before lvl 10, even through the conflageration power is quite awesome.

thanx for the ideas y'all. i think i'mma track down the paladin of freedom... might work very well.. otherwise, i guess i'm stuck w/ ranger.

PS: the game hasn't started yet.. all this is pre-build stuff.. so if anyone has an idea for a cool 5 level build that'll get me into pyro, and can net me mobility + spring attack.. i'd love to hear them.
phelanarcetus
02-13-06, 12:57 PM Warlock might be an interesting dip as well. It's only d6 and 3/4 BAB, but what it really nets you is that single Invocation. There are a good few Least Invocations that are pretty useful for anybody, like See The Unseen, or Entropic Warding.
prozacman
02-14-06, 07:55 PM yeah.. i've consitered warlock, but am opposed to the D6 HD.
Also none of the least invocations really make up for that in this particular build
(off topic: i have a rogue who took one level of warlock, for just that reason)

anyhow.. tenatively i'm thinking:

psiwar 2/ ftr 2/ paladin of freedom 1/ pyro 10/ elocater 5.

this'll give me second level powers and about 10pp.. not much.. but i dont need much.. it'll also net me 4 extra feats, as well as a cha bonus to saves. doubling the usefulness of that stat.. giving me more reason to boost it, raise the DC of heat death, and boost my saves.

what do y'all think?
Neeek
02-14-06, 08:04 PM Why not just take another level of Psychic Warrior?
prozacman
02-16-06, 05:01 AM why not take another psiwar level? because i don't think the class has a whole lot to offer... sure a few low level powers are nice.. but i dont really need to 2-3 pp that extra level will net me.

and i'm concerned about making this kobold as effective a warrior as possible.

i think a good (and highly amusing way) to do this is with a pyro build.

and in said build the first 5 levels are key.
Neeek
02-16-06, 10:36 AM why not take another psiwar level? because i don't think the class has a whole lot to offer... sure a few low level powers are nice.. but i dont really need to 2-3 pp that extra level will net me.

You don't? The third level of PsyWar literally doubles your reserve in most cases.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
prozacman 02-12-06, 05:03 AM	i'm looking for a class to take a single level dip into that has concentration as a class skill and can fight well. (full bab preferably.. but i'll take middle) a d8 or better would be spectacular.. oh yeah, it has to be a base class. basically i'm looking to toss something good in, after 2 levels of psiwar, 2 levels of fighter, and before i go into pyrokineticist. any ideas? please lemme know
Tempest Stormwind 02-12-06, 05:06 AM	Hexblade, I believe, will work. 2-3 levels are considered enough for dipping, and you get pretty good mechanical benefits from it (Mettle!), and good Charisma synergy for the pyro. You don't need to take those levels at once, either. Hoever, note that Pyros are optimized at level 8, drop off at 9, and break down at 10 -- so I would generally suggest Pyro 8 being your stop point.
JulesCARV 02-12-06, 05:43 AM	Ranger seems to fit your needs well. You get plenty of skill points, concentration as a class skill, full BAB, d8 hit dice, wild empathy, a bonus feat (track), and two good saves. If your alignment matches, there's also paladin, but although they get Concentration as a class skill, their skill points are terrible. Also, if you're going into pyrokineticist, I'm guessing you're not lawful. You could do one of these weird "Paladin of Freedom/Slaughter" or "Holy Liberator" deals, although I'm not familiar with those, really. Ranger sounds ideal.
Morotis 02-12-06, 08:52 AM	You don't need to take those levels at once, either. Hoever, note that Pyros are optimized at level 8, drop off at 9, and break down at 10 -- so I would generally suggest Pyro 8 being your stop point. Not meaning to go off topic, but what are you talking about?! I generally find that a full round action to use save or die as much as I want, that's worth 1 level, the level 10 ability isn't that great but going to level 10 gives you that increase in BaB and saves. and those last 2 levels give 2 more d6s to add to your bolt of fire....
wolfie-kun 02-12-06, 09:03 AM	You could become lawful for a level or two of monk. Those first two levels provide you with some great bonuses (if you already have psychic warrior levels, you'd better have a good Wis score...) in addition to giving somewhat good skill points and a number of class skills for those levels. Not all the class features will be incredibly useful, but they work very well (from experience) with some psychic warrior powers--except for the fact you've only taken two levels in that class... Take three monk levels, get Wild Talent and go for Fist of Zuoken (XPH, called Psionic Fist in SRD) so you can get some good powers; either that or two levels of monk and then start taking psychic warrior levels again.
Shadowfax7 02-12-06, 09:20 AM	A level of either Ranger or Paladin will get you Full BAB, d8 or d10 and Concentration as a class skill, plus their 1st levels have good abilities.
neilthrun 02-12-06, 09:35 AM	Samurai from Complete Warrior gives you concentration, although I presume there would be alignment conflicts, and Ranger or hexblade would be better. Otherwise the Human Paragon and Half-Dragon Paragon both have concentration as class skills. This would all be race dependent though.
Tempest Stormwind 02-12-06, 12:22 PM	Not meaning to go off topic, but what are you talking about?! I generally find that a full round action to use save or die as much as I want, that's worth 1 level, the level 10 ability isn't that great but going to level 10 gives you that increase in BaB and saves. and those last 2 levels give 2 more d6s to add to your bolt of fire.... He's a Fighter/Psychic Warrior. While Heat Death may be useful, the DC will not be as high as it should be since Charisma isn't as important an ability score to his character than it would be for others. 9th is worth considering, but it isn't required. And if you're taking Pyro 10 for simply BAB/Saves, know that a full base-attack class here can provide that, along with (likely) better saves due to the +2 at first level. 8th level gives you Greater Weapon Afire, which is awesome with a TWF character or the like (including psywar natural attacks), and 8d6 is about as strong a blast as a high-level warlock, so I wouldn't complain. Especially if melee is your specialty.
Munchmausen 02-12-06, 04:02 PM	i'm looking for a class to take a single level dip into that has concentration as a class skill and can fight well. (full bab preferably.. but i'll take middle) a d8 or better would be spectacular.. oh yeah, it has to be a base class. basically i'm looking to toss something good in, after 2 levels of psiwar, 2 levels of fighter, and before i go into pyrokineticist. any ideas? please lemme know If you're only taking a 1-level dip, what's the difference between a medium and low BAB?
thepuregamer 02-12-06, 05:34 PM	I was more of the opinion that the optimum cutoff for the pyrokineticist / twfer was 1st lvl for fire lash. 15 ft reach ranged touch attacks for a rogue wielding two of them would be supremely sweet against hard to hit enemies. Allows you to also give yourself low str without suffering from it too.
prozacman 02-12-06, 07:05 PM	the difference between a low and medium BAB in our game is that like BABs stack. ranger's not a bad idea.. worth considering. wish i could justify paladin.. full bab, d10 hd, smiting abilities... cha bonus to all saves... <drools> hexblade could work.. but the hexblades curse would be all but useless (since i'd only be taking 1 level). I realize the best drop level for pyro is 8, but i simply can't resist the level nine power. I'll probably drop out of it before lvl 10, even through the conflageration power is quite awesome. thanx for the ideas y'all. i think i'mma track down the paladin of freedom... might work very well.. otherwise, i guess i'm stuck w/ ranger. PS: the game hasn't started yet.. all this is pre-build stuff.. so if anyone has an idea for a cool 5 level build that'll get me into pyro, and can net me mobility + spring attack.. i'd love to hear them.
phelanarcetus 02-13-06, 12:57 PM	Warlock might be an interesting dip as well. It's only d6 and 3/4 BAB, but what it really nets you is that single Invocation. There are a good few Least Invocations that are pretty useful for anybody, like See The Unseen, or Entropic Warding.
prozacman 02-14-06, 07:55 PM	yeah.. i've consitered warlock, but am opposed to the D6 HD. Also none of the least invocations really make up for that in this particular build (off topic: i have a rogue who took one level of warlock, for just that reason) anyhow.. tenatively i'm thinking: psiwar 2/ ftr 2/ paladin of freedom 1/ pyro 10/ elocater 5. this'll give me second level powers and about 10pp.. not much.. but i dont need much.. it'll also net me 4 extra feats, as well as a cha bonus to saves. doubling the usefulness of that stat.. giving me more reason to boost it, raise the DC of heat death, and boost my saves. what do y'all think?
Neeek 02-14-06, 08:04 PM	Why not just take another level of Psychic Warrior?
prozacman 02-16-06, 05:01 AM	why not take another psiwar level? because i don't think the class has a whole lot to offer... sure a few low level powers are nice.. but i dont really need to 2-3 pp that extra level will net me. and i'm concerned about making this kobold as effective a warrior as possible. i think a good (and highly amusing way) to do this is with a pyro build. and in said build the first 5 levels are key.
Neeek 02-16-06, 10:36 AM	why not take another psiwar level? because i don't think the class has a whole lot to offer... sure a few low level powers are nice.. but i dont really need to 2-3 pp that extra level will net me. You don't? The third level of PsyWar literally doubles your reserve in most cases.