Post/Author/DateTime	Post
avatarolt 12-12-03, 06:12 PM	So, I was looking over in CharOpt and I'm slowly coming to grips with the fact that there's an awful lot of builds that include Contemplative as a one-level dip. Someone please explain to me what some possible in-character motivation/situation both leads to an encounter with a deity and following that encounter the decision to no longer follow the Contemplative path. Does God let you take a one-level dip? Just wondering how some of y'all dealt with it. I've got to admit, extra domain spells might just be schweeeet.
The_Yellow_Dart_Swinger 12-12-03, 06:34 PM	Well first off, in the charopt they disregard the fact of roleplaying/world limitations, normally a deity doesn't show up unless A) your doing something really important B) Your highlevel or C) if your the deity's "Choosen One" Deity's don't go to every bleeding character when the character asks for help. So while it is possible, your not going to have many people be that class in a roleplaying situation.
Frodo Lives 12-12-03, 11:44 PM	Yeah, in players who are into total optimization (not all mind you) seem to be perfectly fine ignoring any and all rp aspects and or restrictions on PrC or even regular classes. RP and history restrictions are put in place to give the DM more control over what will be implemented as well as try to help balance the class in question. It's a huge pet peeve of mine to see characters take classes and PrC while ignoring anything but the mechanical requirements.
LiXinjian 12-13-03, 05:22 PM	Seems character optimization is all about avoiding to meet your deity.. after a quick trip to the fugue plane, that is! ;)
avatarolt 12-13-03, 06:25 PM	Are the two groups seriously THAT disparate? I refuse to believe that there isn't ANY roleplayer who's gotten a chance to play this out. Geesh, FR makes it sounds like everyone's met a diety once or twice.
Otto the Bugbear 12-13-03, 06:36 PM	Also don't forget that not everything you see on C.O. is characters. In the time I've been posting on these boards -- most of which is spent on C.O. -- not once have I used any of the super-min/maxed builds I help with on C.O. While I've certainly used Contemplative in some of the stuff I've submitted, I don't consider any of those to be characters. They're builds. I do it because I find it fun to try throwing strange combinations together or to eke out the last little bit of something from the rules. My characters tend to be pretty simple mechanics wise. They fulfil their niche within the party, but don't overshadow the other characters beyond that. I'm sure there are players that actually use these, but they're probably a minority. As a side effect, C.O. is also a valuable resource for DMs on the look out for stuff that would break their game. Anyway, I hope this lends a different perspective to some of the strange combinations you see over on C.O. Cheers Otto :)
avatarolt 12-14-03, 01:14 PM	I've lurked CO much longer than I've lurked over here. I understand the concept of multiple-PrC-brokeness. I was just hoping that someone actually used Contemplative in a real "working" build and had a story or two how it got inserted into the game.
Otto the Bugbear 12-14-03, 02:24 PM	Ahh, I see. Sometime about a year ago one of my character's met a high representative of his deity. While it would have been nice, I had no intention of dumping a bunch of skill points in a cross class skill to gain some marginal benefits. Playing a fighter-type wouldn't have made sense to take a level of Contemplative, even if it may have become available (with DM approval). As far as actual playing experience goes, I've yet to see anyone take it in my admitedly small gaming group. Cheers Otto :)