Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Hailand 05-18-07, 02:12 AM	Okay, guys and girls! I am not looking for an actual build, but a compilation of possibilities for characters that involve the aspect of chance. Of course, D&D is a game of chance. Sorry, the wizard just killed you by making a maximum damage critical hit... No, your epic fighter has missed with all his attacks against that commoner due to natural one-dom. But I want to know about all and everything that makes a character even more dependent on chance. Anything that has a high chance of failure but can provide you with that one moment of glory. Probably just once per game session, but it does not matter. As for weapons, for example, I am thinking of a scythe. Who wants that keen rapier with 15-20 critical range? You are scoring critical after critical, and that's boring. A paralytic burst scythe is what we want! Quadruple damage in addition to possible paralysis makes for a much more memorable event, and that's what I want: Moments that keep in memory. As for feats, a favorite of mine is the simple power attack, best combined with a two-handed weapon. While the rogue keeps on the ground with his always-hitting two kukris, you are hitting rarely, but hard. That makes even for the first combination: Power Attack+Scythe. Of course, overall you will be inferior to other characters, but then there will be that moment in which you manage an instant kill on the twelve-headed hydra that was about to eat your group for breakfast. A typical class ability would be escalation(shadow haste)/escalation(shadow growth) from the Escalation Mage in Faiths of Eberron. His spells will fail, he will suffer damage and negative effects, but there will be the time that he uses shadow haste successfully, and then shadow growth, too, in the same round, turning the tides of battle. Other class abilities could be Wild Magic from the Wild Mage or the Anarchic Initiate's Chaotic Surge, or simply the Wilder's Wild Surge. Now, you come in! Please help me collect more of these nerve-destroying abilities, items, feats, et cetera. Also possibilities to improve or combining the existing ways of challenging chance. Like, enhancing power attack, or multiclassing Wild Mage and Escalation Mage. Thanks a lot!
bomaz 05-23-07, 07:18 AM	2nd edition wild magic, if I remember correctly it is alot more fun than 3rd
Dither 05-23-07, 06:20 PM	Now, the scythe sounds great, but what I think you might really be looking for is the greataxe. The scythe, with its 2d4 damage, deals a pretty reliable 5 damage on average, and you get two dice rolls, two chances. That ×4 crit is certainly nice but if you take a look at the greataxe... With a d12, it's hard to get more variable than that. You've only got a ×3 critical, but look at the wide range of possibility with that! a critical on a greataxe with an 18 Strength does anywhere from 9-45 damage. If that's not throwing everything to the winds of chance, I don't know what is... max damage with scythe on a crit is 56 max damage with greataxe on a crit is 54 not a huge power difference there.
Hailand 05-28-07, 04:15 AM	I do play D&D 3.5, so no 2nd edition... A greataxe is a funny idea, though the problem for me is the lower critical multiplier. With power attack, I am missing a lot of that maximum damage potential. I might still think about the axe for lower levels. It does not cost much and at lower levels it indeed has a better chance to hit hard and is better in general, too.
Shiladie 06-17-07, 04:33 AM	aura of chaos: re-roll any damage roll that is the maximum result. Continue if this happens again this is a stance in ToB, and sounds perfect for what you're going for. a feat in Iron Heroes, can't remember which exactly: If you confirm a Critical, get a cleave attack. By the wording, you can use this attack on the target you 'just' critted In a game i was in, in the last fight with the big bad, our weapon master charged, and critted 9 attacks in a row, talk about a 'WTF' look on the DM's face...