3.5 Edition Character Help. [Archive] - Wizards Community

3.5 Edition Character Help. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
LeafBlighter
12-31-05, 12:38 AM My DM is starting a 3.5 game, allowing any 3.5 book and some 3rd Edition books with his permission, in this case I must have a copy of the book, which should not be much of a problem. We are starting at level 7 and it appears that we will have a larger group than normal and from what I gather from the other players there will be one cleric (melee focus), 3 warriors a rogue and whatever I decide. I have been looking into 3 different directions.

First direction would be Druid, acting as a second healer, damage dealer in wildshape form.
Second would be a cleric focused only on healing, working my way to heirophant and Apostle of Peace from Book of Exalted Deeds.
Third would be a defensive caster with feats like Imp. Counterspell, Absorb Spell and the sort like that.

Again, 7th level starting off with 20,000 gold. Any 3.5 core and complete book. 3rd edition will be allowed upon DM's approval. The other characters in the group will be a melee focused cleric, 3 warriors and a rogue. Not sure if I want to balance or assume the role of some sort of healer. We will be using max hitpoints and my stat roles are 18,18,17,16,15 and 13 (not in any order.)

Thanks if you need more info just ask.

- LB.
LeafBlighter
12-31-05, 08:12 AM Any ideas guys?
Enamel_32
12-31-05, 08:42 AM I like the idea of a healing cleric, and there are most cartainly plenty of ways to make one. A level or two in heirophant will give you some options, and I especially like the divine reach for healing/buffing/harming/whetever. Also, if you can fit the requirements for the radiant servant of pelor, that will help with undead as well as healing.
colm_l
12-31-05, 08:47 AM Please do not bump a topic untill 24 hours have passed. (It's part of this boards COC).

A lot of us are in different time zones.

Look at the druid handbook for the druid (fairly standard druid).

Look at the counterspelling threads for the defensive caster.

Someone else should be able to provide links (not at the right computer myself).
J-A-R-N-O
12-31-05, 08:48 AM A druid is always a good addition to any party, but as your party is already very melee heavy, you might want to play a caster druid instead of a melee one. The good thing about the druid is that you can focus on casting without lowering your melee capabilities.

If you go for the Apostole of peace, you shouldn't start as a cleric, it would be a waste of your clerical casting. You should try to get as many defensive abilities like Divine grace, Mettle and Evasion to give you more survivanility or things like Bardic music to improve your supportiveness.

Edit: Links:

The Druid Handbook (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=465005)

First Round: Optimizing Counterspell (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=546966)
LeafBlighter
12-31-05, 06:57 PM If I had gone with a Druid I was going to be taking a level of monk for the Wisdom bonus to armor class since my wisdom would be an 18.

If I go the Apostle of Peace route you think I should take some bard levels... I am not sure if I understand why since bard casts with arcane and I was going for a divine class, so if you could please touch base and explain this to me I would appreciate it.. I am not the best at omptimizing so any help would be super.
Endarire
12-31-05, 07:38 PM If you quite enjoy spell variety, consider an archivist (wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3) for its ability to learn any divine spell from a scroll, and talk with him about a Collegiate Archivist feat that would allow you to gain 4 spells per level and trade two cleric spells learned per level for one domain spell. At the Crystal Keep (crystalkeep.com/d20), you can find a huge lists of D&D-related information, including domain spells.

-EE
LeafBlighter
12-31-05, 08:59 PM The links you provided are not working, but I will look for Archivist info shortly and if you can find another link that may work could you PM me it. Thanks alot.

- LB.
J-A-R-N-O
01-01-06, 04:55 AM Tha Bard suggestion was not for those spells, but for those nice bardic songs you can sing when there is nothing else for you to do. As Apostole of Peace has a casting of it's own, it's better to get as many good class abilities that do not overlap with it. 20th level clerical casting is much better than 10th Apostole of Peace, but level 10 Apostole of Peace casting is much better than level 10 Clerical casting. If you have both level 10 Clerical and Apostole of Peace casting you are doing wrong, you should either completely focus on your Apostole of Peace casting or Cleric casting.

As an Apostole of Peace is a support class, someone that just sits in the background and waits for someone to get hurt so he/she can get up and heal them, it would be good to have something to do other than just sit, bardic music would give you the ability to buff your friends with music. Unfortunately there is only one PrC that advances both bardic music and divine spellcasting is Divine prankster from Races of Stone, and is Gnome only. A Gnomish Bard 7/Apostole of Peace 4/Divine Prankster 9, with those six first Divine Prankster casting levels going AoP, and the rest to Bard is a decent backup character, full AoP casting with some bard abilities and casting.

Another way to make an Apostole of Peace is to start as an arcane caster, and advance both Apostole of Peace casting and that arcane casting at the same time, so you can cast some handy battlefield controlling spells that do not do damage. Wizard 10/Apostole of Peace 2/Mystic theurge 8 casts as a level 10 AoP and level 18 Wizard, but it might not be what you're looking for.

Fixed those links for Endarire: Archivist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3), CrystalKeep (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20)
LeafBlighter
01-01-06, 09:01 AM I looked at Archivist, I liked it. How about if I did Archivist 10/Fist of Raziel 10, or would that not be a good optimization?
colm_l
01-01-06, 10:09 AM It's ok but not optimal.

You could go

Archivist 6/Church Inquisitor 4/Fist of Raziel 10

Losing dark knowledge (foe), a dark knowledge use, a lore mastery & a bonus feat on your build for an extra point of BAB (bringing you to 16) & some pretty strong abilities.

Archivist 3/Church inquisitor 4/Sacred exorcist 4/Fist of Raziel 9

For Turning, BAB 16 & other things at the cost of archivist features.

Archivist 8/Full BAB 2/Fist of Raziel 10

for BAB 16 & everything else the archivist 10 has bar some caster levels & a feat.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
LeafBlighter 12-31-05, 12:38 AM	My DM is starting a 3.5 game, allowing any 3.5 book and some 3rd Edition books with his permission, in this case I must have a copy of the book, which should not be much of a problem. We are starting at level 7 and it appears that we will have a larger group than normal and from what I gather from the other players there will be one cleric (melee focus), 3 warriors a rogue and whatever I decide. I have been looking into 3 different directions. First direction would be Druid, acting as a second healer, damage dealer in wildshape form. Second would be a cleric focused only on healing, working my way to heirophant and Apostle of Peace from Book of Exalted Deeds. Third would be a defensive caster with feats like Imp. Counterspell, Absorb Spell and the sort like that. Again, 7th level starting off with 20,000 gold. Any 3.5 core and complete book. 3rd edition will be allowed upon DM's approval. The other characters in the group will be a melee focused cleric, 3 warriors and a rogue. Not sure if I want to balance or assume the role of some sort of healer. We will be using max hitpoints and my stat roles are 18,18,17,16,15 and 13 (not in any order.) Thanks if you need more info just ask. - LB.
LeafBlighter 12-31-05, 08:12 AM	Any ideas guys?
Enamel_32 12-31-05, 08:42 AM	I like the idea of a healing cleric, and there are most cartainly plenty of ways to make one. A level or two in heirophant will give you some options, and I especially like the divine reach for healing/buffing/harming/whetever. Also, if you can fit the requirements for the radiant servant of pelor, that will help with undead as well as healing.
colm_l 12-31-05, 08:47 AM	Please do not bump a topic untill 24 hours have passed. (It's part of this boards COC). A lot of us are in different time zones. Look at the druid handbook for the druid (fairly standard druid). Look at the counterspelling threads for the defensive caster. Someone else should be able to provide links (not at the right computer myself).
J-A-R-N-O 12-31-05, 08:48 AM	A druid is always a good addition to any party, but as your party is already very melee heavy, you might want to play a caster druid instead of a melee one. The good thing about the druid is that you can focus on casting without lowering your melee capabilities. If you go for the Apostole of peace, you shouldn't start as a cleric, it would be a waste of your clerical casting. You should try to get as many defensive abilities like Divine grace, Mettle and Evasion to give you more survivanility or things like Bardic music to improve your supportiveness. Edit: Links: The Druid Handbook (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=465005) First Round: Optimizing Counterspell (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=546966)
LeafBlighter 12-31-05, 06:57 PM	If I had gone with a Druid I was going to be taking a level of monk for the Wisdom bonus to armor class since my wisdom would be an 18. If I go the Apostle of Peace route you think I should take some bard levels... I am not sure if I understand why since bard casts with arcane and I was going for a divine class, so if you could please touch base and explain this to me I would appreciate it.. I am not the best at omptimizing so any help would be super.
Endarire 12-31-05, 07:38 PM	If you quite enjoy spell variety, consider an archivist (wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3) for its ability to learn any divine spell from a scroll, and talk with him about a Collegiate Archivist feat that would allow you to gain 4 spells per level and trade two cleric spells learned per level for one domain spell. At the Crystal Keep (crystalkeep.com/d20), you can find a huge lists of D&D-related information, including domain spells. -EE
LeafBlighter 12-31-05, 08:59 PM	The links you provided are not working, but I will look for Archivist info shortly and if you can find another link that may work could you PM me it. Thanks alot. - LB.
J-A-R-N-O 01-01-06, 04:55 AM	Tha Bard suggestion was not for those spells, but for those nice bardic songs you can sing when there is nothing else for you to do. As Apostole of Peace has a casting of it's own, it's better to get as many good class abilities that do not overlap with it. 20th level clerical casting is much better than 10th Apostole of Peace, but level 10 Apostole of Peace casting is much better than level 10 Clerical casting. If you have both level 10 Clerical and Apostole of Peace casting you are doing wrong, you should either completely focus on your Apostole of Peace casting or Cleric casting. As an Apostole of Peace is a support class, someone that just sits in the background and waits for someone to get hurt so he/she can get up and heal them, it would be good to have something to do other than just sit, bardic music would give you the ability to buff your friends with music. Unfortunately there is only one PrC that advances both bardic music and divine spellcasting is Divine prankster from Races of Stone, and is Gnome only. A Gnomish Bard 7/Apostole of Peace 4/Divine Prankster 9, with those six first Divine Prankster casting levels going AoP, and the rest to Bard is a decent backup character, full AoP casting with some bard abilities and casting. Another way to make an Apostole of Peace is to start as an arcane caster, and advance both Apostole of Peace casting and that arcane casting at the same time, so you can cast some handy battlefield controlling spells that do not do damage. Wizard 10/Apostole of Peace 2/Mystic theurge 8 casts as a level 10 AoP and level 18 Wizard, but it might not be what you're looking for. Fixed those links for Endarire: Archivist (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/ex/20051007a&page=3), CrystalKeep (http://www.crystalkeep.com/d20)
LeafBlighter 01-01-06, 09:01 AM	I looked at Archivist, I liked it. How about if I did Archivist 10/Fist of Raziel 10, or would that not be a good optimization?
colm_l 01-01-06, 10:09 AM	It's ok but not optimal. You could go Archivist 6/Church Inquisitor 4/Fist of Raziel 10 Losing dark knowledge (foe), a dark knowledge use, a lore mastery & a bonus feat on your build for an extra point of BAB (bringing you to 16) & some pretty strong abilities. Archivist 3/Church inquisitor 4/Sacred exorcist 4/Fist of Raziel 9 For Turning, BAB 16 & other things at the cost of archivist features. Archivist 8/Full BAB 2/Fist of Raziel 10 for BAB 16 & everything else the archivist 10 has bar some caster levels & a feat.