Blind Warrior [Archive] - Wizards Community

Blind Warrior [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Pellanor
10-26-05, 12:55 PM I've been working on this character concept for some time and have come up with a handful of decent builds for it, but I'd like to see what you guys can suggest to improve it.

There are two key concepts to this build, the first I've found harder to pull off then the others.
1. The Blind aspect. Ideally I'd like the character to be blind, but have something (such as Blind Sight, or Blind Sense + Blind Fight) to allow him to still operate relatively normally. I initially got the idea form the Blindfold of True Darkness from the Arms and Equipment Guide, and while I could just use the item, I would prefer to keep this character so that he isn't reliant on his gear.
2. The other aspect is an "Intuitive Warrior". One that doesn't have to be particularly strong or agile to fight well. I really like the Shiba Protector's No Thought ability for this. It also works well with the Monk's (and Ninja's) Wis Mod to AC. The Psi Powers Offensive and / or Defensive Precognition also work well with this theme.

I envision this character as one that wears no armor, and fights with a Katana. Ideally I'd try to get an Adamentine Katana and Improved Sunder to get the whole "Cut anything in half with a Katana" image going too.

The one build I came up with is a Monk(2) / Psi-Warrior(2) / Fighter(2) / Samurai(1) / Shiba Protector(1) / Exotic Weapon Master(1) / War Mind(10) / Something Else(1).
This one gives me a full +16 or +17 (depending on the last level) Base Attack Bonus and saves of 22/10/7 (with Iron Will and a good Wis Mod boosting my will save). One of the down sides is that between Psi-Warrior and Monk my BAB is rather low early on, so until I get Shiba Protector at level 8, I won't be particularly accurate.

Another build is Swashbuckler(1) / Hexblade(4) / Cobra Strike Monk(2) / Shiba Protector(1) / Arcane Duelist(2) / Iaijutsu Master(1) / Blade Dancer(1) / Duelist(8). This doesn't have the full 10 levels in a prestige class to be epic ready, but it does have 8 which puts it close. It's got a BAB of +17 and saves of 13/18/16. One problem with this build is that I don't have the free feat to grab Proficiency with the Katana until level 15. Because of the Arcane Duelist and the Hexblade, it increases MAD a bit by making Cha a more desirable attribute. It also doesn't fit the theme as well as I'd like. It is probably the more potent of the two builds but I prefer the feel of the first one.

Also neither of those two builds does anything as far as the whole "Blind" aspect goes.

I'm trying to reduce MAD by having as much of the character's abilities based on Wis as possible.
I also want to leave the character as free as possible on the Good/Evil axis of the alignment. I don't mind being tied down on the Law/Chaos aspect (as Monk already does that).
And of course I want this character to be epic ready, with a BAB of 16+, 10 levels in a prestige class (or close to it), and good saves.

Books I have available: SRD, Complete, Races (Stone, Wild, Destiny), Sandstorm, Frostburn, Stormwrack, Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, Planar Handbook, BoED, BoVD.
I can also use some of the setting specific books (FR, OA, Eberron, etc...) but I want to avoid setting mixing.
I can also use some of the variant classes from UA.
nullex
10-26-05, 07:15 PM Can you use Lords of Madness? If so, then you could take the feat in there (not listed in the Feat section), Mindsight, which lets you know the exact location of anyone within the range of your telepathy ability. What telepathy ability? Why the telepathy granted from the Mindbender PrC, but of course.

I'm away from my books right now, but I think Hexblade has charm person on its spell list (one requisite for Mindbender). The caster level requirement for Mindbender (5th) is an issue, as the CL for Hexblade is half class level. Perhaps Practiced Spellcaster to address the issue.

I don't know, just an alternative. Not really a helpful post, but meh. I like the concept though. :)

EDIT: Hell, maybe just go Scout 20, giving you blindsense out to 30'. Or not...
Tethlis
10-26-05, 09:42 PM Nullex, what page is that feat on?
Kilo24
10-26-05, 09:51 PM It's on page 126, under Tsochar variants.
bluelighter0
10-26-05, 10:06 PM I ran a Blind Psion (Telepath) once. My DM let me take Blind as a flaw, ala Unearthed Arcana, and made it worth 2 feats. I then took the Synthesiate power (I think I'm spelling it wrong) to be able to 'Hear' light, negating the penalties of being blind. While this doesn't help you, as you're looking at a fighter type, I believe the power can be accessed by Psychic Warriors, who's primary 'casting' stat is Wisdom. This option tends to be much less feat intensive, but in a build with very little PsyWar, you'll be casting it again rather often, as it's a 10 min/level power. Just something to consider.
Pellanor
10-28-05, 12:36 PM Those are a couple good ideas.

I could probably get access to Lords of Madness if need be.
The problem with Mindsight is that it only allows me to pinpoint their location, which means I'd still suffer a 50% miss chance on my attacks.

The one build does use the War Mind in it, which has access to the Psi-Warrior list, on which you'll find Synesthete.

I found that the following creatures have blindsight, but since it's a special quality I'd probably need to either be a MoMF or a Master Transforgmasit(sp?).

Assassin Vine, Darkmantle, Destrachan, Grimlock, All Oozes, Dread Wraith, Yrthak, Astral Construct, Intellect Devourer.

I'll keep looking and see if I come up with anything else.
rilem
10-28-05, 01:10 PM Synesthete is probably your best option in 3.5. There was a blindsight 5-foot radius feat in Sword and Fist, if that's an option.

18 levels:
OASamurai2/Psion2/Swashbuckler3/IajutsuMaster5/SanctifiedMind6/Fighter2
BAB 19
Saves: 14/7/12
Int to AC & Damage (W.Finesse with Katana)
4th level psion powers
Nasty Iajutsu Focus Damage

Key feats: Weapon Finesse*, Psicrystal*, WF (Katana)*, Iron Will, Improved Init, QuickDraw, Blind-Fight, Hear the Unseen, Power Attack*, Improved Sunder*, Focused Sunder, Combat Brute, Quicken Power.

- Psicrystal is your seeing-eye rock and will help you get by in day-to-day life.
- Blind-Fight & Hear the Unseen will help you get by in many combat situations.
- When you need it (enemies attacking from range, etc.), Use Quickened Synesthete.
nullex
10-28-05, 02:15 PM That's a hot build, rilem.
Red_Decker
10-28-05, 11:50 PM Two feats will help eliminate the penalty Blindfight and Hear the Unseen; basically use listen to negate concealment. A successful listen check I think halves the mischance and the blindfight reroll make a 50% miss chance into a 10% [IIRC]

I had those on a character once and teamed up with a druid using obscuring mist alot, did better in concealment then out of it.

Then take blindsight 5' from sword and fist and basically have blindsight out to the distance you can hear.
http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
allenchan
10-28-05, 11:55 PM There's also a deformity feat in HoH that gives you blindsense 30, as well as the blindfold in the arms and equipment guide.
rilem
10-29-05, 12:12 AM Oh, yeah, If you want to solve all your problems just buy the blindfold of true darkness, certainly. (It's WAY underpriced for what it does).

There are a couple of Incarnum abilities that also give you a blindsense ability.

Or you could use Metamorphic Transfer to pick up a supernatural blindsight ability.

nullex: Thanks much; I'm sure it could be improved upon with some work. One could argue that I've bundled in too many anti-blindness abilities, for example. But I've been looking at this for a while and think redundancies are important. (I'm currently playing a psionic Grimlock melee rogue in Balthanon's online City of the Spider Queen game, and even with honest-to-goodness blindsight I've wanted to build in some backup sensory abilities.)
Muddman
10-29-05, 09:58 AM I played a blind swordsman once, pretty cool concept.

I had the blindfold, but I also had a series of feat for when the blindfold was off/gone/useless/etc.

I had blindfight (duh), quick recoiter (allows for a listen check as a free action each round) hear the unseen (which allows you to pinpoint the squares of everyone within 30' with a listen check dc 20) and the dm allowed the blindsight 5' radius from sword and fist (gives 5' blindsight, but you need a 19 wis to take the feat)

It was a good combo. I made him a monk/fighter who used a katana. High wis upped my ac and made me great at unarmed combat. The blindfold was a great tool, but I agree that making a guy reliant on equipment is just asking for it
ff6shadow
10-29-05, 10:19 AM Another thought was Scout. No books with me right now, but around level 11 gets Blind Sense 30ft, and up near 20 gets Blind Sight 30ft

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Pellanor 10-26-05, 12:55 PM	I've been working on this character concept for some time and have come up with a handful of decent builds for it, but I'd like to see what you guys can suggest to improve it. There are two key concepts to this build, the first I've found harder to pull off then the others. 1. The Blind aspect. Ideally I'd like the character to be blind, but have something (such as Blind Sight, or Blind Sense + Blind Fight) to allow him to still operate relatively normally. I initially got the idea form the Blindfold of True Darkness from the Arms and Equipment Guide, and while I could just use the item, I would prefer to keep this character so that he isn't reliant on his gear. 2. The other aspect is an "Intuitive Warrior". One that doesn't have to be particularly strong or agile to fight well. I really like the Shiba Protector's No Thought ability for this. It also works well with the Monk's (and Ninja's) Wis Mod to AC. The Psi Powers Offensive and / or Defensive Precognition also work well with this theme. I envision this character as one that wears no armor, and fights with a Katana. Ideally I'd try to get an Adamentine Katana and Improved Sunder to get the whole "Cut anything in half with a Katana" image going too. The one build I came up with is a Monk(2) / Psi-Warrior(2) / Fighter(2) / Samurai(1) / Shiba Protector(1) / Exotic Weapon Master(1) / War Mind(10) / Something Else(1). This one gives me a full +16 or +17 (depending on the last level) Base Attack Bonus and saves of 22/10/7 (with Iron Will and a good Wis Mod boosting my will save). One of the down sides is that between Psi-Warrior and Monk my BAB is rather low early on, so until I get Shiba Protector at level 8, I won't be particularly accurate. Another build is Swashbuckler(1) / Hexblade(4) / Cobra Strike Monk(2) / Shiba Protector(1) / Arcane Duelist(2) / Iaijutsu Master(1) / Blade Dancer(1) / Duelist(8). This doesn't have the full 10 levels in a prestige class to be epic ready, but it does have 8 which puts it close. It's got a BAB of +17 and saves of 13/18/16. One problem with this build is that I don't have the free feat to grab Proficiency with the Katana until level 15. Because of the Arcane Duelist and the Hexblade, it increases MAD a bit by making Cha a more desirable attribute. It also doesn't fit the theme as well as I'd like. It is probably the more potent of the two builds but I prefer the feel of the first one. Also neither of those two builds does anything as far as the whole "Blind" aspect goes. I'm trying to reduce MAD by having as much of the character's abilities based on Wis as possible. I also want to leave the character as free as possible on the Good/Evil axis of the alignment. I don't mind being tied down on the Law/Chaos aspect (as Monk already does that). And of course I want this character to be epic ready, with a BAB of 16+, 10 levels in a prestige class (or close to it), and good saves. Books I have available: SRD, Complete, Races (Stone, Wild, Destiny), Sandstorm, Frostburn, Stormwrack, Draconomicon, Libris Mortis, Planar Handbook, BoED, BoVD. I can also use some of the setting specific books (FR, OA, Eberron, etc...) but I want to avoid setting mixing. I can also use some of the variant classes from UA.
nullex 10-26-05, 07:15 PM	Can you use Lords of Madness? If so, then you could take the feat in there (not listed in the Feat section), Mindsight, which lets you know the exact location of anyone within the range of your telepathy ability. What telepathy ability? Why the telepathy granted from the Mindbender PrC, but of course. I'm away from my books right now, but I think Hexblade has charm person on its spell list (one requisite for Mindbender). The caster level requirement for Mindbender (5th) is an issue, as the CL for Hexblade is half class level. Perhaps Practiced Spellcaster to address the issue. I don't know, just an alternative. Not really a helpful post, but meh. I like the concept though. :) EDIT: Hell, maybe just go Scout 20, giving you blindsense out to 30'. Or not...
Tethlis 10-26-05, 09:42 PM	Nullex, what page is that feat on?
Kilo24 10-26-05, 09:51 PM	It's on page 126, under Tsochar variants.
bluelighter0 10-26-05, 10:06 PM	I ran a Blind Psion (Telepath) once. My DM let me take Blind as a flaw, ala Unearthed Arcana, and made it worth 2 feats. I then took the Synthesiate power (I think I'm spelling it wrong) to be able to 'Hear' light, negating the penalties of being blind. While this doesn't help you, as you're looking at a fighter type, I believe the power can be accessed by Psychic Warriors, who's primary 'casting' stat is Wisdom. This option tends to be much less feat intensive, but in a build with very little PsyWar, you'll be casting it again rather often, as it's a 10 min/level power. Just something to consider.
Pellanor 10-28-05, 12:36 PM	Those are a couple good ideas. I could probably get access to Lords of Madness if need be. The problem with Mindsight is that it only allows me to pinpoint their location, which means I'd still suffer a 50% miss chance on my attacks. The one build does use the War Mind in it, which has access to the Psi-Warrior list, on which you'll find Synesthete. I found that the following creatures have blindsight, but since it's a special quality I'd probably need to either be a MoMF or a Master Transforgmasit(sp?). Assassin Vine, Darkmantle, Destrachan, Grimlock, All Oozes, Dread Wraith, Yrthak, Astral Construct, Intellect Devourer. I'll keep looking and see if I come up with anything else.
rilem 10-28-05, 01:10 PM	Synesthete is probably your best option in 3.5. There was a blindsight 5-foot radius feat in Sword and Fist, if that's an option. 18 levels: OASamurai2/Psion2/Swashbuckler3/IajutsuMaster5/SanctifiedMind6/Fighter2 BAB 19 Saves: 14/7/12 Int to AC & Damage (W.Finesse with Katana) 4th level psion powers Nasty Iajutsu Focus Damage Key feats: Weapon Finesse, Psicrystal, WF (Katana), Iron Will, Improved Init, QuickDraw, Blind-Fight, Hear the Unseen, Power Attack, Improved Sunder*, Focused Sunder, Combat Brute, Quicken Power. - Psicrystal is your seeing-eye rock and will help you get by in day-to-day life. - Blind-Fight & Hear the Unseen will help you get by in many combat situations. - When you need it (enemies attacking from range, etc.), Use Quickened Synesthete.
nullex 10-28-05, 02:15 PM	That's a hot build, rilem.
Red_Decker 10-28-05, 11:50 PM	Two feats will help eliminate the penalty Blindfight and Hear the Unseen; basically use listen to negate concealment. A successful listen check I think halves the mischance and the blindfight reroll make a 50% miss chance into a 10% [IIRC] I had those on a character once and teamed up with a druid using obscuring mist alot, did better in concealment then out of it. Then take blindsight 5' from sword and fist and basically have blindsight out to the distance you can hear. http://www.geocities.com/customsmiliesbyswordmaster/inthered.txt
allenchan 10-28-05, 11:55 PM	There's also a deformity feat in HoH that gives you blindsense 30, as well as the blindfold in the arms and equipment guide.
rilem 10-29-05, 12:12 AM	Oh, yeah, If you want to solve all your problems just buy the blindfold of true darkness, certainly. (It's WAY underpriced for what it does). There are a couple of Incarnum abilities that also give you a blindsense ability. Or you could use Metamorphic Transfer to pick up a supernatural blindsight ability. nullex: Thanks much; I'm sure it could be improved upon with some work. One could argue that I've bundled in too many anti-blindness abilities, for example. But I've been looking at this for a while and think redundancies are important. (I'm currently playing a psionic Grimlock melee rogue in Balthanon's online City of the Spider Queen game, and even with honest-to-goodness blindsight I've wanted to build in some backup sensory abilities.)
Muddman 10-29-05, 09:58 AM	I played a blind swordsman once, pretty cool concept. I had the blindfold, but I also had a series of feat for when the blindfold was off/gone/useless/etc. I had blindfight (duh), quick recoiter (allows for a listen check as a free action each round) hear the unseen (which allows you to pinpoint the squares of everyone within 30' with a listen check dc 20) and the dm allowed the blindsight 5' radius from sword and fist (gives 5' blindsight, but you need a 19 wis to take the feat) It was a good combo. I made him a monk/fighter who used a katana. High wis upped my ac and made me great at unarmed combat. The blindfold was a great tool, but I agree that making a guy reliant on equipment is just asking for it
ff6shadow 10-29-05, 10:19 AM	Another thought was Scout. No books with me right now, but around level 11 gets Blind Sense 30ft, and up near 20 gets Blind Sight 30ft