Post/Author/DateTime	Post
raymond caleatry 03-21-06, 03:55 PM	One of my players wished to play a pixie character, but doesn't want to play a spell caster because of the loss in spell casting that the +4 lvl adjust gives. Hence he wished to optimise the pixie as a damage dealing device. Any published books are allowed, but i generally outlaw really bad smelling cheese. He also wants to take a single level in the pyrokineticist prestige class because he really likes the idea of a fire whip. The party is at level 10, so he has 6 levels to play with, one of which is this prestige class. One last thing i have found is that the pyrokineticist prestige class doesn't give you any proficiency with whip. Does this mean you need the exotic weapon proficiency (whip) feat, or a level of bard to be able to use it? If not, the poposed build is: swashbuckler 3/ninja 1/cleric 1/pyrokineticist 1 In some order. Taking the feats Wild talent divine shield and ??? possibly go for divine might as well. Thats what he has come up with so far. I am not sure its the right way to go due to the problems with xp loss, but i think this is more of a comedy character anyway, and will probably not survive very long. Any help would be appreciated. Ray
Gavinfoxx 03-21-06, 04:14 PM	Uhm, how about just a Pixie rogue? Don't go for meleeing with a freaking PIXIE... go to the pixie's strengths. be a rogue..
bluemilker 03-21-06, 04:18 PM	Optimizing him as a damage-dealer in melee? Super-easy. Pixies have Greater Invisibility at will. Greater Invisibility = Flat-footed opponents. Rogue + Assassin, anyone?
Khazra Reborn 03-21-06, 04:31 PM	Either go craven SA character with high crits (craven damage is muliplied on crit, whoop!) or divine might build. In fact, i suggest SAfighter5/ranger2/blackguard8/EWM1. Use a double scimitar (high crit threat) with exotic flury and TWF tree. Craven and your few SA damage make enough damage for normal fights. Save your turnings/divine might uses for "boss" fights or SA immune enemies.
Tempest Stormwind 03-22-06, 12:25 AM	Invisibility only helps with flat-footed opponents during that first round. After that, they're merely denied their dex bonus. The difference is significant. Here's a thought. Pixies, are small enough to qualify for Giantbane (Complete Warrior -- actually treats larger foes as if they were flat footed if they attack and miss, which with your size and dexterity is quite likely), and they have natural stealth for the approach which also adds to the whole "hit while flat-footed" thing. Since they're so tiny and have a Strength penalty, weapon damage with them is best ignored, replaced instead with bonus damage from another source (Sneak Attack being the textbook example and already mentioned, but it's far from the only one). They also have a +6 bonus to Charisma. Am I alone in thinking that Iaijutsu Master is the way to go? Just carry a box of toothpicks (individually wrapped) into battle.
MaddocZelt 03-22-06, 12:35 AM	Fortunately, Sneak Attack doesn't care if they're flat-footed. All that matters is that they're denied their Dexterity bonus to AC. So an Invisible Pixie Rogue could still Sneak Attack with impunity.
runestar 03-22-06, 01:12 AM	Pixies do not lose their invis when they attack. So long as the foe does not have some sort of ability to detect invis, all SAs will get through for the pixie rogue. :) Maybe create some sort of spiked chain/whirlwind build. Or use the whip from the pyro. It has a reach of 15ft, right?
raymond caleatry 03-22-06, 06:41 AM	What, and where is this Iaijutsu Master i keep on hearing about? ray
Zodar6 03-22-06, 06:43 AM	The Iaijutsu Master is a PrC out of Oriental Adventures (a 3.0 book).
Tempest Stormwind 03-22-06, 09:47 AM	What, and where is this Iaijutsu Master i keep on hearing about? rayIt's a samurai-style PrC in Oriental Adventures (note: The 3.5 update for it, printed in Dragon (318 or 319, I forget which), didn't change the Iaijutsu Master at all.) Basically, it is all about drawing one's weapon and striking with it faster than anything you can imagine. It gains a few interesting abilities (like Canny Defense -- Int to AC when unarmored -- and One Strike Two Cuts (two attacks with a katana as a standard action, which could be lethal if you had two katanas in sheaths; see below), along with an ability to add Charisma to initiative), but by far the big winner is Strike from the Void. You see, in OA, there was a skill called Iaijutsu Focus. You would roll a check whenever you attempted to draw your weapon and strike a flat-footed opponent with it in the same round (Flat-footed, mind you, not merely denied dex). If you beat DC 10, you got an extra 1d6 damage on your attack. For every 5 points above 10, an extra 1d6 got added on (to a maximum of +9d6 at a check result of 50, though an epic feat removes this restriction). With enough optimization, you shouldn't have a problem getting to routine checks of 35 or higher, even in the mid levels. Strike from the Void lets you add your Charisma bonus to each extra die from Iaijutsu Focus. The Giantbane feat is a way to get foes who attack you to go flat-footed even if they're aware of you. Halflings have similar feats (Underfoot Fighting and Confound the Big Folk) in Races of the Wild that you might want to look into adapting as well. But this technique in general, which I call Giantbane Iaijutsu, can be startlingly lethal when used by anything tiny. Note that Giantbane triggers when you're attacked during total defense and they miss. Consider your AC when in total defense, or the miss chance from Greater Invisibility. Also, Iaijutsu Master's requirements are most of the requirements for Elusive Target.