New Idea.. [Archive] - Wizards Community - Pages Merged by Solauren

New Idea.. [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
DarkHeretic
03-30-08, 11:49 AM I am plannign to build a Psychic Warrior, next level he will be a Cleric, thena Wizard.
This will give hima LOT of flexibilty
I KNOW some people might geta bit tetchy because of all the classes.
ANYWAY, I can create the character on my own, but I want him to be Half Dragon
I have read throught it in the Mon Man, on page 146 - 147,
But it says the Half Dragon Rac eis a a Template to be applied, so what does that mean?

Could I have some help creating the Character then please?:confused:
The_Mess
03-30-08, 12:47 PM Splitting your character up that way might not be the best idea. Assuming you intend to continue that pattern, by level 9, you'll be a 3rd level psychic warrior, 3rd level cleric, and a 3rd level wizard. In short, you'll be a weak psychic warrior, a weak cleric and a weak wizard, all rolled into one. While, arguably, flexible, none of the powers granted by your three classes are going to do you much good against the kind of monsters you'll be facing at 9th level, unless you're very, very careful at putting the character together. The wizard levels will be dragging down you hp and bab, so you can't fight most monsters in melee. You can't fix this problem with your psychic warrior buffs because they're capped off at 3 and you only know a few first level powers anyway and your cleric levels won't be offering you much healing for the damage you'd take. You can try being artillery instead of fighting close, but in that respect, you're just a third level wizard.

Rules for templates are in the monster manual. The short version is that you apply the template to another race. So, you might start off with an elf and apply the half-dragon template to it, creating a half-dragon elf. It's not a race on it's own.
Fireclave
03-30-08, 02:36 PM I'd also recommend against using the half-dragon template unless you have a good idea of how it's going to affect your chracter. Especially with the set up you're going for. Like many templates (and creatures for that matter), half-dragons get something called "Level Adjustment," or LA. LA are basically dead levels. They don't contribute anything to your character (not to saves, Bab, class abilities, skills, ect). Even though they don't grant any benefit, LA still counts toward your "Effective Character Level," or ECL. ECL is what you use to determine how to calculate your experience. The idea is that LA is suppose to make up for the abilties granted by the template.

The half-dragon template has a LA of +3. That means that your are treated three levels higher that normal for determining how much XP you should get from an encounter and how much XP you need to reach your next level. For example: A 1st level human psychic warrior with the half-dragon template would only have one class level, but is treated as a 4th level character. The various bonuses from the template may be helpful, but you will always be behind in certain areas like power points, manifester levels, powers known, Bab, skill points, saves, and so on. Considering that a psychic warrior can probably effectively reap most or all of the benefits of the half-dragon templates with a few, carefully chosen powers, while still reaping all of other benefits progressing in class levels, taking the template probably isn't worth it mechanically.

There are a couple of more optimal ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. Assuming you want to primarily be a psywar, you should consider the Expanded Knowledge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#expandedKnowledge) feat (which you can take multiple times with your psywar bonus feats). This feat will allow you to learn powers that aren't on your class list, greatly expanding your versatility and allowing you to do a few wizardly things. For the cleric as aspect, a psywar can make be a passable back-up cleric with Vigor and/or Body Adjustment and Empathic Transfer. Add Body Purification if you want to be able to heal ability damage, and perhaps Psionic Revivify at higher levels.

And for the dragon aspect, you might want to ask your DM if he'll allow you to play a Dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1). It's basically a template and race rolled into one, with a really strong dragon heritage flavor, good racial abilities, and most importantly, no LA.
DarkHeretic
03-30-08, 02:45 PM Thats fine, I wanted a fighter who can go toe to toe and also serious magical power, and the a bility to be healed, a sort of SOLO player if you can understand what I meant.

And I am Veery sure on the Human/Half Dragon, I would get many more feats.
Lycanthromancer
03-30-08, 04:09 PM Depending on what level you're starting at, you could always go ranger1/egoist/illithid slayer (just 'slayer' in the SRD); you'll end up with a slightly lower manifester level, but you'll be on par with the psychic warrior for melee abilities (with increased flexibility in power placement in lieu of martial-type feats), and with a few well-placed Expanded Knowledges, you'll be able to take psywar-only powers.

That, and the Improved Manifester feat (from CPsi) is your friend. :D
CrimsonDeath
03-30-08, 05:19 PM Thats fine, I wanted a fighter who can go toe to toe and also serious magical power, and the a bility to be healed, a sort of SOLO player if you can understand what I meant.

Sounds like a Cleric. Or maybe a Druid.
ppaladin123
03-30-08, 05:37 PM a psychic warrior can heal himself, cure his own ability and level drain, and do a lot more with the right powers. Choose the "body ___" powers and take the feat mental juggernaut.

Play an Elan, ranger 1/ psychic warrior 5/ slayer 10/ XX 4 and you'll be powerful and versatile. You don't need to water down the build with cleric and wizard.

Alternatively, play an ardent with the life mantle and exchange ardent for psychic warrior in the above build. gish-tastic.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
DarkHeretic 03-30-08, 11:49 AM	I am plannign to build a Psychic Warrior, next level he will be a Cleric, thena Wizard. This will give hima LOT of flexibilty I KNOW some people might geta bit tetchy because of all the classes. ANYWAY, I can create the character on my own, but I want him to be Half Dragon I have read throught it in the Mon Man, on page 146 - 147, But it says the Half Dragon Rac eis a a Template to be applied, so what does that mean? Could I have some help creating the Character then please?:confused:
The_Mess 03-30-08, 12:47 PM	Splitting your character up that way might not be the best idea. Assuming you intend to continue that pattern, by level 9, you'll be a 3rd level psychic warrior, 3rd level cleric, and a 3rd level wizard. In short, you'll be a weak psychic warrior, a weak cleric and a weak wizard, all rolled into one. While, arguably, flexible, none of the powers granted by your three classes are going to do you much good against the kind of monsters you'll be facing at 9th level, unless you're very, very careful at putting the character together. The wizard levels will be dragging down you hp and bab, so you can't fight most monsters in melee. You can't fix this problem with your psychic warrior buffs because they're capped off at 3 and you only know a few first level powers anyway and your cleric levels won't be offering you much healing for the damage you'd take. You can try being artillery instead of fighting close, but in that respect, you're just a third level wizard. Rules for templates are in the monster manual. The short version is that you apply the template to another race. So, you might start off with an elf and apply the half-dragon template to it, creating a half-dragon elf. It's not a race on it's own.
Fireclave 03-30-08, 02:36 PM	I'd also recommend against using the half-dragon template unless you have a good idea of how it's going to affect your chracter. Especially with the set up you're going for. Like many templates (and creatures for that matter), half-dragons get something called "Level Adjustment," or LA. LA are basically dead levels. They don't contribute anything to your character (not to saves, Bab, class abilities, skills, ect). Even though they don't grant any benefit, LA still counts toward your "Effective Character Level," or ECL. ECL is what you use to determine how to calculate your experience. The idea is that LA is suppose to make up for the abilties granted by the template. The half-dragon template has a LA of +3. That means that your are treated three levels higher that normal for determining how much XP you should get from an encounter and how much XP you need to reach your next level. For example: A 1st level human psychic warrior with the half-dragon template would only have one class level, but is treated as a 4th level character. The various bonuses from the template may be helpful, but you will always be behind in certain areas like power points, manifester levels, powers known, Bab, skill points, saves, and so on. Considering that a psychic warrior can probably effectively reap most or all of the benefits of the half-dragon templates with a few, carefully chosen powers, while still reaping all of other benefits progressing in class levels, taking the template probably isn't worth it mechanically. There are a couple of more optimal ways to accomplish what you are trying to do. Assuming you want to primarily be a psywar, you should consider the Expanded Knowledge (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/psionic/psionicFeats.htm#expandedKnowledge) feat (which you can take multiple times with your psywar bonus feats). This feat will allow you to learn powers that aren't on your class list, greatly expanding your versatility and allowing you to do a few wizardly things. For the cleric as aspect, a psywar can make be a passable back-up cleric with Vigor and/or Body Adjustment and Empathic Transfer. Add Body Purification if you want to be able to heal ability damage, and perhaps Psionic Revivify at higher levels. And for the dragon aspect, you might want to ask your DM if he'll allow you to play a Dragonborn (http://www.wizards.com/default.asp?x=dnd/iw/20060105b&page=1). It's basically a template and race rolled into one, with a really strong dragon heritage flavor, good racial abilities, and most importantly, no LA.
DarkHeretic 03-30-08, 02:45 PM	Thats fine, I wanted a fighter who can go toe to toe and also serious magical power, and the a bility to be healed, a sort of SOLO player if you can understand what I meant. And I am Veery sure on the Human/Half Dragon, I would get many more feats.
Lycanthromancer 03-30-08, 04:09 PM	Depending on what level you're starting at, you could always go ranger1/egoist/illithid slayer (just 'slayer' in the SRD); you'll end up with a slightly lower manifester level, but you'll be on par with the psychic warrior for melee abilities (with increased flexibility in power placement in lieu of martial-type feats), and with a few well-placed Expanded Knowledges, you'll be able to take psywar-only powers. That, and the Improved Manifester feat (from CPsi) is your friend. :D
CrimsonDeath 03-30-08, 05:19 PM	Thats fine, I wanted a fighter who can go toe to toe and also serious magical power, and the a bility to be healed, a sort of SOLO player if you can understand what I meant. Sounds like a Cleric. Or maybe a Druid.
ppaladin123 03-30-08, 05:37 PM	a psychic warrior can heal himself, cure his own ability and level drain, and do a lot more with the right powers. Choose the "body ___" powers and take the feat mental juggernaut. Play an Elan, ranger 1/ psychic warrior 5/ slayer 10/ XX 4 and you'll be powerful and versatile. You don't need to water down the build with cleric and wizard. Alternatively, play an ardent with the life mantle and exchange ardent for psychic warrior in the above build. gish-tastic.