building a Character [Archive] - Wizards Community

building a Character [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
angelofsorrow66
03-26-08, 09:34 AM i need help building a third level character for a (right now) undead and abberation occuopied camaigne (barrow of the forgotten king) the reason im building a 3rd level character is that i had just joined when they slaughtered an ogre zombie ( and i use the word "slaughtered" very literally; suffice to say the zombie was little more than a mass of charred putrified flesh and enchanted arrows) ive always wanted to play, for the most part, a tank, and i think the group would benefit from one. with me, its a three person party (wood elf ranger, half elf bard and me) and they say they want an actual spellcaster. i have access to:

players handbook
expanded psionics handbook
complete warrior
complete psionic
tome of magic
warlock class ( a friend gave me a copy of the page)
warmage class (as warlock, but from the miniatures handbook)
favored soul( as warlock complete divine)
DrMorganes
03-26-08, 10:48 AM Lemme see...
Undead-heavy campaign...
Party lacks a true healer (Bards can only do so much with healing wands)...
You want to tank...

Human Cleric straight to 20, my friend. There's a reason it's called CoDzilla, y'know... ;) Alternately, branch into the Radiant Servant of Pelor (Complete Divine, p52) for tons of undead-thrashing goodness. Either way, you're made of win! :D
RobbyPants
03-26-08, 10:54 AM Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you.

If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity.

I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge.

Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info.

As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing.

If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP.

Edit:
Ninja'ed!
angelofsorrow66
03-26-08, 03:48 PM Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you.

If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity.

I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge.

Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info.

As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing.

If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP.

Edit:
Ninja'ed!

tahnks for the idea, but i wanted something using an alternate magic system (or psionics). that said, ill build a cleric for right now and playtest it to see if i like it
angelofsorrow66
03-26-08, 03:51 PM Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you.

If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity.

I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge.

Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info.

As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing.

If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP.

Edit:
Ninja'ed!

thatnks for the idea, but i wanted more ofensive spells faster.
angelofsorrow66
03-26-08, 03:53 PM sorry about the redundant posting. i wanted to delete it, but i screwed up
RobbyPants
03-27-08, 09:55 AM Well, if you want psionics and offensive powers, either play a straight psychic warrior or psion.

Psions can get some good direct damage easily, if that's what you're looking for. If you go this route, make sure to take the Crystal Shard power at some point, so you can damage things with Spell Resistance. Some good crowd control is essential too.

The pyschic warrior route will make you a better tank, but your offensive powers will come in the form of self buffs.

Which would you prefer?
Ace_of_time
03-27-08, 05:51 PM Druids. Some of the best attack spells in they game and with summoner build will not have to worry about a tank.
angelofsorrow66
03-28-08, 03:17 PM the druid concept is good, but it relies to much on spells. the paladin looked good, then i looked at the alignment restriction. i never said i wanted psionics, but the idea of alternat magic systems intregues me.

also, my friend sent me the stats on the marshal, and the concept is nice.

ive always been a stategy buff anyway
Ace_of_time
03-28-08, 09:10 PM I would chose marshal over pally. I don't like the limits but if you can handle it. I think it is a download from wizards.
RobbyPants
03-28-08, 11:46 PM i never said i wanted psionics, but the idea of alternat magic systems intregues me.
Actually you did, in post number four:

tahnks for the idea, but i wanted something using an alternate magic system (or psionics). that said, ill build a cleric for right now and playtest it to see if i like it
(emphasis mine).

Anyway, all that aside, have you settled on a class you want to use?
angelofsorrow66
03-30-08, 01:07 PM yeah, i have chosen. i relooked the marshal, and it sucks. i realooked the psionics handbooks, and they suckd. ToM's only intresting class is the binder, but it relys too muh on vestiges, and thus sucks. favored soul is just a divine sorcerer, and i hate sorcerers. monk's cool, but the alignment restriction isnt. fighters are too much maintinence, and pallys just suck, but moreso thatn the marshal.

thus i settled on a dwarf barbarian. what do you guys think?
Einvaldurinn_mikli
03-31-08, 02:17 PM I think you are a Negative Nelly.
RobbyPants
03-31-08, 04:19 PM i realooked the psionics handbooks, and they suckd.
Do you mean the Expanded Psionics Handbook? Psionics is a pretty decent system. If you're talking about the old 3.0 Psionics Handbook, then you're right. It sucks.

ToM's only intresting class is the binder, but it relys too muh on vestiges, and thus sucks.
Well, of course it relies on vestiges. That's like saying a wizard sucks because he relies on spells.

monk's cool, but the alignment restriction isnt.
Actually, monks also suck.

fighters are too much maintinence,
I'm curious by what you mean by "too much maintenance".

thus i settled on a dwarf barbarian. what do you guys think?
Go for it. It'd be a pretty easy build. Basically, focus primarily on Str and Con (which is nice with the +2 Con bonus). Secondly, focus on Dex. Use a two-handed weapon like Greatsword or Great Axe and do lots of damage.

Take Power Attack, Improved Bullrush, Shock Trooper, and possibly Improved Sunder and Combat Brute. This will make your Power Attack much more powerful and likely to hit. Other than that, don't forget to rage and Power Attack.

You can also multiclass into Bear Warrior for the ability to seriously boost your Str score at higher levels too.
Khan2000
04-01-08, 06:42 PM Check out Book of 9 swords. There are three classes to use. Very simple and easy to use. I'd go with the swordsage.

This book is not broken. It gets broken by idiot people who don't take the time to learn how the mechanics work. I played an epic-lvl character with 20lvls of swordsage, and found that it was very simple and not at all broken. You have a choice of using a maneuver (of which you have 12 ready-to-use) or normal attack.
Lormador
04-01-08, 10:27 PM I agree with these Book of Nine Swords sentiments. I have only recently read the book and started to trickle a few dipped builds and Martial Study feat takers into my game, as I get the hang of the rules.

It's a lot of fun, adds a lot of flexibility and mobility to the once fairly stalwart fighter. I daresay the ToB is to 3.5 what 3.0 was to 2nd Edition.

I won't say there's nothing suspicious in it, but it's one of the best mechanical developments to come out in a long time. The biggest boon to fighters since the emergence of feats?

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
angelofsorrow66 03-26-08, 09:34 AM	i need help building a third level character for a (right now) undead and abberation occuopied camaigne (barrow of the forgotten king) the reason im building a 3rd level character is that i had just joined when they slaughtered an ogre zombie ( and i use the word "slaughtered" very literally; suffice to say the zombie was little more than a mass of charred putrified flesh and enchanted arrows) ive always wanted to play, for the most part, a tank, and i think the group would benefit from one. with me, its a three person party (wood elf ranger, half elf bard and me) and they say they want an actual spellcaster. i have access to: players handbook expanded psionics handbook complete warrior complete psionic tome of magic warlock class ( a friend gave me a copy of the page) warmage class (as warlock, but from the miniatures handbook) favored soul( as warlock complete divine)
DrMorganes 03-26-08, 10:48 AM	Lemme see... Undead-heavy campaign... Party lacks a true healer (Bards can only do so much with healing wands)... You want to tank... Human Cleric straight to 20, my friend. There's a reason it's called CoDzilla, y'know... ;) Alternately, branch into the Radiant Servant of Pelor (Complete Divine, p52) for tons of undead-thrashing goodness. Either way, you're made of win! :D
RobbyPants 03-26-08, 10:54 AM	Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you. If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity. I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge. Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info. As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing. If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP. Edit: Ninja'ed!
angelofsorrow66 03-26-08, 03:48 PM	Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you. If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity. I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge. Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info. As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing. If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP. Edit: Ninja'ed! tahnks for the idea, but i wanted something using an alternate magic system (or psionics). that said, ill build a cleric for right now and playtest it to see if i like it
angelofsorrow66 03-26-08, 03:51 PM	Tank? Actural spellcaster? How about a cleric? Even with the list of books you have, you can make a very effective cleric using just the PHB. Feats from Complete Warrior can also help you. If you want to be an effective damage dealer, using Power Attack with a two-handed weapon is always a good way to go. One of the best two-hand weapons you can use is a greatsword. In order to get free proficiency (and Weapon Focus, too), you can use the War domain. Sadly, I can't think of any deities that have the War domain and use a greatsword, but you can always choose to worship an ideal instead of an actual deity. I'd take Power Attack at either 1st or 3rd level. A good feat to take from Complete Warrior is Combat Brute. You won't qualify until level 8 (so you can take it at 9th level), and you also need Improved Sunder. Still, this will allow you to Power Attack for a 3:1 damage:attack penalty ratio the round after you charge. Other good feats depend on how you want to play your character. I'd need some more info. As for spells, good crowd control, buffs, and debuffs will often be more useful than healing spells. If you use your spells wisely, and hit hard with your sword, you shouldn't have to use to many spells per day on healing. If you have any say in which magical items you get, you can probably afford a Wand of Cure Light Wounds (or Lesser Vigor if your DM allows). This can be one of the cheapest ways to keep the party at full HP. Edit: Ninja'ed! thatnks for the idea, but i wanted more ofensive spells faster.
angelofsorrow66 03-26-08, 03:53 PM	sorry about the redundant posting. i wanted to delete it, but i screwed up
RobbyPants 03-27-08, 09:55 AM	Well, if you want psionics and offensive powers, either play a straight psychic warrior or psion. Psions can get some good direct damage easily, if that's what you're looking for. If you go this route, make sure to take the Crystal Shard power at some point, so you can damage things with Spell Resistance. Some good crowd control is essential too. The pyschic warrior route will make you a better tank, but your offensive powers will come in the form of self buffs. Which would you prefer?
Ace_of_time 03-27-08, 05:51 PM	Druids. Some of the best attack spells in they game and with summoner build will not have to worry about a tank.
angelofsorrow66 03-28-08, 03:17 PM	the druid concept is good, but it relies to much on spells. the paladin looked good, then i looked at the alignment restriction. i never said i wanted psionics, but the idea of alternat magic systems intregues me. also, my friend sent me the stats on the marshal, and the concept is nice. ive always been a stategy buff anyway
Ace_of_time 03-28-08, 09:10 PM	I would chose marshal over pally. I don't like the limits but if you can handle it. I think it is a download from wizards.
RobbyPants 03-28-08, 11:46 PM	i never said i wanted psionics, but the idea of alternat magic systems intregues me. Actually you did, in post number four: tahnks for the idea, but i wanted something using an alternate magic system (or psionics). that said, ill build a cleric for right now and playtest it to see if i like it (emphasis mine). Anyway, all that aside, have you settled on a class you want to use?
angelofsorrow66 03-30-08, 01:07 PM	yeah, i have chosen. i relooked the marshal, and it sucks. i realooked the psionics handbooks, and they suckd. ToM's only intresting class is the binder, but it relys too muh on vestiges, and thus sucks. favored soul is just a divine sorcerer, and i hate sorcerers. monk's cool, but the alignment restriction isnt. fighters are too much maintinence, and pallys just suck, but moreso thatn the marshal. thus i settled on a dwarf barbarian. what do you guys think?
Einvaldurinn_mikli 03-31-08, 02:17 PM	I think you are a Negative Nelly.
RobbyPants 03-31-08, 04:19 PM	i realooked the psionics handbooks, and they suckd. Do you mean the Expanded Psionics Handbook? Psionics is a pretty decent system. If you're talking about the old 3.0 Psionics Handbook, then you're right. It sucks. ToM's only intresting class is the binder, but it relys too muh on vestiges, and thus sucks. Well, of course it relies on vestiges. That's like saying a wizard sucks because he relies on spells. monk's cool, but the alignment restriction isnt. Actually, monks also suck. fighters are too much maintinence, I'm curious by what you mean by "too much maintenance". thus i settled on a dwarf barbarian. what do you guys think? Go for it. It'd be a pretty easy build. Basically, focus primarily on Str and Con (which is nice with the +2 Con bonus). Secondly, focus on Dex. Use a two-handed weapon like Greatsword or Great Axe and do lots of damage. Take Power Attack, Improved Bullrush, Shock Trooper, and possibly Improved Sunder and Combat Brute. This will make your Power Attack much more powerful and likely to hit. Other than that, don't forget to rage and Power Attack. You can also multiclass into Bear Warrior for the ability to seriously boost your Str score at higher levels too.
Khan2000 04-01-08, 06:42 PM	Check out Book of 9 swords. There are three classes to use. Very simple and easy to use. I'd go with the swordsage. This book is not broken. It gets broken by idiot people who don't take the time to learn how the mechanics work. I played an epic-lvl character with 20lvls of swordsage, and found that it was very simple and not at all broken. You have a choice of using a maneuver (of which you have 12 ready-to-use) or normal attack.
Lormador 04-01-08, 10:27 PM	I agree with these Book of Nine Swords sentiments. I have only recently read the book and started to trickle a few dipped builds and Martial Study feat takers into my game, as I get the hang of the rules. It's a lot of fun, adds a lot of flexibility and mobility to the once fairly stalwart fighter. I daresay the ToB is to 3.5 what 3.0 was to 2nd Edition. I won't say there's nothing suspicious in it, but it's one of the best mechanical developments to come out in a long time. The biggest boon to fighters since the emergence of feats?