Character died, advice on rerolling [Archive] - Wizards Community

Character died, advice on rerolling [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Purpledrag0n
10-29-07, 10:14 PM Well a Deck of Many Things took out my character this week. Our level 13 party now consists of a sorc, a dervish (this guy doesn't play much so my character could overwrite his role in the party and it wouldn't really matter), a shadowdancer, and an effigy master.

When asked what I should play they said someone who can stand toe-to-toe with mobs. I was thinking about a paladin based character but didn't want to butt heads with the shadowdancer because he really likes to steal and r/p his character. I've read around on the boards, looked at my books but ultimately cannot decide on what kind of character to roll. I was thinking about an all out tank. I looked at Dwarven Defender. I looked at Templar. I considered a frenzied berserker but doubt my DM would approve. Is there any class that is based around the use of a shield?

I play a catfolk samurai in our other campaign so I would like to avoid playing two similar characters. I was considering either a s/s playstyle or a 2h playstyle.

Suggestions welcome and appreciated. Thanks.
Wind of Darkness
10-29-07, 10:28 PM Have you looked at the Knight (PHB II)? If you're going "all out tank", you could do worse than a Knight. They get d12 hit die and can eventually wear heavy armor without the movement penalty. They also get a few other spiffy abilities.
Ace_of_time
10-29-07, 10:28 PM You could go Knight. It almost the same as paly and no code.
Fireclave
10-29-07, 10:58 PM Psywar, Knight, Crusader, Warblade, Duskblade, or CoDzilla FTW. All of these classes can stand toe-to-toe against mobs of enemies. The Psywar, Knight, and Crusdader are great if you want to be a tank, Warblades have versatility, Duskblades can dish out damage, and Codzilla is Codzilla (nuff said).
Koushiro
10-29-07, 11:33 PM To be fair to the Paladins, you only have to care if the Shadowdancer or any other member of your party is evil. Theft isn't always wrong, adventurer's do it all the time to the bad guys.

Stealing is how ya get all the loot!
steamsoldier
10-30-07, 12:15 AM I don't own the PHB2 but found an excerpt on the wiz site with the class description. It looks pretty cool. I will definitely read up on it.

Any other suggestions?
steamsoldier
10-30-07, 12:39 AM Codzilla?

I don't read these forums enough to be "in the know" with the lingo.
Wind of Darkness
10-30-07, 12:56 AM CoDzilla is the term for an optimized combat heavy Cleric or Druid. They tend to be very powerful, more so than the primary melee base classes.
Killer_Rabbit
10-30-07, 01:20 AM Have you concidered the barbarian? He can stand toe to toe with the baddies and you can get much different to a samurai.
Drag0nUL
10-30-07, 06:39 AM I'd really recommend a Cleric or a Druid. Apart from tanking, you also lack a healer. And a Cleric/Druid can do both.
Neutronium_Dragon
10-30-07, 07:25 AM A Crusader is also tank-worthy, and brings some healing to the party on top of that. (Most significantly, healing that combines with his attacks, so he doesn't have to take time out to do it.)

A significant aspect of the Crusader's tank capability is that he has (depending on his maneuver choices) several ways to make life difficult for anyone who chooses to attack a party member other than himself, which is much better than a tank whose effectiveness is entirely by virtue of being a roadblock.
Sunic_Flames
10-30-07, 09:45 AM CoDzilla is gonna be the best at meleeing, hands down. Whether or not taking it to this level is necessary depends on your group. However, you don't (and shouldn't) choose between a 2 handed weapon and weapon/shield.

As a level 13 cleric, you can create this:

http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#animated

Even if you can't create it, you can still get and therefore use it.

Provided you are going the cleric route, you want your weapon, armor, and shield +1 (as many special properties as you feel are useful). Next, rod of lesser extend + greater magic weapon/magic vestment. Now you have +3 blah blah blah equipment all day. And potentially higher if you get your caster level up. Dispel can potentially take it off, but it's still the best way of doing things because as a general rule special property > 1 AC anyways.

Combine that with a few other long lasting spells or spells/effects you can quickly activate (boots of haste) and you'll be just fine. And this is all without ever leaving core.

Another neat trick is moderate fortification + light fortification on two different items. Immunity to all precision damage such as critical hits, sneak attacks, etc. How far you want/need to take it depends on your game, but the cleric/druid option is the least dependent on non core materials and therefore generally the most likely to be approved.

Level 13 Duskblades can wreck havoc. After all, at that level they can arcane channel a full attack. They're pretty fragile though so it's a matter of getting in their face and killing them first. Assuming you go that route, reach weapon + animated shield will serve you well. Why reach? To have an advantage on medium foes and less/no disadvantage against larger ones.

Crusaders actually have the ability to serve as tanks in some way besides blocking a door. They're also very, very tough. But there is much to be said for magic, especially when 7th level spells are available.
Drag0nUL
10-30-07, 01:23 PM A significant aspect of the Crusader's tank capability is that he has (depending on his maneuver choices) several ways to make life difficult for anyone who chooses to attack a party member other than himself, which is much better than a tank whose effectiveness is entirely by virtue of being a roadblock.

Clerics/Druids tank not only by being a roadblock, but also by being an opponent you can't really afford to ignore. A Cleric/Druid has no means to actually make an opponent hit him, but if you ignore him he has a lot of ways to make your life miserable pretty fast. Like healing your current target, summoning a lot of annoying stuff, buffing allies, save-or-die spells etc.
Ace_of_time
10-30-07, 04:48 PM Marshal!?
steamsoldier
10-30-07, 07:12 PM I think I am probably going to go the Cleric route. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun and honestly I don't think I've played one in 3.5.

Damn you guys know a lot about D&D. I definitely like the animated shield idea. One thing I forgot to mention is that this is a low magic world but the cool thing our DM is doing is that we get one magic item of our choosing that will actually gain additional magical properties as we level. An example was my last character was a lance specialized Skylord. He gave me the ability to throw my lance like a lightning bolt once per day for... 6d8 damage I think. So I could definitely see some pretty cool potential if I chose an animated shield.

Does a pimped out Cleric usually take straight cleric levels or are there a few mentionable PrCs I should take a look at? I know the biggest thing is to avoid losing caster levels but are there any in particular you guys would suggest that would aid me in my melee abilities?

Also having a damn hard time deciding on domains. Any advice there? I like the Smite attack from Desctruction.

Thanks again, really appreciate the responses so far. You guys rock.
happy_fuzzy
10-31-07, 12:06 AM I usually grab a couple levels of contemplative from complete divine, you continue to gain higher level cleric spells, plus its easy to get into and you get a bonus domain (i think)
Drag0nUL
10-31-07, 08:43 AM There are quite a few prestige classes in Complete Divine that offer pretty good benefits without giving up on caster levels.
Apart form the already mentioned Contemplative, I enjoy using Radiant Servant, Divine Oracle or Stormlord.
Sunic_Flames
10-31-07, 09:10 AM Damn you guys know a lot about D&D. I definitely like the animated shield idea. One thing I forgot to mention is that this is a low magic world but the cool thing our DM is doing is that we get one magic item of our choosing that will actually gain additional magical properties as we level. An example was my last character was a lance specialized Skylord. He gave me the ability to throw my lance like a lightning bolt once per day for... 6d8 damage I think. So I could definitely see some pretty cool potential if I chose an animated shield.

Low magic? Clerics, hands down. Not only are they a bit less item dependent, they can make their own items. A pure martial character is likely to be screwed in such an environment.

As for PRCs, anything with full CL progression is almost definitely a free lunch. Though really, unless it's a high power game or a low magic for you, high magic for enemies it's entirely optional.
Drag0nUL
10-31-07, 09:16 AM I missed the low-magic part. If so, I'd really recommend looking into Stormlord. Despite the pretty harsh feat requirements, it gives a significant advantage in a low magic world in the form of free enhancement to your weapons(any spear or javelin you wield becomes shocking, thundering and later shocking burst).
trapspringer
10-31-07, 10:50 AM Steamsoldier isn't the OP, so maybe that's why you missed it (that is to say, unless Purpledrag0n switched screen names on us it is possible that it isn't a low magic game).
Ace_of_time
10-31-07, 11:13 PM Don't forget aug healing/er feat for cleric!
Matthais777
10-31-07, 11:25 PM Defenitly go Radiant servant of Pelor, But make him fun. I've got a Scottish (Complete with Bagpipes and Kilt) Goliath Radiant Servant. The things kick SERIOUS tail, especially at higher levels. Most notibly, because you can buff yourself into a killing MACHINE, and then if you take Domain Spontaneity, Healing, 8 or 9 spells at 10 level are Maximized AND Empowered. A.K.A. You can buff yourself up and still have PLENTY left over to heal the party, because one of your spells equals like 5 of another clerics.
steamsoldier
11-01-07, 08:46 PM Yes steamsoldier and PurpleDrag0n are one in the same. The switch over to the new forums screwed up my old account.

So far I've got a pretty good start. Right now I just have 13 levels of cleric. Dwarf. My deity is Joramy and my domains are Competition and Destruction. Considering Stormlord and Contemplative as PrCs. I wanted to be a melee based cleric but honestly didn't really see too many impressive melee PrCs. I've chosen my special magic item as my animated shield. I hope my DM gets pretty creative as to what abilities he chooses to bestow upon it. Have not decided what weapon to wield or which feats to take.

Sounding good so far? Any suggestions for change?
Sunic_Flames
11-02-07, 08:28 AM Yes steamsoldier and PurpleDrag0n are one in the same. The switch over to the new forums screwed up my old account.

So far I've got a pretty good start. Right now I just have 13 levels of cleric. Dwarf. My deity is Joramy and my domains are Competition and Destruction. Considering Stormlord and Contemplative as PrCs. I wanted to be a melee based cleric but honestly didn't really see too many impressive melee PrCs. I've chosen my special magic item as my animated shield. I hope my DM gets pretty creative as to what abilities he chooses to bestow upon it. Have not decided what weapon to wield or which feats to take.

Sounding good so far? Any suggestions for change?

Only thing I can think of that'd make a 'melee' PRC is full BAB. You have a spell for that. So I'm not seeing the point of the question.

As for domains, had a look. It's not too bad. Kinda like war/strength. I can't think of anything in particular that'd fit better. I assume this comes packed with a good 2 handed weapon?
Ace_of_time
11-02-07, 10:58 AM I would still take Aug healing feat. +2 HP healed per spell level.
Drag0nUL
11-02-07, 04:33 PM If you think your campaign might reach level 17+ you might want to take a look at the Animal Domain. Shapechange is an amazing spell.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Purpledrag0n 10-29-07, 10:14 PM	Well a Deck of Many Things took out my character this week. Our level 13 party now consists of a sorc, a dervish (this guy doesn't play much so my character could overwrite his role in the party and it wouldn't really matter), a shadowdancer, and an effigy master. When asked what I should play they said someone who can stand toe-to-toe with mobs. I was thinking about a paladin based character but didn't want to butt heads with the shadowdancer because he really likes to steal and r/p his character. I've read around on the boards, looked at my books but ultimately cannot decide on what kind of character to roll. I was thinking about an all out tank. I looked at Dwarven Defender. I looked at Templar. I considered a frenzied berserker but doubt my DM would approve. Is there any class that is based around the use of a shield? I play a catfolk samurai in our other campaign so I would like to avoid playing two similar characters. I was considering either a s/s playstyle or a 2h playstyle. Suggestions welcome and appreciated. Thanks.
Wind of Darkness 10-29-07, 10:28 PM	Have you looked at the Knight (PHB II)? If you're going "all out tank", you could do worse than a Knight. They get d12 hit die and can eventually wear heavy armor without the movement penalty. They also get a few other spiffy abilities.
Ace_of_time 10-29-07, 10:28 PM	You could go Knight. It almost the same as paly and no code.
Fireclave 10-29-07, 10:58 PM	Psywar, Knight, Crusader, Warblade, Duskblade, or CoDzilla FTW. All of these classes can stand toe-to-toe against mobs of enemies. The Psywar, Knight, and Crusdader are great if you want to be a tank, Warblades have versatility, Duskblades can dish out damage, and Codzilla is Codzilla (nuff said).
Koushiro 10-29-07, 11:33 PM	To be fair to the Paladins, you only have to care if the Shadowdancer or any other member of your party is evil. Theft isn't always wrong, adventurer's do it all the time to the bad guys. Stealing is how ya get all the loot!
steamsoldier 10-30-07, 12:15 AM	I don't own the PHB2 but found an excerpt on the wiz site with the class description. It looks pretty cool. I will definitely read up on it. Any other suggestions?
steamsoldier 10-30-07, 12:39 AM	Codzilla? I don't read these forums enough to be "in the know" with the lingo.
Wind of Darkness 10-30-07, 12:56 AM	CoDzilla is the term for an optimized combat heavy Cleric or Druid. They tend to be very powerful, more so than the primary melee base classes.
Killer_Rabbit 10-30-07, 01:20 AM	Have you concidered the barbarian? He can stand toe to toe with the baddies and you can get much different to a samurai.
Drag0nUL 10-30-07, 06:39 AM	I'd really recommend a Cleric or a Druid. Apart from tanking, you also lack a healer. And a Cleric/Druid can do both.
Neutronium_Dragon 10-30-07, 07:25 AM	A Crusader is also tank-worthy, and brings some healing to the party on top of that. (Most significantly, healing that combines with his attacks, so he doesn't have to take time out to do it.) A significant aspect of the Crusader's tank capability is that he has (depending on his maneuver choices) several ways to make life difficult for anyone who chooses to attack a party member other than himself, which is much better than a tank whose effectiveness is entirely by virtue of being a roadblock.
Sunic_Flames 10-30-07, 09:45 AM	CoDzilla is gonna be the best at meleeing, hands down. Whether or not taking it to this level is necessary depends on your group. However, you don't (and shouldn't) choose between a 2 handed weapon and weapon/shield. As a level 13 cleric, you can create this: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/magicArmor.htm#animated Even if you can't create it, you can still get and therefore use it. Provided you are going the cleric route, you want your weapon, armor, and shield +1 (as many special properties as you feel are useful). Next, rod of lesser extend + greater magic weapon/magic vestment. Now you have +3 blah blah blah equipment all day. And potentially higher if you get your caster level up. Dispel can potentially take it off, but it's still the best way of doing things because as a general rule special property > 1 AC anyways. Combine that with a few other long lasting spells or spells/effects you can quickly activate (boots of haste) and you'll be just fine. And this is all without ever leaving core. Another neat trick is moderate fortification + light fortification on two different items. Immunity to all precision damage such as critical hits, sneak attacks, etc. How far you want/need to take it depends on your game, but the cleric/druid option is the least dependent on non core materials and therefore generally the most likely to be approved. Level 13 Duskblades can wreck havoc. After all, at that level they can arcane channel a full attack. They're pretty fragile though so it's a matter of getting in their face and killing them first. Assuming you go that route, reach weapon + animated shield will serve you well. Why reach? To have an advantage on medium foes and less/no disadvantage against larger ones. Crusaders actually have the ability to serve as tanks in some way besides blocking a door. They're also very, very tough. But there is much to be said for magic, especially when 7th level spells are available.
Drag0nUL 10-30-07, 01:23 PM	A significant aspect of the Crusader's tank capability is that he has (depending on his maneuver choices) several ways to make life difficult for anyone who chooses to attack a party member other than himself, which is much better than a tank whose effectiveness is entirely by virtue of being a roadblock. Clerics/Druids tank not only by being a roadblock, but also by being an opponent you can't really afford to ignore. A Cleric/Druid has no means to actually make an opponent hit him, but if you ignore him he has a lot of ways to make your life miserable pretty fast. Like healing your current target, summoning a lot of annoying stuff, buffing allies, save-or-die spells etc.
Ace_of_time 10-30-07, 04:48 PM	Marshal!?
steamsoldier 10-30-07, 07:12 PM	I think I am probably going to go the Cleric route. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun and honestly I don't think I've played one in 3.5. Damn you guys know a lot about D&D. I definitely like the animated shield idea. One thing I forgot to mention is that this is a low magic world but the cool thing our DM is doing is that we get one magic item of our choosing that will actually gain additional magical properties as we level. An example was my last character was a lance specialized Skylord. He gave me the ability to throw my lance like a lightning bolt once per day for... 6d8 damage I think. So I could definitely see some pretty cool potential if I chose an animated shield. Does a pimped out Cleric usually take straight cleric levels or are there a few mentionable PrCs I should take a look at? I know the biggest thing is to avoid losing caster levels but are there any in particular you guys would suggest that would aid me in my melee abilities? Also having a damn hard time deciding on domains. Any advice there? I like the Smite attack from Desctruction. Thanks again, really appreciate the responses so far. You guys rock.
happy_fuzzy 10-31-07, 12:06 AM	I usually grab a couple levels of contemplative from complete divine, you continue to gain higher level cleric spells, plus its easy to get into and you get a bonus domain (i think)
Drag0nUL 10-31-07, 08:43 AM	There are quite a few prestige classes in Complete Divine that offer pretty good benefits without giving up on caster levels. Apart form the already mentioned Contemplative, I enjoy using Radiant Servant, Divine Oracle or Stormlord.
Sunic_Flames 10-31-07, 09:10 AM	Damn you guys know a lot about D&D. I definitely like the animated shield idea. One thing I forgot to mention is that this is a low magic world but the cool thing our DM is doing is that we get one magic item of our choosing that will actually gain additional magical properties as we level. An example was my last character was a lance specialized Skylord. He gave me the ability to throw my lance like a lightning bolt once per day for... 6d8 damage I think. So I could definitely see some pretty cool potential if I chose an animated shield. Low magic? Clerics, hands down. Not only are they a bit less item dependent, they can make their own items. A pure martial character is likely to be screwed in such an environment. As for PRCs, anything with full CL progression is almost definitely a free lunch. Though really, unless it's a high power game or a low magic for you, high magic for enemies it's entirely optional.
Drag0nUL 10-31-07, 09:16 AM	I missed the low-magic part. If so, I'd really recommend looking into Stormlord. Despite the pretty harsh feat requirements, it gives a significant advantage in a low magic world in the form of free enhancement to your weapons(any spear or javelin you wield becomes shocking, thundering and later shocking burst).
trapspringer 10-31-07, 10:50 AM	Steamsoldier isn't the OP, so maybe that's why you missed it (that is to say, unless Purpledrag0n switched screen names on us it is possible that it isn't a low magic game).
Ace_of_time 10-31-07, 11:13 PM	Don't forget aug healing/er feat for cleric!
Matthais777 10-31-07, 11:25 PM	Defenitly go Radiant servant of Pelor, But make him fun. I've got a Scottish (Complete with Bagpipes and Kilt) Goliath Radiant Servant. The things kick SERIOUS tail, especially at higher levels. Most notibly, because you can buff yourself into a killing MACHINE, and then if you take Domain Spontaneity, Healing, 8 or 9 spells at 10 level are Maximized AND Empowered. A.K.A. You can buff yourself up and still have PLENTY left over to heal the party, because one of your spells equals like 5 of another clerics.
steamsoldier 11-01-07, 08:46 PM	Yes steamsoldier and PurpleDrag0n are one in the same. The switch over to the new forums screwed up my old account. So far I've got a pretty good start. Right now I just have 13 levels of cleric. Dwarf. My deity is Joramy and my domains are Competition and Destruction. Considering Stormlord and Contemplative as PrCs. I wanted to be a melee based cleric but honestly didn't really see too many impressive melee PrCs. I've chosen my special magic item as my animated shield. I hope my DM gets pretty creative as to what abilities he chooses to bestow upon it. Have not decided what weapon to wield or which feats to take. Sounding good so far? Any suggestions for change?
Sunic_Flames 11-02-07, 08:28 AM	Yes steamsoldier and PurpleDrag0n are one in the same. The switch over to the new forums screwed up my old account. So far I've got a pretty good start. Right now I just have 13 levels of cleric. Dwarf. My deity is Joramy and my domains are Competition and Destruction. Considering Stormlord and Contemplative as PrCs. I wanted to be a melee based cleric but honestly didn't really see too many impressive melee PrCs. I've chosen my special magic item as my animated shield. I hope my DM gets pretty creative as to what abilities he chooses to bestow upon it. Have not decided what weapon to wield or which feats to take. Sounding good so far? Any suggestions for change? Only thing I can think of that'd make a 'melee' PRC is full BAB. You have a spell for that. So I'm not seeing the point of the question. As for domains, had a look. It's not too bad. Kinda like war/strength. I can't think of anything in particular that'd fit better. I assume this comes packed with a good 2 handed weapon?
Ace_of_time 11-02-07, 10:58 AM	I would still take Aug healing feat. +2 HP healed per spell level.
Drag0nUL 11-02-07, 04:33 PM	If you think your campaign might reach level 17+ you might want to take a look at the Animal Domain. Shapechange is an amazing spell.