3.5e General Grievous as a PC? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

3.5e General Grievous as a PC?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
mediocresurgeon
Oct 30, 2008 19:57:46 I'm a fan of Star Wars but thought that General Grievous was not done proper justice. I'm less interested in simulating abilities based on lore, and more interested in creating a playable, 4-armed droid-like character wielding melee weapons and maintaining playability at all levels. The ability to fall back on psionic abilities ("the force") to assist melee prowess is a plus.

I am restricted to 3.5e books and errata, and may not use Tome of Magic, Magic Item Compendium, non-Wizards of the Coast materials. The Eberron campaign setting is the only campaign setting materials I am allowed to use (so no Faerun, Dragonlace, etc). Standard rules for point buy, except 32 points are allowed.

Two designs I have come up with for the base creature type both stretch the rules a little bit (ideally, no rules would have to be stretched or broken).

Plan 1: Insectile Warforged
Add the Insectile template from Savage Species to a warforged to create a 4-armed warforged. Problems with this strategy include (a) the Insectile template cannot be added to constructs, (b) the extra arms granted by the Insectile template cannot wield weapons and (c) the dexterity required to keep getting the multiweapon fighting feats eventually gets too ridiculous to maintain effectively. One way to allow the extra arms to wield weapons is to use the Mighty Arms construct graft (from Faiths of Eberron) as warforged (for some unknown reason) are not excluded from recieving warforged grafts. Pros of this build are that Grievous looks like himself from level 1 onward.

Plan 2: Grafted Thri-Kreen
Start the game with an unmodified thri-kreen, then use the warforged grafts in Faiths of Eberron to become increasingly droid-like. Problems with this strategy include (a) the need to find someone willing to perform the grafts, (b) grafts are extremely expensive at low levels and do not provide much benefit until higher levels, (c) the maximum dexterity bonus on the Adamantine Skin graft is +3 but the minumum dexterity requirement for Greater Multiweapon Fighting is 19 (a +4 bonus). Pros of this build include high damage reduction, lots of immunities, effective racial ability score adjustments, and not much rule-bending.

Now for the class(es)...

Barbarian:
Grievous can't use psionic abilities while raging, and raging will also penalize his armor class. Not his style.

Fighter:
Lots of bonus feats make it easy to get the MWF feats with room for other great feats (like improved critical, power attack, etc.) Crappy skills, crappy will save, no nifty class features.

Ranger:
Pure ranger will remove the need to take MWF feats and the ultra-high dexterity prerequisites, but will restrict armor to light-only and virtually no multiclassing will be allowed. Rangers also tend to be squishy combatants, usually sacrificing melee damage for armor class (or vice versa) and only getting d8 hit dice. If the Grafted Thri-Kreen with the Adamantine Skin graft is used, Grievous will not be able to use MWF.

Psychic Warrior:
Probably the best choice, but it has its own problems. Psychic Warriors get the massive quantity of bonus feats that makes Fighter a good choice, and also a bit of psionic ability on the side. If the Insectile Warforged is chosen, the build will once again be hurting for ability score points--the psionics are based on wisdom, and warforged have a racial penalty there.

My Initial Build:

Please note that the following information is NAKED, meaning no equipment--not even the grafts which are must-have items for this character.

Grafted Thri-Kreen
Initial Stats:
Str 18 (+4)
Dex 20 (+5)
Con 14 (+2)
Int 12 (+1)
Wis 10 (+0)
Cha 4 (-3)
Future points will be put into strength to improve melee damage and accuracy. A Headband of Intellect will be required at higher levels to acheive the minimum ability score to manifest higher level powers.

1-4: Thri-Kreen racial levels. Deflect Arrows, Track.
5: Fighter. Multiweapon Fighting, Oversized Two Multiweapon Fighting.
6: Psion. Quickened Power.
7: Psion.
8: Illithid Slayer. Improved Multiweapon Fighting.
9: Illithid Slayer.
10: Illithid Slayer.
11: Illithid Slayer. Power Attack.
12: Illithid Slayer.
13: Illithid Slayer.
14: Illithid Slayer. Greater Multiweapon Fighting.
15: Illithid Slayer.
16: Illithid Slayer.
17: Illithid Slayer. Improved Critical.
18: Illithid Slayer.
19: Fighter. Cleave.
20: Fighter. (Would take a new Multiweapon Fighting feat here for a 4th offhand attack, but none exist.)

The final product is 170 hp from class levels,racial hit dice, and constitution; base attack +16; saves are fort +8, ref +12, will +14; and manifests powers as a level 11 psion.

Unbuffed, this build allows for 13 attacks per round with equipped weapons.

Opinions? Suggestions? Criticism? Post!
#2
mystrich
Oct 30, 2008 20:55:09 This would probably be a lot better suited to a non-Eberron board, since it doesn't have to do with Eberron at all.
#3
rekko
Oct 31, 2008 7:41:04 Maybe he needs help for a backstory?

I'm curious why you chosed the Illithid Slayer PrC?
#4
mediocresurgeon
Oct 31, 2008 12:48:18 "I'm curious why you chosed the Illithid Slayer PrC?"

It has a perfect base attack bonus, a decent hit die, and 9/10 spellcasting.
#5
Gilo
Oct 31, 2008 13:49:44
Maybe he needs help for a backstory?

Born in a Thri-Kreen hive under Stormreach which was in constant skirmish with Illithids and there Xoriat minions.
he spent most of his early life defending the hive - but at the end the hive was overrun and he escaped to Stormreach.
later he traveled to Khorvaire (near the end of the Last War) and was used as a test subject in a secret House Cannith super-solider project (where he got his warforged implants) the project was abruptly ended when the mourning hit Cyre and he escaped into Darguun and was captured by the Goblins.
He managed to prove himself to the Goblins as a powerful warrior and was given an option to join Lhesh Haruuc's army where he rose very quickly to the rank of general.

Edit:
Thinking of other placement locations for General Grievous (with the separatists theme in mind) :

Adar, Droaam, The Eldeen Reaches (joining an extremist druid sect and fighting the *jedi* Aundair knights on the border), Q'Barra

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 mediocresurgeon Oct 30, 2008 19:57:46	I'm a fan of Star Wars but thought that General Grievous was not done proper justice. I'm less interested in simulating abilities based on lore, and more interested in creating a playable, 4-armed droid-like character wielding melee weapons and maintaining playability at all levels. The ability to fall back on psionic abilities ("the force") to assist melee prowess is a plus. I am restricted to 3.5e books and errata, and may not use Tome of Magic, Magic Item Compendium, non-Wizards of the Coast materials. The Eberron campaign setting is the only campaign setting materials I am allowed to use (so no Faerun, Dragonlace, etc). Standard rules for point buy, except 32 points are allowed. Two designs I have come up with for the base creature type both stretch the rules a little bit (ideally, no rules would have to be stretched or broken). Plan 1: Insectile Warforged Add the Insectile template from Savage Species to a warforged to create a 4-armed warforged. Problems with this strategy include (a) the Insectile template cannot be added to constructs, (b) the extra arms granted by the Insectile template cannot wield weapons and (c) the dexterity required to keep getting the multiweapon fighting feats eventually gets too ridiculous to maintain effectively. One way to allow the extra arms to wield weapons is to use the Mighty Arms construct graft (from Faiths of Eberron) as warforged (for some unknown reason) are not excluded from recieving warforged grafts. Pros of this build are that Grievous looks like himself from level 1 onward. Plan 2: Grafted Thri-Kreen Start the game with an unmodified thri-kreen, then use the warforged grafts in Faiths of Eberron to become increasingly droid-like. Problems with this strategy include (a) the need to find someone willing to perform the grafts, (b) grafts are extremely expensive at low levels and do not provide much benefit until higher levels, (c) the maximum dexterity bonus on the Adamantine Skin graft is +3 but the minumum dexterity requirement for Greater Multiweapon Fighting is 19 (a +4 bonus). Pros of this build include high damage reduction, lots of immunities, effective racial ability score adjustments, and not much rule-bending. Now for the class(es)... Barbarian: Grievous can't use psionic abilities while raging, and raging will also penalize his armor class. Not his style. Fighter: Lots of bonus feats make it easy to get the MWF feats with room for other great feats (like improved critical, power attack, etc.) Crappy skills, crappy will save, no nifty class features. Ranger: Pure ranger will remove the need to take MWF feats and the ultra-high dexterity prerequisites, but will restrict armor to light-only and virtually no multiclassing will be allowed. Rangers also tend to be squishy combatants, usually sacrificing melee damage for armor class (or vice versa) and only getting d8 hit dice. If the Grafted Thri-Kreen with the Adamantine Skin graft is used, Grievous will not be able to use MWF. Psychic Warrior: Probably the best choice, but it has its own problems. Psychic Warriors get the massive quantity of bonus feats that makes Fighter a good choice, and also a bit of psionic ability on the side. If the Insectile Warforged is chosen, the build will once again be hurting for ability score points--the psionics are based on wisdom, and warforged have a racial penalty there. My Initial Build: Please note that the following information is NAKED, meaning no equipment--not even the grafts which are must-have items for this character. Grafted Thri-Kreen Initial Stats: Str 18 (+4) Dex 20 (+5) Con 14 (+2) Int 12 (+1) Wis 10 (+0) Cha 4 (-3) Future points will be put into strength to improve melee damage and accuracy. A Headband of Intellect will be required at higher levels to acheive the minimum ability score to manifest higher level powers. 1-4: Thri-Kreen racial levels. Deflect Arrows, Track. 5: Fighter. Multiweapon Fighting, Oversized Two Multiweapon Fighting. 6: Psion. Quickened Power. 7: Psion. 8: Illithid Slayer. Improved Multiweapon Fighting. 9: Illithid Slayer. 10: Illithid Slayer. 11: Illithid Slayer. Power Attack. 12: Illithid Slayer. 13: Illithid Slayer. 14: Illithid Slayer. Greater Multiweapon Fighting. 15: Illithid Slayer. 16: Illithid Slayer. 17: Illithid Slayer. Improved Critical. 18: Illithid Slayer. 19: Fighter. Cleave. 20: Fighter. (Would take a new Multiweapon Fighting feat here for a 4th offhand attack, but none exist.) The final product is 170 hp from class levels,racial hit dice, and constitution; base attack +16; saves are fort +8, ref +12, will +14; and manifests powers as a level 11 psion. Unbuffed, this build allows for 13 attacks per round with equipped weapons. Opinions? Suggestions? Criticism? Post!
#2 mystrich Oct 30, 2008 20:55:09	This would probably be a lot better suited to a non-Eberron board, since it doesn't have to do with Eberron at all.
#3 rekko Oct 31, 2008 7:41:04	Maybe he needs help for a backstory? I'm curious why you chosed the Illithid Slayer PrC?
#4 mediocresurgeon Oct 31, 2008 12:48:18	"I'm curious why you chosed the Illithid Slayer PrC?" It has a perfect base attack bonus, a decent hit die, and 9/10 spellcasting.
#5 Gilo Oct 31, 2008 13:49:44	Maybe he needs help for a backstory? Born in a Thri-Kreen hive under Stormreach which was in constant skirmish with Illithids and there Xoriat minions. he spent most of his early life defending the hive - but at the end the hive was overrun and he escaped to Stormreach. later he traveled to Khorvaire (near the end of the Last War) and was used as a test subject in a secret House Cannith super-solider project (where he got his warforged implants) the project was abruptly ended when the mourning hit Cyre and he escaped into Darguun and was captured by the Goblins. He managed to prove himself to the Goblins as a powerful warrior and was given an option to join Lhesh Haruuc's army where he rose very quickly to the rank of general. Edit: Thinking of other placement locations for General Grievous (with the separatists theme in mind) : Adar, Droaam, The Eldeen Reaches (joining an extremist druid sect and fighting the jedi Aundair knights on the border), Q'Barra