3.5e core book (with some splat books) optimized Dr Who

Post/Author/DateTimePost
#1

thisthatandtheother

May 26, 2013 1:17:33
Going off my other post: community.wizards.com/go/thread/view/758...(with_some_splat_books)_optimized_druid any suggestions on making a level 10 core-book only Doctor Who?

I'm thinking that craft magic item is a must to make a rod of something or other, also known as a sonic screwdriver.  I was thinking ranger/horizon walker for the dimension door cheesiness, but it's only a short jump, it's a level 10 game not level 11 and ranger sucks anyway.

I was actually looking for something more like the Valeyard, something Dr. Who themed but able to lay some serious smack down.
#2

Tempest_Stormwind

May 26, 2013 9:32:56
The Doctor would probably be best modeled as a factotum (Dungeonscape); in core you will not find anything that can capture him without also being ridiculously overpowering.

That's part of the problem of using D&D as a model for things outside heroic fantasy adventure - calibrate your expectations first. In the case of Doctor Who, look at how his companions are presented - they're (mostly) all normal humans (and those who aren't are all clearly on the same scale), and look at how a normal human shows up in that link.



Also, in a core-only environment, the horizon walker is underrated. The aptly named Horizon Tripper exists for a reason.
#3

piggyknowles

May 26, 2013 10:58:04
Factotum and artificer are always excellent choices for the Doctor, although neither is core.  Within core, I can only really see him going wizard/loremaster, and focusing on item creation and divination, re-fluffing his spells as bits of inspiration and juryrigged mechanical devices.  A bit much for the Doctor, but the midrange classes like rogue and bard just don't offer enough in core to pull it off.

I know this doesn't help you for core-only, or for 10th-level only for that matter, but this was my effort at making a Doctor Who-inspired build, from another forum:

---

OK, here's my thought:


Half-elf (human heritage per Races of Destiny sidebar), Bard 1/Artificer 2/Factotum 3/Death Delver 10/Ardent Dilettante 4


Flaw: Noncombatant, (any other)


1. Factotum1- Able Learner, Wedded to History, Nymph's Kiss (can the TARDIS count as a fey creature?)
Inspiration, cunning insight, cunning knowledge, trapfinding

2. Bard1-
Bardic music, bardic knowledge, soothing voice, inspire awe, fascinate

3. Artificer1- Scribe Scroll, Item Familiar
Artificer knowledge, artisan bonus, disable trap, item creation, craft reserve 20

4. Artificer2- Brew Potion
Craft reserve 40

5. Factotum2-
Arcane dilettante (1 spell)

6. Factotum3- Heroic Destiny
Brains over brawn, cunning defense

7. Death Delver1-
Deathsense, rebuke undead

8. Death Delver2-
Deadened soul, spontaneous casting

9. Death Delver3- Fearless Destiny
Death ward 1/day

10. Death Delver4- Diehard

11. Death Delver5-
Fear aura

12. Death Delver6- Healing Devotion
Death ward 2/day

13. Death Delver7-
Cheat death

14. Death Delver8-
Mantle of life

15. Death Delver9- Run
Death ward 3/day

16. Death Delver10-
Nine lives

17. Ardent Dilettante1-
Heightened senses, lore

18. Ardent Dilettante2- Font of Inspiration
Enthrall

19. Ardent Dilettante3-
Joie de vivre

20. Ardent Dilettante4- Font of Inspiration
Sense Link


Item Familiar:
"Sonic Screwdriver" - Heavily invest UMD and maybe Open Lock into this. Enchant it with knock, some fun detection-style spells and possibly mage hand and prestidigitation.


For your own skill ranks, Diplomacy, Bluff, UMD, Perform (technobabble), Perform (stirring speech about the nature of humanity), and a lot of knowledge skills. Maybe some craft here and there, but a permanent item of magecraft would do just as well.


For some interesting abilities...


"No, seriously, stop trying to kill me while I talk at you for a while." - Soothing Voice. Make a diplomacy check to instill calm emotions on an enemy. Because the doctor needs to have room to talk, dangit.


"I'm the Doctor, and you're in the biggest library in the universe. Look me up." - Inspire Awe, fear aura. Suddenly the enemies realized you're actually a terrible Time Lord and that you're about to do something unspeakable to them. A fear aura you can turn on, and you can more or less extend it as long as you keep talking by combining it with Inspire Awe.


Immortal - Wedded to History. You're not only immortal, you're one of a kind. You could have a starring role in every history book ever written...


Sonic Screwdriver - You've got a screwdriver that can open just about anything, operate any magical technological device, move things from afar, cause sparks, etc.


Brains Over Brawn - OK, you're not big and strong. But dang you're smart, and Brains over brawn means you add your Intelligence bonus to all Strength, Dex or Con checks.


Hard to Kill - Dang, you're pretty hard to kill. Death Ward means a lot of things simply don't effect you. Your inspiration points and Heroic Destiny give you even more defenses. And once each day when something DOES actually reduce you to -10 or below HP, Fearless Destiny kicks in and you instead are set at -9 HP. Oh yeah, and then Healing Devotion gives you fast healing.


Many Regenerations - OK, Fearless Destiny has been used for the day, or someone zaps you with a death ray. What now, big man? Oh, nothing much, just scratch off a life from the Doctor's Nine Lives ability. Combine with a Hat of Disguise and a funny accent for a total change. Maybe this time you've got a North accent - plenty of planets have a North!


"Aren't mind melds a Vulcan thing?" - Clairaudience/clairvoyance, sense link and various other spells let you see into the minds, and through the eyes, of others.


Absorbing Damage, Drinking Poison, etc. - Death Delver spells. They're not flashy, but rather are all defensive in nature and let you gain protection from energy, or neutralize poison, or whatever.


Juryrigging - Sometimes the Doctor needs to make items do things they were never intended to do. No problem for you, just use your artificer infusions and your pimped out UMD scores to do just that. Bonus points for the Spell Storing Item infusion to give things really silly powers.  After all, didn't the Doctor build a space-time disruption machine out of a yo-yo, a wine cork and a fork?


Superhuman Sensation - You've got scent, and all your other senses are heightened.


Joie de vivre - Sometimes you can be down about all the things you've done in your long and storied past, but your lust for life inspires such hope in others. No, seriously, it does - you inspire others as though by a good hope spell.


Run - Trust me. Run.

#4

thisthatandtheother

May 26, 2013 16:24:58
The Doctor would probably be best modeled as a factotum (Dungeonscape); in core you will not find anything that can capture him without also being ridiculously overpowering.


I wouldn't mind that...
Also, in a core-only environment, the horizon walker is underrated. The aptly named Horizon Tripper exists for a reason.


Great, thanks, if I have to roll a new chracter when the party has hit level 11, I'll definitely go for that.  The dimension door ability is what really makes that class in my opinion, though.