Do you get full starting wealth for each character?
Would you like to stay friends with your fellow players?
I have only two questions:
Do you get full starting wealth for each character?
Would you like to stay friends with your fellow players?
we get like 36k g for our level 9's, and a total of around 72.5k for the rest of the team to split.
the way we do the battles is random lineup of three kinds, every day 1 of the PC teams gets 3 battles, 1 horde of the right CR; a single CR appropriate opponent, and 1 battle versus an opposing "school" (thats what my DM calls the teams) and because one of our players is the DM's son, and hates to be outdone, it isnt an issue of remaining friends, but wanting to at least make him a little irritated.
Edit: Though at level 9 instead of ten this is a little more difficult....still doable.
we have kinda taken a few weeks to get everyone fully ready with 8 chars, plus we added two more people to our group
1. Dragonfire Adept (with metabreath enlarged sicken breath, unavoidable -2 to saves, should be able to do this as a fly-by attack by level 8)
2. Hexblade with high-CHA race and/or template and +4 CHA item (greater curse for -4 to saves)
3. Focused Necromancer with high-INT race and +4 INT item (get high DC and cast horrid sickness (CM), curse of impending blades, mass, and maybe unluck)
Now use the remaining 2 members of your party, besides yourself, to either protect yourself (perhaps an enlarged low-level lockdown) and blast with heavily metamagiced area spells (at least sudden maximized). Maybe a Bard with Protection Devotion?
If either side gets any prebuff time, make sure you come in with a serious chain dispeller?
Character 1: Kobold with the Races of Dragon Web Enhancement Slight Build Racial Varient. Monk 1/ Swordsage 7 using Setting Sun Throws and Shadow Hand Teleportation and Ability Damage Manuevers. Pick up the Touch of Golden Ice Feat from Exalted Deeds
-Using unarmed strikes to deal Dex Damage from Touch of Golden Ice in conjunction with the Setting Sun throws, electing to use dex, counting as a tiny creature, netting a +8 bonus on the opposed checks, you'll have a golden counter punch to any Melee Behemoth that you get paired up against or you can relegate this character to protecting the backline casters.
Character 2: Perform Oratory Bard 1/ White Raven Warblade 7
Bard Buffs + Warblade White Raven, with a dash of Diamond Mind and Stone Dragon means this is the point of your melee spear for damage and being the pillar of the party.
Character 3: Cleric 8 with the War Spells feat from Dragon Magazine 313 (I think it's 313, someone please confirm, I don't have them on me)
Being able to hit your entire Arena Team with Girallon's Blessing, Bull's Strength and the like can win matches before they begin. Plus having a dedicated Cleric on hand is never a bad idea.
Character 4: Half-Nymph LA 2 (Dragon Magazine 313)/ Chaos Monk 1 (Dragon Magazine 346?)/ Battle Dancer 1 (Dragon Compendium)/ Swordssage 1/ Crusader 3
AC: Cha Mod (Battle Dancer), Wis x2 (Swordssage and Chaos Monk), Charisma to Will Saves (Crusader) with Usual Crusader Live-Through-Anything tenancies mean this is your tank character that pairs up nicely with the White Raven Warblade.
Character 5: Half-Minotaur LA 1 (Dragon Magazine 313)/ Feral LA 1/ Barbarian 5/ Warhulk 1
THIS IS BEAT STICK. End of story.
Character 6: Goliath LA 1/ Monk 1/ Fighter 5/ Reaping Mauler 1 using Scorpion Claws from Sandstorm
This build has been affectionately named "Pinchy" in my group. Scorpion Claws add +4 to grapple checks, Goliath counts as a Large for Grapple Checks, Monk Nets you Improved Grapple (another +4) plus Reaping Mauler means you'll be able to Grapple-Lock any character you feel like. Pesky Caster? Brute with a Big Sword? 8 Headed Hydra? No problem.
Character 7: Battle Dancer 1 (Dragon Compendium)/ Scout 7/ Qualifying for Dervish Next level.
This character hasn't gotten off the ground yet, but a Scout/ Dervish can be scary, Skirmishing Dervish Dance, with Battle Dancer Cha to AC for extra livability.
Character 8: Cleric 1/ Ranger 6
Divine Metamagic (Complete Divine) ***** spells like Hunter's Mercy and Find the Gap for Ranged Auto-Crit Touch Attacks ignoring Natural Armor. Throw on special weapon properties like curse spewing so ever crit also hits the target with Bestow Curse.
Multiple Druids would be a good idea; Wisdom-focus & Spot+Listen in class and free Alertness from AC allows you to detect just about any Rogues (even those with Darkstalker) with a decent chance, and you can add magic (like Listening Lorecall for Blindsight and bonuses to checks). Also, they all pack animal companion and just kick ass; pack Venomfire, Greater Magic Fang and Pounce to take out whatever. The most adaptable class in the game, and the most powerful on basic level (on those levels).
Really, the big question is if all-day lasting spells are allowed to be in effect in the arena (or if there are buff rounds; all-day lasting spells should definitely be allowed though which would allow Druids to maintain Wildshape and primary buffs from the beginning of the tournament).
But basically, mass buffers and casters with combat ability shine at this point of the game. Level 7+ means spellcasting definitely kicks ass though and should be commonly available to just about every character.
8 characters and the only arcane casting is 1 level of Bard?
It's not called WoAzilla, it's called CoDzilla for a reason. Arcane Spell Casters are good, don't get me wrong, but games are broken far more often by the Divine Spell Casters, and there is 1 and a half in there. Arcane Spell Casters, probably won't win initiative against that team, and, in an arena with limited space to maneuver, with low AC and hit points, Sorc/ Wiz classes will quickly be dealt with, if your DM is throwing a team of 8 Wizard 8 with Elven Wizard Racial Sub Generalist Wizardry, uh, you might want to question how much you like your DM. Plus it's lvl 8, a couple fireballs a day isn't going to be a game breaker, Arcane Spell Casters are still trying to get traction at this point in time.
It's not called WoAzilla, it's called CoDzilla for a reason. Arcane Spell Casters are good, don't get me wrong, but games are broken far more often by the Divine Spell Casters, and there is 1 and a half in there. Arcane Spell Casters, probably won't win initiative against that team, and, in an arena with limited space to maneuver, with low AC and hit points, Sorc/ Wiz classes will quickly be dealt with, if your DM is throwing a team of 8 Wizard 8 with Elven Wizard Racial Sub Generalist Wizardry, uh, you might want to question how much you like your DM. Plus it's lvl 8, a couple fireballs a day isn't going to be a game breaker, Arcane Spell Casters are still trying to get traction at this point in time.
Just a simple Chained Nerveskitter is a huge, huge boon from having an arcane caster in the party; +5 to everyone's initiative. Fact is that arcane casters have the best spells and arena only amplifies that advantage as you've got some idea what you'll be facing. Also, Dex is the second stat in arena for almost all arcane casters so they've got a fine chance at the initiative. Most of characters on level 8 still have weak saves, arcane casters can wreck them all.
Of course, they could blow the house up, but with that many participants, it's rarely a good idea; just pack some Immediate Action-defenses (Greater Mirror Image, Abrupt Jaunt, Wings of Cover, the works) and go with the standard "make the battlefield more favourable to our team"-plan - you'll be practically untouchable anyways. Of course, given the chance, they should be dropping opponents or dispelling. And really, there's no reason not to have at least one counterspeller/dispeller in the party.
Also, your suggested party has way too little magic muscle. Like only one full Cleric? No Druid? WTF? Having tough melee fighters is all fine and dandy, but there are obstacles you simply can't deal with through magic and all the best offense is magic too. That Cleric 1/Ranger 6 (I assume one more level as level 8 was the stipulation) would be so much better off as either Cleric 1/Archivist 7 or Archivist 7/Sacred Exorcist 1; all the same spells and full casting to boot.
ECL 8
Pixie
Marshal 2/ Bard 2 = Huge Boost to Party constantly
:D
Leader: cloistered cleric9/focused specialist wizard5/master specialist4- You really want those 5th level spells
paladin of tyranny4/hexblade4- debuffer and melee
druid8- spellcasting and melee
beguiler7/mindbender1- spellcasting and skillmonkey
elf cloistered cleric8- spellcasting and archery
dread necromancer8 assuming you can bring your undead army along
water orc whriling frenzy CC lion totem/UA wolf totem barbarain2/fighter2/x2/exoticweaponmaster2- spiked chain specialist
A few slots open for later
Pixie Marshal 2/ Warlock 2
Dragonborn Human Psion(Shaper) 5/ Chameleon 3
:D