Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 totenkinder Aug 06, 2008 17:05:05	I've been on this site for a few weeks, trying to get an understanding of the ins and outs of Character Optimization. I still know little about making devastating or very efficient CO builds, but one can only get better by trying, failing and learning from the mistakes. This is what this thread is about. I also saw shortly after I first came here a thread where a user took existing fictional characters from comic books and movies and tried to create their DnD equivalent. I'm going to do something like that here. Dark Changeling Ranger 1/Barbarian 4/Warshaper 4/Psychic Warrior 11 Ranger 1: Aberration Blood (Sticky Fingers) (1st level feat) Barbarian 1 Barbarian 2: Durable Form (3rd level feat) Barbarian 3 Barbarian 4 Warshaper 1: Inhuman Reach (6th level feat) Warshaper 2 Warshaper 3 Warshaper 4: Inhuman Vision (9th level feat) Psychic Warrior 1: Extend Power (Bonus Feat) Psychic Warrior 2: Psionic Fist (Bonus Feat) Psychic Warrior 3: Bestial Hide (12th level feat) Psychic Warrior 4 Psychic Warrior 5: Greater Psionic Fist (Bonus Feat) Psychic Warrior 6: Quick Recovery (15th level feat) Psychic Warrior 7 Psychic Warrior 8: Psionic Talent (Bonus Feat) Psychic Warrior 9: Improved Toughness (18th level feat) Psychic Warrior 10 Psychic Warrior 11: ??? (Bonus Feat) Powers: Chameleon, Inertial Barrier, Metaphysical claw, Inertial Armor, Thicken Skin, Psionic Freedom of Movement, Energy Adaptation, Duodimensional Claw, Wall Walk, Detect Hostile Intent, Body Adjustment This build is to represent the character known as Toxin from Marvel comics. He is the second generation offspring of the Spiderman villain Venom and is a hero unlike his psychopathic father Carnage and his mentally unbalanced grandfather. I started with Ranger because Toxin has shown cased strong tracking skills and Ranger gives that away for free. Favored Enemy can be set for Monstrous Humanoids since most supervillains he's faced have been monstrosities in themselves. Ninja got removed because Invisibility became pointless after the large buffs from Psychic warrior. When the Dark Template was added on the hide bonus was accompanied nicely by Hide in Plain Sight. I added back in Barbarian levels for the increased movement, the Rage and just for BAB Next came Warshaper, which is a good choice when ever dealing with natural form shifters. Toxin's symbiote grants him immunities from normally fatal wounds, allows him to heal faster, allows him to shift his body mass into solid weaponry and to stretch to a degree. All of this is given by Warshaper. I took out Barbarian and Warlock and put in Psychic warrior because several of their powers fit a lot of the niches needed. Now to just decide on what to fill in those bonus feats with. Now this is a work in progress. It is in no way optimized but its my shot at it. Any comments or advice would really help since I'd like to try and get this character as close to the source material as possible and teach me more about Character Optimization. Updated Three times. Note Before it's even brought up, I'm not using ANY custom items for this build. The only exception to this is weapons that scale with levels and are plotted out in here.
#2 heax Aug 06, 2008 17:18:26	If you want- just change the flavour of Totemist a bit. You get crazy bite attacks, tail attacks, resistances, movement modifiers, spit and breath attacks- the works. Just a thought.
#3 totenkinder Aug 06, 2008 17:25:35	If you want- just change the flavour of Totemist a bit. You get crazy bite attacks, tail attacks, resistances, movement modifiers, spit and breath attacks- the works. Just a thought. Well, Warshaper covers most of the "physical" needs. All Barbarian really has to offer is speed increase and Rage buffing. Breath weapon isn't really needed, nor a tail, but the Resistances are what really needed to be added to this build.
#4 Blade2718 Aug 06, 2008 21:32:34	If you really want to take it to the next level, try this: Human Wildshape Ranger 7/Warshaper 4/Master of Many FormsCArc 9 with a psychoactive skin.
#5 totenkinder Aug 06, 2008 21:44:53	If you really want to take it to the next level, try this: Human Wildshape Ranger 7/Warshaper 4/Master of Many FormsCArc 9 with a psychoactive skin. The skin sounds awesome, but I stayed away from Wildshape ranger and MoMF to keep it close to the source. He can't turn into animals, just other people and that's covered by the Changeling's natural shape changing.
#6 totenkinder Aug 08, 2008 20:26:42	Bump
#7 meth0dical Aug 09, 2008 15:53:59	Warlock gives spider climb at will (and with a 24 hour duration) at level 1.
#8 totenkinder Aug 10, 2008 12:12:31	Warlock gives spider climb at will (and with a 24 hour duration) at level 1. That's perfect. Are there any class variants that switch out the Eldritch blast though? Worse comes to Worse I can just write it off as being a "Bio-electric blast" like Spider-Woman has.
#9 brxyn Aug 10, 2008 17:22:40	http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=424838 there are a couple other conversions in this thread, too.
#10 totenkinder Aug 10, 2008 18:34:24	http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=424838 there are a couple other conversions in this thread, too. Thanks, that let me know I needed to add a note to the first post.
#11 xoraxx Aug 11, 2008 6:14:33	Just a sugestion, but a (Copper) Dragon Shaman from the PHB2, also gives spiderclimb at will (at level 3) as well as fast healing 1 when your HP is below half, seems like it could fit.
#12 totenkinder Aug 11, 2008 10:55:52	Just a sugestion, but a (Copper) Dragon Shaman from the PHB2, also gives spiderclimb at will (at level 3) as well as fast healing 1 when your HP is below half, seems like it could fit. It's that "below half health" that disqualifies it. Symbiotes constantly heal their hosts and that would take 3 levels to do all that when Warlock 1 fits the bill. I know I have 10 levels of wiggle room but there's no reason to add something not worth it.
#13 totenkinder Aug 11, 2008 17:44:17	Hm, Psychic Warrior has a power list that fits a lot of the bill, but I have no real experience with Psionics.
#14 Blade2718 Aug 11, 2008 22:52:35	That's perfect. Are there any class variants that switch out the Eldritch blast though? Worse comes to Worse I can just write it off as being a "Bio-electric blast" like Spider-Woman has. If you always use Hideous Blow, then it's just making you look uber strong.
#15 totenkinder Aug 11, 2008 23:04:52	If you always use Hideous Blow, then it's just making you look uber strong. Hideous Blow?
#16 totenkinder Aug 12, 2008 20:42:34	Bump
#17 gilfalas_elaandrin Aug 13, 2008 12:38:04	Hideous Blow? Hideous Blow is a Warlock invocation that modifies Eldritch Blast so you can use it in a a melee attack as a standard action. Most of what you want is actually granted by Warlock. Fast Healing, DR, and the various warklock invocations can really add onto making a 'superhero' of almost any sort. I mean Warlocks can fly, regenerate quickly, have Iron hard skin and can shoot energy from their hands (or use that energy in melee attacks). Isn't that a sterotypical superhero? Plus with their invisibility, ability to create darkness and see through darkness (assuming you take those invocations) you can have a great, stealthy night hunter type.
#18 totenkinder Aug 13, 2008 13:15:20	Hideous Blow is a Warlock invocation that modifies Eldritch Blast so you can use it in a a melee attack as a standard action. Most of what you want is actually granted by Warlock. Fast Healing, DR, and the various warklock invocations can really add onto making a 'superhero' of almost any sort. I mean Warlocks can fly, regenerate quickly, have Iron hard skin and can shoot energy from their hands (or use that energy in melee attacks). Isn't that a sterotypical superhero? Plus with their invisibility, ability to create darkness and see through darkness (assuming you take those invocations) you can have a great, stealthy night hunter type. I don't want most of that though. And he's a martial type character, so the farther away from Spellcaster I can get, the better.
#19 Blade2718 Aug 13, 2008 22:17:46	I don't want most of that though. And he's a martial type character, so the farther away from Spellcaster I can get, the better. Don't think of it as spells, just think about it as his abilities.
#20 totenkinder Aug 13, 2008 22:48:31	Don't think of it as spells, just think about it as his abilities. The point still stands that Warlock gives more then I want.
#21 totenkinder Aug 14, 2008 16:08:41	Updated
#22 totenkinder Aug 14, 2008 22:57:45	Bump
#23 totenkinder Aug 15, 2008 18:33:55	Bump ..
#24 totenkinder Aug 16, 2008 18:32:52	Bump.
#25 totenkinder Aug 17, 2008 10:56:27	Updated.
#26 totenkinder Aug 18, 2008 9:55:38	Bump.
#27 totenkinder Aug 26, 2008 12:45:02	Bump
#28 carnivore Aug 26, 2008 15:09:58	a few quick questions...: 1)are you aware that...... Changelings have Rogue as Favored Class ... so :Dark Changeling Ranger 1/Barbarian 4/Warshaper 4/Psychic Warrior 11.... will have XP Penalties 2) you would be suited better with Warmind 10 for Psionic Powers than PW 11 i would suggest this: Dark Changeling Ranger 2(Fangshields Sub lvl 2)/ Fighter 2/ PW 2/ Warshaper 4/ Warmind 10 BAB +18 10 lvl Manifester(14th with Practiced manifester) (Warmind) 5th lvl Powers(PW list) 2nd lvl Manifester PW 1st lvl Power Fangshields Sub lvl 2(Champoins of Valor) will give the feat: Imp Natural Attack :D
#29 totenkinder Aug 26, 2008 17:14:56	a few quick questions...: 1)are you aware that...... Changelings have Rogue as Favored Class ... so :Dark Changeling Ranger 1/Barbarian 4/Warshaper 4/Psychic Warrior 11.... will have XP Penalties 2) you would be suited better with Warmind 10 for Psionic Powers than PW 11 i would suggest this: Dark Changeling Ranger 2(Fangshields Sub lvl 2)/ Fighter 2/ PW 2/ Warshaper 4/ Warmind 10 BAB +18 10 lvl Manifester(14th with Practiced manifester) (Warmind) 5th lvl Powers(PW list) 2nd lvl Manifester PW 1st lvl Power Fangshields Sub lvl 2(Champoins of Valor) will give the feat: Imp Natural Attack :D Yes, I'm aware. And I wasn't going for huge access to Psionics, just those specific powers to mimic the character's powers.