Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 kalaskaagathas Feb 24, 2009 22:17:12	Hello, I'd like some help for an extremely high-powered campaign I'm involved in. The other characters are paragons of min/maxing, and we tend to level each session. All help is highly appreciated. Basics: 21 character levels with gold as appropriate All official 3.5 allowed, DM will look at 3.0 and 3rd party materials Level Adjustment buy-off as in Unearthed Arcana Houserules/Complications: Teleporting, Summoning doesn't work (in game reason) Dimension Door, Blink do work Long Range Divination (scrying, etc) is unreliable at best DM prefers no psionics Epic Spells on case by case basis (not reliable) Epic spell progression (10th, 11th, etc level spells) Flavor: Charismatic, Winged Devil (nominally Erinyes but not necessarily using Erinyes stats), Likes using fire-based attacks, Lawful Neutral Crunch: Aiming for arcane melee gish with high AC, lots of attacks
#2 unundindur Feb 25, 2009 4:38:17	Well, you can never go wrong with a sun elf conjurer5/Eldritch Knight10/Abjurant Champion5/monk1. If your case, add in a demonic wing graft for fluff, and take names with absurd AC, spellcasting, BaB and tossing around extra spells everywhere (abrupt jaunt, swift abjurations). Take Spontaneous divination, specialise in conjuration, considder going master specialist since you use most of your spells to fuel arcane strike. Feats: Arcane Strike, Carmendine Monk Simple, ellegant and very potent.
#3 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 11:58:35	Can you use LA buyoff? Half-fey from Fiend Folio is awesome for LA+2.
#4 Endarire Feb 25, 2009 12:35:19	Human or Dragonborn Fire Elf Barbarian1 (Whirling Frenzy & Pounce)/Martial Transmuter5/Eldritch KnightX/Abjurant ChampionX. Or you could just play a Hood.
#5 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 15:02:11	Yes, LA Buyoff is as in Unearthed Arcana. What books are Eldritch Knight and Abjurant Champion in? Thanks for the help guys!
#6 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 15:32:36	Eldritch Knight is in the DMG... Abjurant Champion is in Complete Mage, IIRC.
#7 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 16:18:08	Thank you Phaedrus - pointing me towards the good! Any other suggestions? Edit: The hood looks excellent, but my DM is, shall we say, less than enthused. Phaedrus, former Johnnie?
#8 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 16:52:02	Phaedrus, former Johnnie? No... I've used this screen name for 7 years on here...
#9 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 17:03:59	No... I've used this screen name for 7 years on here... Oh, ok, I just thought with the name and location you might have some relation to the school.
#10 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 17:06:28	Oh, ok, I just thought with the name and location you might have some relation to the school. Ok, now I'm curious. What is a Johnnie? I'm not from Albuquerque, and I've only been here for a bit under 2 years.
#11 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 17:14:56	Students of Saint John's College, of Santa Fe or Annapolis, are called Johnnies. We study the Great Books, from Homer to Heiddeger, Plato to Planck, Archimedes to Einstein. As freshmen we read the Phaedrus, and most of the rest of Plato...hence my wondering! Any other ideas? My DM and an associate have suggested the Devilbound Erinyes template, perhaps we can work with that?
#12 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 17:22:48	Ah, ok. Yeah, I liked reading Plato as an undergrad, but I didn't go to that school. I also liked Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenence, where a character was named Phaedrus. I'm glad someone finally recognized it. I think you're the first person to comment on it (besides asking where it was from :P ), and I've been using it for at least 15 years... I've never heard of this template. Where is it from, and what does it do?
#13 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 17:26:01	I've never heard of this template. Where is it from, and what does it do? Zen and the Art of Archery is a favorite of mine, same author? Advanced Bestiary - Page 56 for the template.
#14 phaedrusxy Feb 25, 2009 17:28:08	Zen and the Art of Archery is a favorite of mine, same author? No idea. Robert Pirsig wrote the one I mentioned. Advanced Bestiary - Page 56 for the template. That must be a 3rd party book. I don't recognize it.
#15 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 17:41:20	Yes it is third party. I guess that's a different author, Eugen Herrigel is the author of Zen and the Art of Archery.
#16 keithio Feb 25, 2009 18:14:28	The above is correct. Whatever you do, DO NOT play a: (Saint Template[Book of exalted deeds]/Mineral Warrior) Human Paladin2/Sorc4/Spellsword1[complete warrior]/AbjurantChampion5/SacredExorcist4[Complete Divine]/UnseenSeer4[Complete Mage]/Spellsinger1[Races of Faerun] With the epic divine might and snowflake battle dance feats. Charisma to hit, charisma to damage, charisma to damage, charisma to damage (Yup 3 times) and charisma to saves, weee. Not to mention all the benefits of the Saint template. You as a person might need a charisma score of 19 or better to convince your DM to let you play it ;p
#17 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 18:32:19	The saint template would not work. He is a devil. Not Saintly. My DM is not a squid. Right now I'm thinking Battle Sorcerer 6/Eldritch Knight 6/Abjurant Champion 5, with Spellcasting prodigy (old version), combat casting, arcane strike, shorthafting, weapon focus longspear, force of personality (works on all will saves), jack of all trades, with the flaws hedonist and person of interest. Any critiques or suggestions?
#18 keithio Feb 25, 2009 18:44:05	To be frank, that build stinks. And it's probably illegal, unless you're getting Martial Weapon Proficiency (All) from somewhere (Battle Sorcerer Doesn't give it). The saint in my build wasn't really essential, it's just good. You can take whatever you want for the +3 LA side of it. Hopefully the winged devil or whatever you take provides a CHA bonus. Battlesorcerer is a terrible class, you're shooting yourself in the foot by taking it. Even if you don't do the snowflake wardance and divine might stuff in my build, its still a better build. Anywayz, since you like being a devil (Read: Do not plan on using polymorph), I recommend: Barabarian1/Wizard6/Spellsword1/AbjurantChampion5/EldritchKnight8 Taking the lion totem barbarian variant from Complete Champion for full attacks on a charge (very useful) and the martial wizard variant from Unearthed Arcana for 2 fighter bonus feats instead of scribe scroll and a wizard bonus feat (Also nice).
#19 kalaskaagathas Feb 25, 2009 18:55:19	I receive martial weapon proficiency from a template I'm taking, as per my DM's decision. The LA of the race and templates I am using comes out to +4, down from +5 by buy off. I'll take a look at that build however, thanks. Edit: Why, exactly, is it a terrible build? I'd be interested to know the reasoning or numbers behind this statement. And how, precisely, would I be shooting myself in the foot?
#20 keithio Feb 25, 2009 19:41:41	The problem with battlesorcerer is that it is better than a sorcerer because of the BAB and HD while you take the class - and only while you take it - and severely severely worse due to lost spells known and spells per day - whether you take it or advance it with PRC. In your build, the Battlesorcerer could be replaced with vanilla sorcerer and still qualify for everything else. It would lose 1 measly point of BAB and 12HP, but would gain an extra spell known and per day of every level...that's a huge difference. Sorcerer spells known are already very limiting...battlesorcerer really takes away from the things you can do. Then compare sorcerer to wizard, who gets 2 bonus feats from the 6 levels, and can prepare spells as needed. Also INT is a nicer stat than CHA for purposes of having many skill points. Also, as I recall, the LA buyoff rules allowed you to eliminate up to 3 LA... so you should go down from 5 LA to 2 LA?
#21 phaedrusxy Feb 26, 2009 0:48:11	I agree with Keithio's assessment of battle sorcerer, but of course he's not remembering LA buyoff correctly. ;) And why use a longspear instead of a guisarme or something? And you can wear spiked armor and not worry with short haft. It is pretty easy to get armor with ASF 0.
#22 eldariel Feb 26, 2009 3:50:03	The suggested Sorcerer-build of: Paladin 2/Sorc 4/Spellsword 1/Abjurant Champion 5/Sacred Exorcist 8/Spellsinger 1 is pretty much what I'd suggest. Now, if you don't want to be goody two-shoes, you can be a Paladin of Tyranny/Slaughter just as well. That does mean you don't actually qualify for Sacred Exorcist but you could easily make a Corrupt Possessor-adaption of the said class; all you want is Turn/Rebuke Undead. Also, I'd rather go for Incantatrix than Spellsinger. Still, having an almost-full casting and insane defenses (basically "No-I-don't-fail-saves-never-ever") has to count for something. Unseen Seer is a decent alternative if you can convince your DM to gain a progression through it.
#23 kalaskaagathas Feb 26, 2009 17:10:45	Well, thank you all for the help, I've built the character and had him ok'd by the DM, so that's all done.
#24 eldariel Feb 26, 2009 23:49:44	Just curious, what build did you end up with?