Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 arcane_dup Jun 28, 2008 1:01:08	Hi all, I recently joined a 3.5e game, which I rather enjoy so far. However, the other players are pretty good at making optimized characters while I'm not. To keep on par and to keep from being outshined, I request the assistance of the CO boards. However, the DM's campaign world somewhat prevents this. Magic is treated with suspicion, and as a result it's rather rare (especially in items). So my resources are somewhat limited in that regard. I have a Human Swordsage 5 (specializing in Desert Wind school) with the following stats: STR 16 DEX 18 CON 14 INT 8 WIS 10 CHA 8. His alignment is LN, due to being in the military from a young age. We haven't begun play, only roleplayed a bit, so I am free to change around stats, feats, manuevers/stances, and so on. I also haven't spent my Level 4 stat. Oh, and if I choose to multiclass (especially to a magic-using class) I have to come up with a good character-related reason. I have to justify class choices or anything else unusual, in other words. I'd like to be a frontline fighter. The party has all the roles filled, and I rarely play a fighter-type, so I am trying it. If possible, I'd like a full 20-level progression starting with Swordsage 5 and (if you can/want to) justifications for class choices, etc. Of course, any help is useful, and I'd appreciate whatever you can provide. Thank you! -Nigel EDIT: I forgot to include that all d20 books are allowed, as well as anything I'd like to bring to the table. That isn't a problem, because I have a compact 500gb hard drive that's chock-full of RPG stuff. So feel free to link to user-created character classes, Dragon classes, or whatever. Even d20 Modern, if I can get enough ridiculous reasoning to convince him. Hell, Star Wars would work. ANYTHING that's compatible with 3.5.
#2 akal-saris Jun 28, 2008 3:37:58	Well, to start you off, here's a link to ToB for Dummies, which helped me out with my first few ToB characters. http://forums.gleemax.com/showthread.php?t=956362 Just going straight swordsage probably won't be too bad of a choice. Sometimes it's beneficial to take a small dip in another class to delay your IL progression so as to get a higher level stance at the level you need it, but IIRC that's more of a crusader/warblade thing. Desert Wind isn't that great of a discipline to focus heavily on, but I do like its flavor. You might want to think about what stances you want to be in most often, and what strikes you will use frequently, and then based on that get a martial adept weapon from the ToB, which has great benefits for any martial class. I wish I knew more about Swordsages, but the only one I'm playing is still level 1 =P Good luck!
#3 arcane_dup Jun 28, 2008 12:26:27	Thanks for the link, I looked at the Library and didn't see it. I'm going Desert Wind because of the flavor - and my character's backstory. He was raised in the slums of a city, there was a series of skirmishes going on just outside the city, and some followers of the Dark One (big evil guy in this world) came and killed almost all of that section of the slums, including his family. At the time (he was 10 years old) he was out looking for some work to get a few copper for some bread, and when he came back he stayed there in grief for a few days. Finally, he met a trader who was willing to transport him to another city, a desert city. A clan of nomads saw that he had unusual athletic prowess and determination, kidnapped him, and trained him in the ways of the Desert Wind style of the Swordsage. When he left, training complete, he went back to his birth city and joined the army (as is expected for males 14-28). His superiors saw that he knew how to fight much better than the average grunt and promoted him to a different unit, a special forces-type one. His reputation grew over the years, and a noble contacted him to help guard him on a journey. And that's where we are now. So he can't really be anything but Desert Wind, due to backstory restrictions. I did get the Diamond Mind manuevers that give you the concentration check in place of saves, because I have a +2 Con and 8 ranks in Concentration. I also have Shadow Jaunt. The only feat I'm completely definite on is Adaptive Style, because it's so amazing. Any tips, anyone?