Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 lordothemorning Apr 01, 2011 2:08:37	Hopefully this is the correct place for character concepts.  I have a character in mind that I'd like to play, but I don't know where to start with him.  The idea was this:  To have a character who's reflexes are so sharp that he literally sees a battles in slow motion, having, in his perception, a full minute or more to dodge enemy attacks.  He's extremely agile, although his physical speed doesn't necessarily match his unbelievable perception. There may or may not be something arcane to this speed.  The original idea, in terms of backstory, was that he was struck by lightning, which gave him some magical powers that don't often manifest themselves unless it's through is supernatural speed of mind (which means that spellsword builds are a consideration). I tried playing a Duskblade at the recommendation of a friend.  I later took a level of Swordsage, which gets me a little closer to the idea, but it's not really what I had in mind (maybe there's still time to tweak it). I thought perhaps pursuing the spring attack feat tree would send me in the right direction.  Perhaps something in the tome of battle could help me out?  I would like to get TWF going too, but on my current character I'm not gonna have room for it. If anyone knows of any classes that could help me achieve the concept, whether starting from scratch or continuing with Duskblade, I'd be grateful. TL;DR:  I want a character who sees time in slow motion. He's super agile, dodges everything, maybe has some sort of affinity to lightning, and has a million attacks per round.  Probably uses swords and is hopefully a two-weapon fighter.  What do?
#2 Tempest_Stormwind Apr 01, 2011 12:25:40	You have just perfectly described the Diamond Mind discipline from the Tome of Battle.  To practice Diamond Mind is to learn the secret of action without volition. A Diamond Mind adept can make the raindrops stand still if he wishes. He understands that any battle isa contest of wills, and that victory is inevitable for the warrior who wins that contest. True quickness lies in the mind, not the body. A student of the Diamond Mind discipline seeks to hone his perceptions and discipline his thoughts so that he can act in slivers of time so narrow that others cannot even perceive them. A corollary of this speed of thought and action is the concept of the mind as the battleground. An enemy defeated in his mind must inevitably be defeated in the realm of the physical as well. Its ultimate move is literally called Time Stands Still, and lets you take two full attacks as a full-round action. It also has an 8th level maneuver called Avalanche of Blades that lets you continue attacking until you miss (which has some serious synergy with effects that key off of touch attacks). There are associated feats with it that allow you to move at phenominal speed as well. From low levels, it grants you abilities to dodge attacks and predict defenses. It's available to warblades (who also have abilities that pump up Reflex saves and have moves that allow them to block and deflect blows) and swordsages (who have evasive skills of their own similar to jujitsu). The lightning affinity would have to be handled through weapons or sub-optimal spell-like ability feats. (At one point during ToB development, Iron Heart (warblade discipline) was somehow associated with lightning. The only reflection of this in the rules is the shock ability of its discipline sword, Kamate. It had that association relatively late in development, which you can see if you look through the art gallery and check a few maneuver names. (Similarly, it's evident that White Raven was originally named White Tower, which explains the "Blade of the Last Citadel" and "Crown of White Towers".)) Another alternative is Swiftblade, if you like a more magical approach to things. That class is all about haste, haste, and more haste, and has some ability with magic as well that can be used to round out the rest of the character. I'd certainly look into the Lightning Leap spell (PHB2, I think) as well; it's not the most optimal but hot damn is it perfect for your concept. (It combines a short-range teleport with a lightning bolt, described as transforming yourself into lightning and charging through things.)