Revive this campaign?
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I've always wanted one of my threads to be necromancied. Will someone ignore this thread, then later (by weeks or months), once it's forgotten, post on it again?
Hey, all! I've been toying with a build for a while. The idea is to do a lot of self-buffing without much actual spellcasting, while retaining as much BAB as possible. I was originally thinking of something like Brawler (Mutagenic Mauler) 6/Cleric 1/Holy Vindicator X This would give me a straight strength buff from mutagen, the potential for any number of useful domain powers (this character was originally conceived as an herbalist due to backstory--which I am absolutely willing to expatiate on if you like--which kind of drew me toward Plant (Growth)), and then Holy Vindicator for scaling stigmata to apply to damage, a few spells, nice defenses, BAB, etc. All was well in the world. Then the Metamorph alchemist came out and I thought of taking this in another direction. Monstrous physique looks fun, and I think something like an alchemist X/cleric Y/HV could work. Thus, I am now wondering what the best martial dip for mutagen would be. I haven't even mentioned Fighter (Mutation Warrior), but maybe someone can convince me that it's awesome :). Also, mild rules question: it seems like the duration of mutagen granted from different classes should stack; how do others read the rules?
Hey, all! I have a character concept in mind and a case of theorycrafter's block. This character may become an NPC in an upcoming game (or a PC even further in the future), but, for now, I'm just trying to explore a particular mechanic. The idea is to be able, on a full attack, to smack some allies with heals and some enemies with the opposite of heals. The right hand punishes; the left caresses. Ideally, this character would fight with unarmed strikes; further, this character's healing and harming abilities would be perfectly fungible, i.e. any combination of healing and harming attacks could be deployed throughout the round. If the gods truly smiled, there would be an ability that just let you convert all the damage you would do to healing. ~ Enumerated below are the ideas I've had so far: 1. Conductive weapon (AoMF) + Lay on Hands. Hit your ally for nonlethal damage (can you switch freely between lethal and non-lethal mid-full attack? Seems legit). This works pretty well, but it's ... Disadvantages: only once per round. 2. Spell-storing weapons/holding the charge. Similar to the above, but works off of spells like cure X wounds instead of supernatural abilities. Disadvantages: Only works on the first attack in a round. Egregious action economy. 3. Deviating a bit, it might be satisfactory just to do an unarmed build that also has significant Lay on Hands-style abilities, e.g. an Iroran Paladin or Champion of Irori. Disadvantages: Punch one turn, heal the next. Meh. 4. Really deviating from the concept, a witch- or bard-based arcane archer could use "imbue arrow" with mass cure spells. Disadvantages: Doesn't come online until mid-high levels; only a standard action; isn't melee. 5. <complaint>Channel Smite really ought to let you choose to heal or harm, but it doesn't.</complaint> ~ I've also considered functional equivalents like an unarmed Oradin, using Life Link and shield other for passive damage mitigation while using her actions to attack, but I just really want a character who punches her friends to increase their HP.
Alright! I'm planning to do three gameplay posts today if possible, as well as adding a little more campaign info. The first thing I'd like to know is why Matthias is interested in helping the Order. Does he do it for reward? To gain knowledge or skill? As a means of repentance? What motivates him to continue working with them?
For Beopere.
Background In this adventure, you will assume the role of a secret enforcer for the Ascetic Order of Bliss in Bitterness, a cult of psychic adepts dedicated to the improvement of body and mind. You are either a high-ranking member of this organization or an outsider with a reputation for impeccable discretion. As such, you have been selected for a delicate task which, if what you've been told is true, will protect not only the Ascetics' deeper secrets, but also the safety of an entire region's populace. This adventure is for BeoPere. The Ascetic Order of Bliss in Bitterness Exoterically regarded as a commune of benign eccentrics, the Order bears a (self-imposed) mantle as protectors of deleterious occult lore. Believing that knowledge is intrinsically important, the Order attempts to disseminate that information which can be put to benignant ends while preserving, under close guard, recondite information which might prove dangerous in the hands of the public. Instead of destroying this information, the Order's doctrine holds that today's apocalyptic revelation may be tomorrow's salvation, wherefore dangerous data are preserved for posterity; further, history reveals that, just as a skilled medic fashions antidotes from fatal venom, so laying bare the causes of atrocity and disaster may illuminate the solution thereto. The Ascetic Order of Bliss in Bitterness consists of rigidly hierarchical, absolutely self-sufficient communes united under the rule of a remote, clandestine council. It is not commonly known who has a voice in this council or what, if any, internal structure governs it. Decisions about what texts and artifacts should be kept where are conveyed via sending and other forms of long-range communique, often encoded. It is believed that the council members may themselves conduct their abstruse functions via semi-constant psychic contact.
Another theorycraft! My goal: to excogitate a reasonably effective character that adds WIS to as many rolls as possible. My idea: take a class that adds WIS to AC (monk or Sacred Fist warpriest), a class that affords access to channeling (for Guided Hand) (cleric or warpriest), a class that grants the Conversion inquisition (cleric or inquisitor), and an appropriate PrC for some continuity of class features, and end up with someone who can
Potential build paths and my analyses: Wanderer Monk 8/Cleric 1: The original idea. Worship Shizuru; take Guided Hand and Crusader's Flurry as feats, and take the Repose domain and the Conversion inquisition with the cleric level. Take the first level as cleric, then Monk to 8 for the second "off-hand" flurry attack before branching out into a PrC. Enjoy all the Wisdom to everything and a cool "walking the Earth" samurai flavor. I would probably proceed into Horizon Walker after this to sustain that flavor and give me various bonuses to to-hit and skills. Slayer might also be invited to the party. It doesn't seem terribly interesting to continue with monk after this, sadly. Sacred Fist Warpriest 8/Cleric 1: A modification to the original, adding more combat feats, a lot more spellcasting, and great nova ability at the expense of some skill ranks and ... not much else that I care about. This is probably a straight upgrade over the original, but I'd probably have to go with human to get enough skill ranks for my face skills to matter. It's a touch clunky to have to take a cleric level and warpriest levels. As above, I might proceed into Horizon Walker, but Slayer actually looks quite tempting for its skill points and melee abilities. Of course, after this much investment into Warpriest, it might be best to treat that cleric level as a simple dip and continue with Warpriest. Sensei Monk 2--3/Cavalier (or Samurai) 1--2/Cleric (or Inquisitor) 1--2: A totes different beast. This one is pretty clearly intended to go into Battle Herald, and I must admit that a single-stat Battle Herald build appeals greatly to me. In this case, "do something in melee" might very well mean "stand in front, bolster allies, and maybe guard the back row," so using one of those reach monk weapons like the kyoketsu shoge or kusarigama, taking Bodyguard/Lunge, and just threatening all over looks like a good time. This one is also much less feat-intensive, since my WIS to attack is covered by Sensei, so I can spend my feats on fun stuff. As you can see, broadly, I'm looking at either a debuffer (via Gentle Rest) who relies on a great number of attacks, a pumped-up to-hit stat, and a high crit chance (probably with Power Attack) to do meaningful damage OR a group buffer who can safely stand out in front and swat enemies away. Has anyone got thoughts, experiences playing such a build, other ways to achieve WIS SADness, etc.?
Hello, all! I'm theorycrafting today. I've been keen on the Storm Kindler/Master of Storms for a while, but I've always been dissatisfied with the results when I try something like monk 3 (for Monastic Legacy)/sorcerer (empyreal, for Wisdom as a casting stat) 4. Now, with the release of Unchained, I see that variant multiclassing will allow me to gain several quite good monk abilities, including nearly-full unarmed strike progression, without detriment to my casting, if that's desired. What would be an interesting entry now? My thoughts are that
I'm trying not to forget that this prestige class also gets cool ancillary abilities (Seasight reminds me of that "Mist Assassin" that made the rounds a while ago), so ways to take advantage of those are appreciated. Mostly, I'm looking for cool and synergistic ideas to make turning into a tornado as cool as it ought to be.
Hey, all! I have a concept and some incipient build ideas, but I'd like some advice on direction and on some turbid rules interactions. The Backstory:
Ensconced in an ill-traveled forest, there is a monastery where asceticism, the development of mystical powers, and the pursuit of perfection are treated as the ineluctable elements of enlightenment. Each spring, those monks to whom clarity has come with the thawing of winter are taken to a particular grove where a rare fruit grows. Here, budding mystics taste of the fruit's ripe flesh, gaining such powers as reflect the own path to perfection: some learn to conjure searing flame; others, to render their own flesh as inspissate and unyielding as the bark of a tree; yet others to restore vigor to weakened bodies. When Ugrin's time came and he consumed the mystical catalyst, nothing happened. His teachers fed him several glistening portions of the wondrous food to no effect. Puzzled and dismayed, he began to return to the grove each night, having fortified himself in the day with alchemical lore and the rudiments of potion craft. After many weeks of experimentation and a great deal of illness, Ugrin developed a concoction that rendered him more powerful, more durable, more agile, at the cost of some temporary clouding of the mind. He has since left the monastery, bearing knowledge of the mirific fruit and of the subtleties of rendering it potent. He seeks to alter his body further through experimentation and magic, concluding that his own path to perfection will be that of vicissitude, of labile forms and of willing alteration, of transcendence by bodily modification.
Basic Build Ideas:
I'm obviously going for at least some levels of Mutagenic Mauler. However, I get bored single-classing, and I feel that much might be gained by trying to stack transmutation effects. Besides, by sixth level, a Mutagenic Mauler's mutagenic form will have gained a flat +2 to damage, +10 base speed, and low-light vision, and each mutagen will last an hour, so I'll have gained much of what I want from the class. After that, I see the following as useful dips: Dips:
Monk (2 -- 4 levels): massively bolsters saves; possibly advances unarmed damage along with brawler? Druid (1 level or 4 levels): also shores up the weak will save; affords access to domains (Growth would be excellent for the swift action enlarge person situation), and, if one can qualify for the Treesinger archetype, wild shaping into a plant would be thematic for this character. I also feel that Cave Druid could work, as I have something of a predilection for perfection being found in the aberrant. Going druid would add another layer of transmutations to the quest for perfection; if I did this, what advice from Prototype00's Conqueror Oozes and such can this character use? Would Feral Combat Training work with Brawler's Flurry? Bloodrager (Aberrant) (4 -- 6 levels): improves reach; fits with the "transcendence through modification" bit; yields RAGE.
I generally prefer to cap off messy dipped-to-oblivion builds with a PrC, if only to afford such characters at least a bit of continuity in class features. I'm considering Prestige Classes:
Brother of the Seal: kind of works the "forbidden knowledge" angle and augments unarmed strikes while conferring excellent saves and some other fun class features. Dragon Disciple: if one took at least four Bloodrager (Draconic) levels, this might work flavor-wise, if only for the addition of draconic traits and stat boosts. Pain Taster: not my top choice, but might turn out to be oddly felicitous. I can see modification of the body becoming more and more of an obsession (as my tattoos and piercing attest).
I may be trying to do far too much. I guess I'm just wondering how "self-modifying" a pure-ish melee character can get. Thank in advance for your help!
Hello, all. I've been quite intrigued by the Irorian Paladin, and I'm trying to elaborate a build that can best benefit from the reroll-augmenting abilities. Here is what I have so far: Irorian Paladin: This is not a surprise! The abilities on which I'm particularly keen are Confident Defense, Unarmed Strike, and, in particular, Aura of Excellence and, should one reach this level, Aura of Perfection. The idea is to create a high-charisma character with excellent defenses who can contribute to combat with reasonable melee ability and lots of die roll manipulation to abet allies. Other Classes and Sources of Reroll Abilities:
Feats:
Traits:
Some observations:
I would build this character either with a strength focus, followed closely by charisma, or, if taking the monk dip, with equal attention to wisdom and charisma (Guided Hand tricks after the cleric level might be welcome). Again, this character should have good defenses and be able to do something in melee (whether using combat maneuvers, doing a bit of damage, or using abilities to help allies: aid another and its related feat chains, Bodyguard, Archon Style, etc.) while more-or-less passively helping allies. What do you all think? I realize that this isn't terribly optimal, but it sounds fun to me. Any suggestions? Additions? Thanks!
Hello, all. This post concerns a mostly theoretical build; I enjoy monks, I enjoy adding casting to martially-oriented characters (particularly with stat synergy), and I absolutely love the flavor of the stigmata ability. I am thinking that eighth level is a felicitous break-point from monk, due to the reception of a second flurry attack, save increases, an unarmored AC boost, etc., at that level. Then, having attained wisdom through devotion, the character would take a level of cleric and then enter the prestige class, learning to shed blood as the ultimate expression of perfection through bodily mortification. I like Sohei for the initiative bonus and weapon training, but I can see other archetypes' being useful. I know that this build would not avail itself fully of the Holy Vindicator's abilities (armor proficiencies are wasted, as is vindicator's shield), and would only employ channeling in an ancillary capacity, but, between high wisdom and the various benefits of Stigmata (not to mention the great volume of attacks this character could make when flurrying), I think this could make a nice warrior type with a small amount of casting and fabulous flavor. What do people think? Any suggestions about archetypes, deities (Irori is an obvious choice), feats, strategies, etc.? Thank you!
In perusing archetypes, I've come upon a couple of issues which I've not found addressed in other threads or in any FAQ. Small as they seem, I'm interested to know how people are dealing with these things. The first issue pertains to the Empyreal wildblooded archetype. The Celestial bloodline's capstone includes the following:
However, the Empyreal bloodline replaces Wings of Heaven with Sacred Cistern. I assume that this doesn't grant unlimited use of that ability (inexhaustible healing? Unthinkable); does the Empyreal sorcerer gain Wings of Heaven at level 20? Does she simply ignore this text? The other issue is with the Kensai. He receives fighter training at seventh level, but does not replace the default magus's fighter training at level 10. The intention seems to be for the Kensai not to receive anything in exchange, and for the seventh level ability to make the other redundant. Are people playing this differently? Giving the Kensai an effective fighter level equal to his magus level (certainly not equal to one-and-a-half times his magus level, less three, I would hope)? Is this an oversight? Thank you for your responses. With any luck, we can glean some concrete answers about these things, and perhaps open the discussion to other archetype oddities.
Hello, all. There is a special place in my heart for aberrations, and I absolutely love eidolon evolutions. The marriage of the two was inevitable; I therefore proffer my creation for feedback and suggestions. I can't decide whether I am over- or underrating the "Unnatural Boon" ability, about which I leave it to you to express opinions. Spoiler:
Aliquis An aliquis is an human that has been touched by the strange. Perhaps aberrant blood has touched the family line, or perhaps the aliquis was exposed to strange magic while in the womb. Occasionally, an aliquis is even a virgin birth. Whatever the case, aliqui are markedly different from normal humans, their origins being as multifarious and obscure as their abilities. While an aliquis looks generally human, she always has some distinctly non-human capability. Some possess a tentacle or claws; some have innate spellcasting power. The only qualities they seem to share are increased comfort in lower light conditions and an uncanny linguistic acquisition: each seems able, as soon as she can form words, to speak a language that her parents cannot, often one they've never even heard. As an aliquis ages and grows in experience, her exogenous qualities change in the manner indicated in the stat block below. Additionally, truly momentous experiences can alter an aliquis's unnatural qualities. An aliquis born with a spell-like ability might, upon swearing to avenge a slain friend, lose her spell but manifest claws to punctuate the gravity of her oath. +2 to One Ability Score: Aliquis characters get a +2 bonus to one ability score of their choice at creation to represent their varied nature.
Evolution List: Basic Magic, Claws, Climb, Gills, Hooves, Pincers, Scent, Swim, Tail, Tentacle, Unnatural Aura Type
So, that's what I've got. I was considering increasing the number of evolution points to two at level ten, but most of the two-point evolutions would probably be overpowered. All feedback on that or other matters is welcome and appreciated. |