Lacdannan's page

I feel your pain, bud. Ran into this issue myself many times. Even at high level, a well optimized martial character can do unreal damage relative to casters. Casters are unparalleled at battlefield manipulation and control, but blasters just don’t seem to keep up. Couple of suggestions I’ve used or heard off.

1) Modify your mobs. DR is a good start. Also max their hit points and add the simple advanced template (basically +2 to everything). Simple and not perfect, but it helps a bit.

2) Give all caster damage spells free empower spell metamagic. This was the first fix I tried. Works okay, but just means everything dies even faster. We used this until we started using #3.

3) My group has modified damage on iterative attacks and AoO’s. To be simple say you do 2d6+17 damage with a greatsword. In our system, you only get the +17 once per round (you pick which hit it applies to). All your other iterative attacks, AoO, etc. only get the 2d6. This has been the most effective we’ve tried so far, but be ware it greatly modifies the game. It becomes more important to at least hit once than hit many times. Size increases and weapon size increases specifically become huge benefits. Stoneskin and DR become complicated if not nerfed entirely (only get it on big hit or get reduced benefit on lesser hits). Dragons become really scary because the rule is, different attacks each get their +X damage once per round (so bite, claw, wing, tail, etc. each get the +X once). Martial damage becomes more parabolic in its consistency with this system and combats take more rounds. This has been the most effective change we’ve tried but it’s not perfect. Your results may vary kind of thing.

4) Haven’t tried it but am thinking we might soon: Armor converts some damage to non-lethal. Simplest way to apply this is take a character’s flat-footed AC, subtract 10, and that’s how much each hit gets converted to no lethal. This means heavily armored characters can take more hits and are more likely to be knocked unconscious rather than killed outright. Avoidance based tanks get hit harder when they do get hit. Healing becomes more effective in this system as it heals both lethal and non-lethal at the same amount at the same time. Likely will make undead scarier as they are immune to non-lethal. High natural armor creatures such as dragons may be scarier too. This system makes magical damage more potent as it cannot be converted to non-lethal by this. The stalwart feat chain may become ridiculously strong under this system. Haven’t tried this system modification, but it appeals to me in that it mitigates some of the martial damage problem while making different tanking styles have different benefits and may make tanks more desirable overall.

I know you asked for assistance in what creatures to run and not home rules, but I’m hoping some of these might help anyways.

If you’re just wanting echolocation there’s the samsaran race with mythic past life alternate racial trait (echolocation is a lvl 4 Druid spell).

For a feat, worshipping an outer god or great old one, and a possible drawback when you try to cast it, you could also get the spell via the Dreamed Secrets feat.

As others have said, two-hand your scimitar and get Power Attack.

Later, get improved critical to increase the already great threat range of the scimitar.

Carry the shield, drop it as a free action as needed.

Your character concept is fine and a viable combatant.

Honestly, and I'm no expert on this, but it sounds like there may be an underlying learning disability involved here.

Your player is cooperative, experienced, and aware of the generalities of his character's abilities, but it seems like he struggles on retaining the details. Find out his techniques for retaining information while he was in school and use similar techniques. As stated previously, flash cards are a good starting point for most people.

Life Oracle feels like a trap given the campaign parameters. Free Reach and Maximize on all spells, why would you ever need to specialize more in healing?

Use your mystery to add flavor, power, and options instead. If you're interested in Nature, if recommend Lunar instead. Half-elf if possible. You can pump your favored class bonuses into the Elf oracle option to increase the power of one mystery. I suggest the mystery that grants the animal companion. Riding around on a Roc that is 1.5x your level solves a lot of your maneuverability problems. Dual cursed is great, as is blackened curse. Giving your -4 to attacks with a weapon to a melee-BBEG is very handy. I might progress the Blackened curse though for the bonus spells. But also remember that with a half-elf, Paragon Surge spell with Expanded Arcana feat gives you a ton of versatility. More so if you also go the Improved Eldritch Heritage (Arcane) route. And being Hal-elf also means a racial +2 to Cha with no penalty stat. Add in the mystery that replaces Dex with Cha for AC and Reflex, maybe also the Noble Scion of War to replace Dex with Cha for initiative, and you have a very strong PC. For the curse you don't progress, I'd favor legalistic. Careful phrasing ("we'll see what we can do" vs. "we'll do it") keeps you out of binding obligations and it adds flavor. You are high Cha so you are the party face most likely (although the Sorc may have that covered), why not add to it by always being at risk if your word is given and broken? It's a lot more fun for conversations.

Just my advise anyway.

Worst thing you can do is not bring it up at all. Trust me; it will drive you crazy.

I joined a 3.5 group at a local game store when I was in grad school. I showed up to the first session with my level 8 wizard all ready to go. To my surprise, I found out that everyone in the group had multi-classed... Into Ninja. Everyone. Cleric/ninja, fighter/ninja, Druid/ninja, you-name-it/ninja. Seven people sitting around me at the table, all of them MC'd ninja. I thought, "man, that's pretty weird, but okay." So we get to the first encounter against a nasty giant spell caster and then a funny thing happened. The ENTIRE party vanished. Turns out, the GM didn't use the sniping penalty to stealth, and with hide-in-plain-sight, why couldn't the fighter hit the mob in the face with a greatsword while remaining completely concealed in the Giant's own shadow?( /sarcasm)

So yeah, giant spell caster versus a squishy wizard. I barely got fly off to hover out of reach while my party sniped down the giant.

Next encounter? A bunch of mobs who also sniped from the shadows without penalty. So there I am, surrounded by unseen death, who this time can snipe me as I try desperately to get away, pleading with the fighter to tank. Cleric even got mad at mad at me for tanking too much damage.

I didn't say anything because, hey I'm the new guy. I'm just grateful for a seat at the table. But after a while, I had to quit the group. That and other things were just too much to handle.

Talk about it, get it in the open or get another group.

I still tell horror stories from that group. Don't be like me.

First Thought: OMG this is amazing. I want this so bad!

Second Thought (upon seeing price): Ouch, $10.39. A bit pricey for 1 of 6 installments, but if they do it right, I'd pay that.

Third and Final Thought (upon seeing runtime): 1 hour?! Seriously? Pass. No reconsideration. Just Pass.

From a cost/entertainment standpoint:
That's ~7000x more than a standard MMO (assuming $15 a month for 25 hours enjoyment per week for 4 weeks, also assuming one of these audio dramas is available monthly, which I don't believe they are).
That's ~20x more expensive than a single player PC game such as Skyrim (assuming you bought the game at ~$60 and got only 100 hrs playtime out of it, which is very much on the low end).
That's ~7.5x more expensive than an audiobook (assuming S15 for 11 hours, such as Divergent available on iTunes now)
That's ~2.5x more expensive than going to see a movie (assuming ~$10 ticket for 2.5 hour movie with no food/drink).

And on all those comparisons are consciously on the low-end.

Call it an Audio Drama, Audiobook, or the greatest hour your ears will ever hear.... It's just way too overpriced for my money.

I think what you are looking for may be found here.

Captian K. suggests a great paladin based DD. I played the Barbarian variety. Most of this is coppied from another thread i posted in, but...

I played a sorcerer (copper draconic bloodline) / barbarian (fiend totem) with Eldritch heritage (abyssal) that prestiged into Dragon Disciple in my rise of the runelords game. He was indeed a very intersting and powerful character. He ended up stronger than most of the giants we faced. I roleplayed him as a sorcerer who's initial spark of magic was draconic, but the more he looked inside himself to find deeper magic the more he became aware of a darkness inside staring back at him (Abyssal Eldritch Heritage Feat Chain). That revalation sent him on a rage spiral for a while (cue the barbarian levels with fiend totem), but ultimately he committed himself towards choosing the good inside over the evil (dragon over demon, cue dragon disciple). He was chaotic neutral to show his struggle with the opposing forces inside, and very rarely raged (as the fiend totem caused horns to spout from his head reavealing his darker nature). He carried a holy cold iron longsword as a his main weapon and symbol of his commitment to the light. I joined the party at level 11, didn't rage until 13 or 14 when I encountered my first demon. I one rounded the demon, but terrified my entire party in the process. Had to answer some questions after that.

Sorc 1
Barbarian 4
DD 10
Sorc 2 (decided the extra spells and spell levels were worth more than a couple more levels of barbarian)

Admittedly, the last couple DD levels aren't optimal, but by that point I was a combat beast anyway and story-wise i wanted to finish the path.

You could also go Eldritch heritage feat chain using the Orc bloodline. This gives you a rage ability and the ability to incease in size in addition to strength bonuses. The strength bonuses are key though, as you won't be full BAB and will need it to help you hit. Also, when you hit, you hit much harder. Orc bloodline could be used on the Paladin based build Captain K. posted, giving you rage in addition to paladin goodness.

Obviously, Power Attack and using a weapon that can be two-handed should go without saying to capitalize on both your DD strength and Eldritch Heritage Strength no matter which route you take to get to DD. I went longsword with a buckler so I could alter my AC dramatically between 1-handed fighting with buckler (+5 buckler is a huge difference in AC), 2-handed fighting (-1 to attack but dont have to drop the buckler), and Rage).

There are other DD builds using Bard but i have no experience with them and will leave someone else to suggest them.

Shaman Bond wrote:
Can I suggest a single level of Wizard Diviner? You essentially trade a point of BAB to act during surprise rounds, even if you normally couldn't, and a slight initiative bonus, IIRC. Coupled with a Rogue Talent like Snapshot, you're guaranteed to catch somebody flatfooted with your sneak attack. The fact that you can now read magic, gain a bunch of class skills, and an arcane bond to give you spell versatility (nothing like an emergency Feather Fall) are all just incidental incentives.

Here's the problem with the single level. He's going to have to accept arcane spell failure chance, unless he's looking to ditch the armor he's wearing.
Wizard diviner sounded pretty good until lazarX got to it, I wasn't even thinking s'not he arcane spell failure involved with things... that throws a whole new wrench into the plans...

It's not as bad as you'd think. I'm playing a Wizard Diviner (foresight subschool) 1/ Ninja 5 at the moment and loving him. With a Mithril Chain shirt you are at a 10% ASF. Take the arcane armor feat (you qualify with the magical knack trait at character level 3) and that lets you ignore the 10% ASF as a swift action. Sure it's a feat you wouldn't take otherwise, but the one level of wizard has perks.

Foresight subschool still gives you a +1 initiative. Take a Compsognathus familiar and you get a +4 for him. Take the reactionary trait for another +2. That's +7 initiative without improved initiative or your dex. I'm at a +13 initiative at level 6 without improved initiative (Iron man game). Did I mention you get to go in the surprise round? And then you probably get to go first in the first full round of combat? Take the scout archetype and charge for sneak attack as surprise, then full attack (TWF) at the top of the round for sneak attack if your target hasn't yet acted in combat.

You also get acid spray as a ranged touch, which allows you to ranged sneak attack the first round if you'd rather not charge into melee right away. Or combine with improved invis, vanish or stealth for the same effect. It’s a minor boon, but comes in handy.

Did I mention the foresight subschool lets you roll a d20 at the start of each round and substitute that roll in for one roll that turn 3+Int times per day? I tumble through enemies squares (not just threatened, through their actual squares) with impunity.

Take ninja and get poison use. That Compsognathus familiar... yeah he has a poison you can milk and coat your weapons with. The poison is HD dependant so while you’re familiar doesn't get the cool upgrades for going straight wizard, he still goes up in effective hit die with you, and so the poison DC slowly improves as you level. Most things will save, but some things won’t.

My group uses the crit deck. I use two +1 Keen Wakizashis. My DM cringes every time I start combat. "Okay that's a sneak attack from the charge in the suprise round plus 2 from my full TWF attack at the start of the first round. I also burn a ki point for an extra attack. So let’s see, that’s 4d4+12d6+4. He takes four str damage from my pressure points talent and I need two fort saves DC 15 for the first and DC17 for the second for 1d2 str damage each round for 4 rounds, oh and I crit'd twice so I need two crit deck cards. Then i swift action to vanish using my ninja talent. Okay, now he can act in combat." Going keen on this build is only worthwhile if you use crit decks for the rider effects, as your damage only increases from 1d4+1 to 2d4+2 on a crit, but in my game, my character is devastating. He’ll never be a damage beast that some THF Power attack builds can be, but he is crippling.

And since you are a wizard 1, you get your color spray.

...Epic battle and a couple of the players (who up to this point in the campaign hadn't yet been seriously injured) were seriously injured and completely freaked out. Priceless.

I'm happy that it served you well. I think my players will find some comfort that I'm not the only one who pulled this on them.