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Hey all! I'm just wondering what you've all been playing now that the AP has been going for a little while.
To get the ball rolling, I'm going to show you all the character concept I'll be playing when my group gets started early next year:
(P.S. This character concept is designed specifically to combat the forces of the STAP, it will be effective in other APs but probably to a lesser degree.)
I start as an elf (proficient in the rapier, a martial weapon), and my class is fighter.
I use the bonus feat from fighter to have Weapon Finesse (Use DEX instead of STR for one weapon only). I've chosen this because as an elf I'll have a high DEX score.
Because I didn't spend a feat to be proficient in the rapier I'll use my 1st lvl feat to have power attack (which opens up the pathway for cleave attacks).
I also get to start with ANY magic item of up to 10,000 gp in price (house rule). I decide to have a +1 Keen Rapier as my beginning weapon. The Rapier begins with a critical range of 18-20/x2 (3 numbers of crit possibility). The Keen ability doubles that threat range, so it is now 15-20/x2 (6 numbers of crit possibility).
Now whenever I roll the dice, I have a 1 in 4 chance of criticalling. And unless I'm mistaken, a critical is an automatic hit no matter what the AC is. Couple that with power attacking as a fighter, and the ability to Cleave continuously at higher levels.
Now when I get to +8 BAB I also have the ability to double my crit range for a weapon with the Improved Critical Feat. The magic weapon is innately at 15-20/x2 so that now becomes 9-20/x2 (12 numbers of critical possibility). That's criticalling at more than half the time, hitting at more than half the time and dealing double damage at more than half the time.
Now imagine I also had the audacity to start taking levels in cleric, just so that I can start taking levels in the Exorcist of the Silver Flame from the Eberron Campaign Setting book.
At low levels of that class my magic weapon starts to be counted as a silver weapon and good aligned. At higher levels it ends up being a good aligned, law aligned, silver weapon (for overcoming damage reduction) that deals an extra 1d6 of fire damage, 1d6 of sacred damage with an extra +1 sacred bonus on damage rolls.
I tell ya, I'm really looking forward to playing in this game...
P.S. I know I'm a power gamer, that's only because as a DM you get to know the rules, really well.
"Now whenever I roll the dice, I have a 1 in 4 chance of criticalling. And unless I'm mistaken, a critical is an automatic hit no matter what the AC is. Couple that with power attacking as a fighter, and the ability to Cleave continuously at higher levels."
You have a 1 in 4 chance of rolling 15-20. If your 15 roll does not hit (after bonuses) you dont crit. If it does hit, then you have a threat, not a crit. You must roll again, and hit again, to get that crit.
Also I'm not sure you can use cleave with weapon finesse (cleave feat and finesse weapons dont mix??) But I may be getting my Iron Heroes rules all muddled up in here.........
Nice build though, and that 10,000 gp starting item---whew--- thats one hecka of a inheritence!!
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heh, just realized that as a fighter I automatically get all martial weapons anyway. Also, the improved crit feat doesn't stack with the magic properties of Keen. Also I need permission to make the Rapier a bronzewood item and make it light enough to use weapon finesse.
Still, what do you all think of the idea for this, and what characters are you guys playing?
You get the 12-20 threat range with keen and impr. crit. only if you're playing 3.0e. In 3.5 they nixed the double crit whammy. Also, with a 15-20 threat range, in point of fact you've got a 30% chance of threatening a crit (assuming 15-20 hits); you still need to score a hit on the follow-up roll.
Cleave works with any weapons though, as far as I'm aware. But Power Attack is kind of a rip-off unless you've got a 2-handed weapon (remember, the minuses to hit also translate as minuses to confirm those wonderful crits).
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You don't automatically hit if you roll a natural threat. You only auto hit on a roll of 20, anything else you need to hit a foe's AC. For reference turn to page 140 of the PHB and check out the "Critical Hits" Sidebar. If your roll doesn't hit a foe's AC, you can't threaten a critical hit. For Example: You have a +5 bonus to attacks(with dex, weapon enhancement, BAB, etc all figured in), you roll a 19+5 for 24 but your foe has a 26 AC. You missed. Only a natural 20 would allow you to hit this foe barring a tactical advantage (flanking) or magical assistance. You don't auto hit if you roll in your threat range.
FH
The only reason I've chosen Power Attack, is to open up the Cleave and Great Cleave feats. Getting rid of lots of enemies really quickly? More time for actual roleplaying? Bring it on!
Not bad, then. Sounds like you've got a good build going, with solid thought behind it (even if the detailed percetages are a little off). Great Cleave really is better than sliced bread when it comes to armies of minor critters, and your improved crit will make the major ones that much less fearsome, unless your cruel DM throws nothhing but undead and constructs at you... Rock on, VG!
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Well, I'm on my third character for STAP. The first one started out as a Human Gunmage that my DM let me change into a warlock when we realized how underpowered the class is(think bards with guns, more offensive spells and without all the nifty skills, bardic music and bardic knowledge). When the Warlock died at the hands of a pissed off will o' wisp, I created a Golaith Warblade, focusing on Stone Dragon and Iron Heart maneuvers with a couple of Tiger Claw thrown in for the awesome jumps. Recently one of our friends was able to return to the gaming table and rather than make him play a cleric/healer type (the one class archetype we are desperately missing and the type he has played the last couple of times we gamed) I gave him my character and he changed him into a brawler type character. My current character is a Cloistered Cleric (Variant from Unearthed Arcana) of Boccob. I took tons of Knowledge skills and several other skills that my DM recommended will be useful in the next adventure (we are currently in Here There Be Monsters). We play with 32 pt. buy and I gave the character average physical stats, planning on playing him more as a solid spellcaster. The character is a member of the Seekers in Farshore and was exploring the Northeastern tip of the island when he ran into a thunderlizard (t-rex) which consumed his Olman guide and rushed after him. He stumbled onto a beach to find a small group of shipwreck survivors, who selflessly jumped to his defense. The character also has a pretty interesting backstory, being one of the original settlers who came to the island with the Vanderborens. He himself is a Dracktus and in the last session, found out that his family was murdered and an usurper has claimed their name and title. Being on the Isle of Dread, there is little I can do about it now, but should the adventure take us back to Sasserine...
Two other members of our group are still playing their original characters from the first adventure, having somehow survived... The first is a female human Duskblade who wields a Falchion. The other started as a female human Swashbuckler wielding a spiked chain, but due to the insane amounts of damage the Duskblade and Warblade were doing she rebuilt her character as a Rogue, still focusing on the spiked chain and planning on going for some prestige class from Tome of Magic. The last member of our group was a human Favored Soul of Bahamut, but sadly he fell victim to a mummy dust trap and was unable to keep himself together. He is currently playing a Half-Giant Soulknife/Soulbow who is planning on going for the Warmind PrC.