| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
I wanted to start a thread where people post advice, tips, and tricks for making characters better. I find the difference between an "average Joe" character and a "great" optimized character are being aware of little things like:
- Getting a permanent greater magic fang spell cast on your monk is almost always far cheaper than investing in an amulet of mighty fists (even if you need to have it cast and permanencied multiple times), but ALSO KNOWING that it won't help you beat various DR like a true enhancement bonus would.
- Investing in an amulet of natural armor +2, a ring of protection +2, and bracers of armor +2 instead of bracers of armor +6 saves you 16,000gp while netting you the same AC (but also realizing that it uses up more slots).
- Knowing that weapons with straight enhancement bonuses are often better than weapons with properties like flaming, frost, or shock, when combined with things like Power Attack or Improved Critical.
- Being aware of trap options, like how making your eidolon's armor bonus an ARMOR BONUS rather than a NATURAL ARMOR BONUS is always a bad idea, as it will no longer stack with a great many things, such as mage armor, bracers of armor, etc. Making it a natural armor bonus, on the other hand, will allow you to benefit from mage armor or bracers of armor AND STILL be able to pump up natural armor with things like amulets of natural armor or barkskin.
Please contribute the little things you've come to learn over the years so that others may benefit from your wisdom and not only play fun characters, but play fun, effective characters.
Really nice idea, Ravingdork. I'll chime in once the girlfriend's asleep. :P
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
- if you don't use finessable weapons and want a better initiative, get a +1 gauntlet of dueling.
- with a scroll of polymorph any object (3k cost) you can have a good and permanent buff, for example to your strenght using alter self or even immunity to critical hits, bleed and sneak attacks (PaO -> polymorph, greater -> elemental body III) if you play an outsider...
- a Quickdraw Steel Light Shield +5 with the feat quick draw will provide a +6 AC increase to any character without hindering it (just quickdraw the shield at the end of the turn and put it away at the beginning) for only 25 k.
- menacing weapons (one is fine though) and the outflank feat actually work really great together in a tactical party granting a +6 to hit and even better with an inquisitor or a cavalier.
- morning star is one of the best weapons, for base damage and ability to get around DRs.
- shatter defense with a lord's banner (terror) will make your enemies within 30 feet flat-footed with no action required.