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1

Monstrous Builds / Best use for Psuedocasting?

« on: June 17, 2013, 09:46:24 PM »

To start things off, since people seem a bit hesitant to dive in to this lovely new subforum, a thread about one of the more interesting (to me, anyway) abilities to come out of this project.

Psuedocasting, or Affinity (as it is termed in FireInTheSky's index tables) reads as follows:

"a [monster class] who multiclasses for a [type of casting and/or manifesting] class can count his [monster class] levels as levels of that class for purposes of CL/ML and for the purposes of learning new spells/powers and getting new spell slots/power points. So for example, a [monster class] 3 who took 1 level of sorcerer could choose to have CL 4, get 3 2nd level spell slots, 1 1st level spell slot, 1 2nd level spell known and 1 0th level spell known. He wouldn't get the spell known and spell slots of a sorcerer 3 however. He would get the familiar ability, but [monster class] levels wouldn't count for it."

Some examples of classes with the ability:
Aboleth (Psionic and Arcane)
Monavic Deva (Divine)
Firbolg (any casting)

It's an interesting alternative to giving reduced casting progression as it grants nothing while you stay in the class, but once you multiclass, your top level of spells is the same as a full caster of your level.

Thoughts on the ability? What are the best/worst casting classes to go into from a class with this ability? What is the best way to take advantage of it in a build?

2

Gaming Advice / Inappropriately Sized Weapons and Powerful Build

« on: March 18, 2013, 04:46:21 PM »

This is what the SRD has to say on using a weapon that is not your size:

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Powerful Build lets a medium creature count as large sized for some purposes, including wielding weapons.

A large creature can use a medium two handed weapon as a one handed weapon with a -2 penalty on attacks.

What about a creature with powerful build? What happens when such a creature tries to wield a medium greatsword (for example) in one hand?

3

Gaming Advice / Martial Study and Retraining

« on: March 08, 2013, 01:24:33 PM »

Quote from: PHII on Retraining Feats

You can exchange one of the feats you previously selected for another feat. If the new feat has prerequisites, not only must your character meet them in his current state, but you must also be able to show that he met them at the time you chose the previous feat.

Martial Study has no prerequisites but in its benefit it states that you must meet the prerequisites of the maneuver you select.

If you retrain a feat you took at lv1 for Martial Study at lv 5 (assuming full IL), what level of maneuver can you select (assuming you meet all other prequisites of said maneuvers)?

4

[D&D 3.5] High Arcana / [Team] The Walk into a Bar (or alternative title) Team Thread

« on: February 27, 2013, 10:05:58 AM »

Members: Lightning Fast, Digital, Concerned Ninja Citizen, Nytemare3701

Character sheets go here. Discussion goes here.

5

[D&D 3.5] High Arcana / [Discussion] Walk Into A Bar Discussion Thread

« on: February 16, 2013, 05:40:50 AM »

This used to be posts on the "Willing Recruits" thread but it got to be as long as the rest of that thread put together so it morphed into a discussion thread thanks to our friendly neighborhood mod/DM.

So now it's the Team Walk into a Bar (alternate name pending (unless we like this one, which I kinda do)) discussion thread.

Current Members

Lightning Fast: Hard fighting, hard drinking Dwarf Fighter6. TWF + Sneak Attack + really big axes = DPS.
Digital: El Drago the Half Brass Dragon, Ogre, Monk Luchadore. Punches people to sleep for support melee.
CNC: Kobold Spellsage/Master Reshaper. Battlefield control with light damge and a touch of utility caster.
Nytemare: Some kind of Dragonborn, Spellfire Channeler/Truenamer combo. "suck+broken suck= not suck" with extra giant lazors.
Valixes: Tibbit Swordsage/Totemist

A slot still open if anyone wants to jump in. Some sort of face/skills other than knowledges person would be helpful.

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I am starting to suspect that Oslecamo put some kind of hex on this page that is causing me to post hypothetical characters using those classes. Or I'm just weird like that.

Anyway, this guy is up for recruitment by new teams starting up (of which I don't think there are likely to be any, are there?) but he's mainly a thought experiment.

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Larry of Chaos

Human, Chaos Cultist 3, Chaos Warrior 3

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Proficiencies: Simple weapons and two Martial Weapons of its choice, Light Armor, Light Shields, plus any equipment gained from this class.

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Chaos Prowess: At 2nd level the Chaos Cultist gains a permanent +1d3 to an ability score of his choice. Re-roll at each morning and night.

Chaos Magic
A Chaos Cultist channels magic from both himself and the enviroment around him, giving him a virtually unlimited supply of magic energy, but that comes at the cost of stability, since it's easy to overextend himself.

The Chaos Cultist picks two cantrips and one first level spell at first level from either the cleric or wizard list, becoming able to use them at-Will as SLAs with a caster level equal to his Chaos Champion level, but he must suceed on a Concentration check with DC 10+3*Spell level each time he uses them. Failure means the magic goes wild and the Chaos Cultist's maximum HP is reduced by an amount equal to the failed spell level for 24 hours ( failed cantrips thus cause no penalty besides a wasted action). A natural 1 is always a failed concentration check with this ability. Save DCs for Chaos Magic are always 10+1/2 HD+Highest Mental Stat modifier.

Unlike normal SLAs, chaos magic demands the payment of expensive components and exp costs if the original spell demanded it, but the Chaos Cultist may use any kind of item as long as it's worth the right amount, and he may have other willing creatures pay a share or even the full amount of the exp price.

At 5 HD they may swap their 1st level spell by an 2nd level spell and learn one more cantrip and every 2 HD thereafter they can swap again for one spell of one level higher and gain one extra cantrip, up to 9th level spells.

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Proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Four Martial weapons of its choice, Light and Medium Armor, Light and Heavy Shields

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Wargear
Power Armor: This armor houses a variety of complex mechanisms. Grants +10 AC bonus, +4 Max Dex, -6 skill penalty, 50% ASF, DR 10/adamantine, and resistance 10 against Acid, Cold, Electricity, Fire, Negative energy and Sonic damage. Additionally, it provides 25% fortification, a +4 enanchment bonus to Strength and a +2 resistance bonus to Fortitude saves.

Drug Injector Upgrade: The power armor can be “loaded” with a potion that can then be consumed as a swift or move action whitout provoking attacks of opportunity, but only by the wearer. Since the potion is directly injected into the bloodstream, less of it is needed for the effect, so each potion is good for 10 uses. However once a potion is loaded, it cannot be removed from the armor. Multiple potions may be loaded at the same time.

Chaos Style
Blade and Thrown: You gain the quickdraw feat. When charging, you may perform a thrown attack or crossbow shot at any point during your movement to the target of your charge, as long as you can wield the thrown weapon/crossbow in a single hand. In a fullattack, if you're holding a thrown weapon or crossbow in your off-hand, you may attack with it with it at -5 penalty, but your main hand attacks suffer no penalty. Crossbow attacks performed this way count as melee attacks wich don't provoke attacks of oportunity, including using Str for the to-hit rolls and adding half Str mod to the damage, as you literally shove the weapon into your enemy before firing. You may also reload crossbows as a free action whitout provoking attacks of oportunity.
In addition you may count attacks with your main hand as two-handed attacks (including adding 1,5 Str mod to damage and power attack purposes) as long as you have a thrown weapon/crossbow in your off-hand. While wielding any pair of weapons that fill those conditions, each of them deals an extra 1d6 damage for every 4 HD of the Chaos Warrior.

At 6 HD you threaten an area equal to the ranged range of your off-hand thrown weapon/crossbow with said weapon. You can't however draw a new weapon/reload a crossbow off-turn, so once you perform an attack of oportunity this way, you go back to threatening your normal reach untill your next turn, unless you have a repeating crossbow.

Pistols and grenades can count as crossbows for any of the above abilities, but you can still only make a single “free” attack with them when charging.

Weapon Nuts: You're a walking arsenal with more guns and stabby things that you know what to do with. At the start of each turn you can draw from your person two weapons from the Minor Chaos Gift list of your choice as a free action. Whatever you use them for they break/jam/vanish/whatever at the start your next turn before a new pair can be pulled.

Greater Chaos Prowess: At 2nd level the Chaos Warrior gains a permanent +1d4+1 to an ability score of his choice. Re-roll at each morning and night. If you already had Chaos Prowess, you must pick another ability score, but the bonus from Chaos Prowess increases to 1d4+1 as well.

Greater Chaos Magic:
You learn six more spells up to the level you can cast from Chaos Magic. Choose one of the spells you know as your primary and assign a number between 1-6 to the others. Each round roll an 1d6. That's the non-cantripi spell you can use this turn, or you may choose to be able to use your primary. Whenever you change spells this way, any previous effects from your other non-cantrip spells from Chaos ends. This includes instantaneous effects like a Wall of stone, but not HP damage.

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Larry wasn't born to be a scion of chaos. Larry was born to be an accountant. He grew up to be one too, and a most excellent one if he did say so himself, until the accountants upstairs made an inexcusable blunder. Larry was walking home from his job as an accountant when he was accosted by a most unsavory person. This person rudely grabed Larry by the collar and dragged him into an alley where he demanded Larry's money. Larry was perfectly happy to surrender it to him in exchange for life and limb (he only ever carried a carefully measured sum as a precaution against just such an occasion) but before he could something awfully strange happened.

As it turned out, that most unsavory person had been deemed, by a consortium of chaos gods who were exceptionally irritated with the Dark God's unilateral control of his dominion, the most unsavory person, or at least the person with the most unsavory potential, in all of Gratis. The aforesaid gods had pooled their power to reach into the Dark God's territory and awaken the soul most suited to their design of bringing the Dark God low. That soul which, as the power arced into Gratis, happened to be holding Larry by the collar.

It was there that things got hopelessly muddled. Instead of Larry's assailant receiving the blessing of Chaos, Larry himself was accidentally targeted. He was suffused in unholy entropic power and, once the convulsions ceased, proceeded to beat the ever loving tar out of his hapless mugger. Afterwards, Larry collected himself, apologized to the mangled body of his mugger, and finished his walk home. He wasn't sure exactly what had happened but he was certain it was nothing that would interupt his daily routine, a routine he was most eminently satisfied with, if he did say so himself.

On that count Larry was tragically mistaken. Indeed, try as he might, he could not prevent the surging chaotic presence in his mind from encouraging him to courses of action he would formerly have considered downright improper. He waylaid wagons in the street, stealing their contents and using it to build odd contraptions the like of which he had never imagined, much less seen. These abberant courses of action have recently grown to include competing in the High Arcana Games, something his sensible self would never have dreamed of doing.

The one thing that keeps Larry going is the knowledge that this is all a colossal mistake. The gods clearly intended this power for the street scum lowlife who was shaking him down. Larry himself would never be selected for such infamy. It's simply impossible that Larry was the intended recipient, the soul with the most potential for chaos and destruction in Gratis. That's just ridiculous. Isn't it?

The plans of the chaos gods, may or may not be proceeding apace. It's hard to tell at this point.

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6

Oslecamo's Improved Monster Classes / Lupinal Guardinal

« on: February 04, 2013, 09:09:02 PM »

Lupinal Guardinal

HD: d10

Level

1

2

3

4

5

Base
Attack
Bonus

+1

+2

+3

+4

+5

Fort
Save

+2

+3

+4

Ref
Save

+2

+3

+4

Will
Save

+0

+1

Special

Lupinal Body, Guardinal Initiate, Trip +1 Str

Celestial, Track, Scent, +1 Wis

Guardinal Adept, Improved Grab +1 Dex

Dodge Missiles, Celestial Lupine Hide, +1 Wis

Guardinal Mastery, Howl +1 Str, +1 Dex

Skill points: 4+Int modifier (x4 at 1st level). Class Skills: Balance, Climb, Concentration, Craft (any), Handle Animal, Hide, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (any), Listen, Move Silently, Profession, Spot, Survival.

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: Lupinals are proficient with all simple and martial weapons, and with light armor.

Features:

Lupinal body: The Lupinal loses all other racial bonus and gains outsider traits. It's a medium sized outsider with base speed of 40 feet 2 Claw attacks (1d4+ Str mod) and a natural bite attack (1d6 + Str mod). He also gains a racial bonus equal to ½HD to Move silently and Survival skills. A Lupinal also gets a Nat armor bonus equal to its Con modifier.

Ability Score Increase: The Lupinal gains +1 Str at 1st and 5th level, +1 Dex at 3rd and 5th level, and +1 Wis at 2nd and 4th level for a total of +2 Str, +2 Dex, +2 Wis at 5th level.

Guardinal Magic: The Lupinal gains several spell like abilities. Saves are 10 + ½HD + Wis mod. Caster level is equal to HD.

Initiate: Disguise Self , Cure Light Wounds, Magic Missile (at 11HD the Lupinal may increase the maximum missile limit by spending an extra use of this ability per extra missile up to a limit of the number of missiles they would gain by their caster level (so 6 missiles for 2 uses at 11HD, 7 for 3 at 13HD, etc) each 1/day/HD
Adept: Blur, Darkness each 1/day/2HD
Mastery: Blink, Fly each 1/day/3HD. At 9HD, the Lupinal’s power continues to increase. It can use Cone of Cold 1/day/5HD and at 13HD it can use Ethereal Jaunt 1/day/7HD.

Trip: A Lupinal who hits with a bite attack can attempt to trip its opponent as a free action without making a touch attack or provoking an attack of opportunity. If the attempt fails the opponent cannot react to trip the Lupinal.

Celestial: Gain resistance to electricity and a bonus to saves versus petrification equal to its HD. A bonus on saves against poison equal to half his HD, and resistance to sonic and cold equal to half his HD, Also gains the good subtype.

Track: The Lupinal gains Track as a bonus feat.

Scent: The Lupinal's senses sharpen and it gains the Scent special ability.

Improved Grab: When the Lupinal hits an opponent with a bite attack it may attempt to start a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity. No initial touch attack is required. At 8 HD this ability ignores Freedom of Movement effects.

Dodge Missiles:The Lupinal's uncanny quickness allows it to evade ranged attacks. This ability functions as the Deflect Arrows feat except it does not require a free hand and the Lupinal can dodge any attack that uses a ranged attack roll including magical ones.

Celestial Lupine Hide: The Lupinal's pelt gains divine toughness granting it DR/Evil = 1/2 HD

Howl: As a standard action a Lupinal may let loose a bone chilling howl. All enemies within 20ft/HD who can hear the howl must make a Will save DC 10 + ½HD + Wis mod or be frightened for 1 round/HD. On a successful save an enemy is instead shaken for 1 round/2HD. Either way a creature affected by the howl is cannot be affected by the same Lupinal's howl for 24hrs

Comments

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7

Oslecamo's Improved Monster Classes / Cervidal Guardinal

« on: January 30, 2013, 01:00:44 AM »

Cervidal

Hit Die: D8

Level	Base Attack Bonus	Fort Save	Ref Save	Will Save	Special
1st	+1	+2	+0	+2	Cervidal Body, +1 Str, Guardinal Magic
2nd	+2	+3	+0	+3	+1 Wis, Celestial, Powerful Charge
3rd	+3	+3	+1	+3	+1 Str,+1 Wis, Heavenly Horns

Skill points at 1st: (4 + INT Modifier) x 4
Skill points at Each additional level: 4 + INT Modifier
Skills: Balance, Concentration, Craft, Heal, Intimidate, Jump, Knowledge (any), Listen, Profession, Spellcraft, Spot

Weapon and Armor Proficiency: As outsider proficient with all simple and martial weapons. A Cervidal is proficient with light armor.

Features:

Cervidal body: The Cervidal loses all other racial bonus and gains outsider traits. It's a medium sized outsider with a base speed of 40 feet, 2 two natural slam attacks (1d6 + Str mod) and a natural headbutt attack (1d3 + 1/2 Str mod). He also gains a racial bonus equal to HD to Jump checks. A Cervidal also gets a Nat armor bonus equal to its Con modifier.

Ability Score Increase: The Cervidal gets +1 to Str at 1st and 3rd level and +1 to Wis at 2nd and 3rd level for a total of +2 Str, +2 Wis at 3rd level.

Guardinal Magic: At each level of this class the Cervidal gains the ability to use some SLA a certain number of times per day depending on its HD. Saves are 10 + ½HD + Wis mod. Caster level is equal to HD.

1st level: Detect Poison, Light each 2/day/HD
2nd level: Bless, Command each 1/day/HD
3rd level: Hold Person 1/day/2HD (improves to Hold Monster at 10HD), Magic Missile 1/day/HD (at 11HD the Cervidal may increase the maximum missile limit by spending an extra use of this ability per extra missile up to a limit of the number of missiles they would gain by their caster level (so 6 missiles for 2 uses at 11HD, 7 for 3 at 13HD, etc))

If all levels are taken the Cervidal learns an additional SLA

6HD: Suggestion 1/day/3HD

Celestial: At 2nd level the Cervidal gains resistance to electricity and a bonus to saves versus petrification equal to its HD. A bonus on saves against poison equal to half his HD, and resistance to sonic and cold equal to half his HD, Also gains the good subtype.

Powerful Charge: The Cervidal learns to use its headbutt attack during a charge. This is treated as a natural attack that deals 1d8+1.5 x Str mod damage.

Heavenly Horns: At 3rd level the Cervidal's horns can channel divine magic. By touching a subject with its horns the Cervidal can use Delay Poison or Remove Disease at a caster level equal to its HD. This ability can be used 3+Wis mod times per day.

As the Cervidal gains experience and power it gains new horn powers. At 5HD it can create a Dispel Magic effect (targeted version only, upgrades to Greater Dispel Magic at 11HD), at 7HD it can use Neutralize Poison and at 9HD it can use Dismissal (save DC = 10 + ½HD + Wis mod.)

When the Cervidal hits a creature with a charge attack using its Powerful Charge ability it can use Heavenly Horns on that creature as part of the same action.

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Team M.A.I.N.G.A.U.C.H.E. / Southpaw OOC

« on: January 29, 2013, 09:26:24 PM »

Copied from RoC

The mysterious 3rd option, Left Hand of the Emperor.

Current Roster

Harald
~~Samnemath~~ (currently out due to RL)
Flay Crimsonwind
Concerned Ninja Citizen
FireInTheSky
Linklord
MetroMagic
DragoonWraith
Darkone

Our team theme is "in service to the Emperor." We're soldiers, secret agents, dragon guys, astrophysicists, spaceships, and robot people directly employed (or formerly employed) by the Empire.

So what does everyone's character do?

Merrion does standard rogue stuff (sneaking, finding traps, breaking into things), short to mid range damage via archery (toned down to non game breaking levels), immediate action "counterspelling" (my level+wis against a CL check to shut down any spell I can identify. Also works on powers and maneuvers), constant area debuff (Fort DC 23 or be exhausted, enemies only), and a couple utility SLAs.

9

Gaming Advice / Keeping a living being in an Enveloping Pit

« on: December 19, 2012, 02:49:58 PM »

Enveloping Pit from the MiC is a favorite tool of Artificers to stick their dedicated wrights in for perpetual crafting.

What if one wanted to keep a living creature in such a pit, however? The Bag of Holding and Portable Hole suggest that such items contain only 10 minutes worth of air.

A Bottle of Air would solve that problem but is an additional expense on top of that of the pit. The creature doesn't need to do anything while in the pit (besides stay alive) so some method of putting it in suspended animation would work.

Any ideas?

10

Gaming Advice / Price of Luckblade

« on: November 08, 2012, 04:33:35 PM »

I've heard there are rules for taking apart the stats of unique weapons and determining their prices as generic properties somewhere.

Has anyone done this for the Luck Blade?

11

Gaming Advice / What can a Spiritual Weapon do?

« on: September 22, 2012, 09:04:36 PM »

If Spiritual Weapon is used to create a weapon cappable of tripping, can it use the trip action?

How about threatening squares and making attacks of opportunity?

12

Gaming Advice / Incarnate Construct

« on: September 03, 2012, 05:19:38 PM »

So there's this template on pg120 of Savage Species and it's busted beyond belief (no duh, it's in Savage Species) because it lets you have 2 free LA on your Warforged.

My question is: Do you have to take the LA you wish to cancel out before you take IC itself? Or can you retroactively apply the negative LA to things you take after IC?

I ask because various templates either can be applied to a Humanoid (which is what IC turns you into) but not a Construct or change your type to something other than Construct meaning you then couldn't apply IC.

13

Introduce Yourself / On the reason for my existence

« on: August 10, 2012, 01:58:08 AM »

I am exceptionally concerned by ninjas and driven to post about them.

Gaming wise, I've followed D&D with varying degrees of interest and involvement since a year or so before 3.0 came out. I have more IRL experience with other games but 3.5 is delightfully crunchy and modular so it makes for extremely interesting thought experiments. I may be in a position to execute some of those experiments soon and that would be nice.

Min/Max Boards

News:

Topics - Concerned Ninja Citizen

Monstrous Builds / Best use for Psuedocasting?

Gaming Advice / Inappropriately Sized Weapons and Powerful Build

Gaming Advice / Martial Study and Retraining

[D&D 3.5] High Arcana / [Team] The Walk into a Bar (or alternative title) Team Thread

[D&D 3.5] High Arcana / [Discussion] Walk Into A Bar Discussion Thread

Oslecamo's Improved Monster Classes / Lupinal Guardinal

Oslecamo's Improved Monster Classes / Cervidal Guardinal

Team M.A.I.N.G.A.U.C.H.E. / Southpaw OOC

Gaming Advice / Keeping a living being in an Enveloping Pit

Gaming Advice / Price of Luckblade

Gaming Advice / What can a Spiritual Weapon do?

Gaming Advice / Incarnate Construct

Introduce Yourself / On the reason for my existence