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Topics - bruceleeroy

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D&D 5e / 3 new Unearthed Arcana Subclasses
« on: January 08, 2018, 04:30:26 PM »
http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/three-subclasses

Well, I didn't come up with a witty title, but a wizard tradition that allows you to cast a 5th level spell from a 4th level slot should make up for it, right?

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D&D 5e / CHA to damage (and max DPR)
« on: March 10, 2016, 09:47:55 PM »
Hey guys, just like the title says, I'm trying to figure out all the ways that you can add Charisma to damage, and then see how many can be applied to a single character. So far, I have found a few good sources:
  • Sorcerer 6 (Draconic Ancestry) - Charisma to damage with elemental spells
  • Oathbreaker Paladin 7 - Charisma to Melee weapon damage
  • Warlock 3 - Book of Ancient Secrets Invocation - Choose Shillelagh from the Druid's list for Charisma to Attack and Damage with a club or quarterstaff
  • Undying Light Warlock from Unearthed Arcana - Charisma to damage with fire or radiant spells
  • Warlock 12 - Lifedrinker Invocation - Charisma to damage with Pact weapon

That's a good amount to start with. The build I have so far is Undying Warlock 1/ Oathbreaker Paladin 7/ Gold Draconic Sorcerer 12
Cast Searing Smite(8th level slot), then use Greenflame blade for 5xCHA (plus 3xCHA for an adjacent target!) to damage.

That works out to 2d6(Greatsword) + 3d8 (Greenflame Blade) + 8d6 (8th level Searing Smite) + 5d8 Divine Smite + 25 (Charisma) + 5 (STR) +10 (GWM) +2 (Dueling Style). Average 107 , max 166.

Might be the highest single strike damage without items. Can be quickened for two shots a round at the expense of switching out Searing Smite for Elemental Weapon and if you dropped 2 levels of Sorcerer for Fighter, you get Action surge for a third shot.  So, Ave 285.5, max 399 damage a round. Hell, that might be the highest DPR without magic items I've seen yet.

What do you guys think? Any options for CHA to damage that I'm missing? Might as well make this comprehensive.

On a slight side note, if you can convince your DM that Divine Smite = casting a spell then you can get an additional CHA to damage. That's straight up theorycrafting though, as I don't think any sane DM would allow it.

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General D&D Discussion / Need help finding an old story/joke
« on: February 03, 2014, 02:41:47 PM »
Does anyone remember the old story about Steve the dick, who got hit with a folding chair? And if so, can you find it? My google-fu is weak in this.

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Min/Max 3.x / Murdering a mage
« on: February 26, 2013, 03:37:36 AM »
Hey guys.

Quick breakdown of the party:
(click to show/hide)

So my DM introduced a recurring villain in the last session. We don't know much about him, other than he's at least an 11th level arcane caster, has an AC above 38 and he's very likely undead. When we encountered him, he just mocked us for our vain attempts to hurt him, then summoned some kind of big beast for us to fight. I'd like to make him fully dead ASAP. It's unlikely that we'll be able to manage anything within the next couple levels, but if we get a chance at him, I'd like to be able to at least make him sweat a bit. My first thought was a magic siphon (MiC, DMII), but at 25k, it's a pretty steep investment for a once a day item.

Got any ideas? The DM is running this guy straight out of the module, so he's no Paranoid WizardTM. He's powerful, for sure, but I think that a party of say, 8th-9th level PCs could take out an 11th level caster without having a caster of their own, by using dirty trickery.

5
http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=8741.0 <--- The handbook being discussed.

I'm not very experienced with formatting on forums, so if anyone has any tips about making it easier to read, please let me know. Also, when considering material to add, please check to make certain that it's not a "dex-denied" condition rather than a "flat-footed" condition.

Eventually, I may expand the handbook to cover sneak attack and sudden strike, but more than likely I'll just link to some of the already existing handbooks on those topics.

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Handbooks / Iaijutsu Focus Guide (How to make your opponent flat-footed)
« on: February 02, 2013, 03:30:05 PM »
I often see threads on Iaijutsu strike wherein someone asks for a list of the myriad ways of making an opponent flat-footed. I compiled this list on 339 a couple years ago for an Iaijutsu marrulurk build I had going at the time. I figured archiving it here would be a good way to get the list added to as well as making it an easy to find resource.



Please remember: Flat-footed is a different condition than Dex-denied. You are dex-denied when you are flat-footed.

Being denied your dex does NOT make you flat-footed.

This is an important distinction if you’re trying to stack Iaijutsu Focus with Sneak Attack or Sudden Strike damage.



Sneak attack requires an opponent to be denied their dexterity bonus, or for the sneak-attacker to be flanking. 
Sudden-Strike requires an opponent to be denied their dexterity bonus. It does not work with flanking.
If your opponent is flat-footed, they are almost always denied their dexterity bonus. Uncanny Dodge is an exception, there may be others. Note that Uncanny Dodge does nothing against Iaijutsu Strike.

So, generally, if you can Iaijutsu Strike an opponent, you can Sudden Strike and/or Sneak Attack them.



Ways to get Iaijutsu Focus:
Factotum (Dungeonscape)
Ardent Dilettante (Planar Handbook)
Samurai (OA)
Sohei (OA)
Human Paragon (UA, SRD)
Skill Focus Feat (UA, SRD)
Expert (DMG, SRD)
Aereni Focus feat (PGtE 20)


So, here they are.

An opponent is flat-footed when they:
Have not yet acted in the initiative order during the first round of combat.
Are paralyzed.
Are balancing, if they have less than 5 ranks in Balance. (Use the spell Grease (PH) or if you’re cheap, some Marbles from Arms and Equipment Guide to force balance checks.)
Cannot see you. (Invisibility, hide checks, ridiculous distance, total cover, opponent is blind, etc.) “If you’re successfully hidden with respect to another creature, that creature is flat-footed with respect to you. That creature treats you as if you were invisible.”(Rules Compendium, p. 92)


FEATS

Flick of the Wrist (Feat, CW) - FF vs. one attack after drawing weapon 1/round and 1 per opponent/encounter.
GiantBane (Tactical Feat, CW) - Tumble through an opponents square as a free action, make immediate attack, opponent FF.
Gloom Razor (Tactical Feat, ToB) - Injure enemy, move 10', next turn enemy FF vs. first melee attack.
Confound the Big Folk (Tactical Feat, RotW) Move into space of creature at least two sizes larger than you, next round that creature is flat-footed vs your attacks.
Surprising Riposte (Feat, DotU) - Renders a foe Flat-Footed for one round after you successfully feint against him and hit him with a melee attack.
Mercurial Strike (Feat, Dragon Compendium) - Anytime an opponent provokes an AoO from you and you are unarmed, you may draw a weapon and take your AoO with it. Your opponent is Flat-footed against this attack.
Low Blow (Feat, Races of Faerun) - Full round action to enter the square of an enemy at least 1 size larger than you and make a single attack, to which they are flat-footed. Provokes an AoO.
Low Blow, Improved (Feat, Races of Faerun) As Low Blow, but doesn't provoke.


SKILL TRICKS

Hidden Blade (Skill Trick, CS) - FF vs. one attack after drawing weapon, 1 use/encounter.
Sudden Draw (Skill Trick, CS) - FF vs. one AoO after drawing a weapon, 1 use/encounter.
Acrobatic Backstab (Skill Trick, CS) - Tumble through opponent's space, FF vs. next melee attack that turn.


SPELLS

Distract Assailant (SpC, Assassin 1) - FF until beginning of next turn.


MANEUVERS

Sapphire Nightmare Blade (Lv. 1 Maneuver) - Concentration vs. enemy ac, treat enemy FF for one melee attack.
Strike of the Broken Shield (Lv.4 Maneuver) -  enemy must make reflex save or be FF until next turn, +4d6.
Ghost Blade (Lv. 6 Maneuver) - Enemy is FF vs one melee attack (that's it, really. for a lv. 6 maneuver.)
Shadow Garrote (lv. 3 Maneuver) - Ranged touch, +5d6, enemy must make fort save or be FF until next turn.
Death From Above (Lv. 4 Maneuver) - Jump check vs enemy AC, +4d6, enemy treated as FF.
Feral Death Blow (Lv. 9 maneuver) - Jump check vs ac, enemy treated as FF, Fort save vs death or +20d6.
White Raven Strike (Lv. 4 Maneuver) - Enemy treated as FF until next turn, +4d6.


CLASS FEATURES


Cloaked Dancer - Suprise Strike (Class ability, CS) - While dancing, melee attack with light weapon, enemy is FF.


ITEMS

Umbral Awn (Legacy Weapon, ToB) - If unarmed, draw Umbral Awn as immediate action for an AoO, enemy treated as FF.
Blurstrike (Weapon enhancement) - ten times per day, activate to make opponent FF vs first attack that round (+2 equivalent).

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Min/Max 3.x / A terrifying commoner
« on: December 18, 2012, 10:10:53 PM »
I'm trying to make a build using a commoner that can hang with a group of Tier 3s. (ECL4, going up to who knows what. It's a commoner, he'll die soon, I'm sure.)

Here's my build so far: Commoner 1/Survivor 5/Commoner X

So, at ECL4, where the party currently is, this commoner is pretty screwed. He knows he's out of his league, so he's turned to a powerful ally for help: any available Elder Evil. By signing his life away to, I dunno, The Hulks of Zoretha, he gains a free feat. The deeds he committed in order to gain the attention of these beings scarred his body and mind, resulting in severe levels of taint.

So, now that he's a fucked up monster, he's decided that maybe he does have a schtick after all: being scary-looking.

Flaw: Peasant Hat
Flaw: Chicken-Infested
L1: Willing Deformity
Bonus Feat: Abominable Form
Bonus Feat: Dreadful Wrath
Human: Skill Focus: Intimidate
EE Bonus: Open
Taint Bonus: Open
Taint Bonus: Open
L3: Open

So, we have a 42 pt buy, which has some saving grace, and the DM was laughing too hard at the idea of a commoner to blink at the Unseelie template, so I can manage a +26 intimidate check ( +5 Cha, 7 Ranks, +3 circ (deformity), +2 circ (abominable form,) +3 (SF), +4 (Racial) +2 (Bluff synergy)).

 Abominable Form and Dreadful wrath give me 2 Frightful Presences (DC 17) that can only affect creatures with less HD than me. As an Unseelie fey with Winter chill, all creatures adjacent to me take a -5 morale penalty to saves. Effective DC becomes 22.

Not a bad fear build, but where do I go from here? I have 4 open feats, but my BAB is +0, I have a single simple weapon proficiency and...well, Improved Uncanny Dodge and Evasion as class features. My ability to scare people pretty much requires being near them, so ranged is out. I guess I have wings from Unseelie fey. Maybe that can help? Oh, and that comes with Iron Vulnerability, meaning I take an extra 1d6 damage from steel weapons.

Who's got some ideas?

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Min/Max 3.x / Min/Max challenge - Lowest level melee build to beat a Balor?
« on: November 30, 2011, 04:00:52 PM »
I was thinking about that thread on Enworld where Solo was baiting a poster who wanted to nerf casters down to monk level ( http://www.minmaxboards.com/index.php?topic=1557.0 ).

Solo was asking this guy to tell him how a caster could kill a Balor at level 12. Now, that's actually not very difficult at all for the kind of people we have on this board. But it got me thinking about a Hood build I made a year or so ago, trying to kill an Adult Red Dragon (Cr 15) at the lowest level possible, assuming neutral terrain and no preparation on the dragon's part. I'm pretty sure I got it down to Level 6, but I can't find that sheet. It probably could have gone lower, even.

Anyways, I was curious to see if anyone could furnish a pure melee build that could pop a Balor by say, level 9. Spells and powers etc available if they can be used via a magic item (although Shadowcraft cookies are kinda sketchy), standard WBL, 32 pt buy. etc etc. Assume the Balor has Unholy Aura going. For this challenge, a build needs to have at least 50% chance of winning initiative and hitting, with enough damage to 1 round the Balor ('cause you wouldn't get a second round).

Bonus points if you can do it by level 5. Obviously, no infinite loops or Pun-Pun.

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Introduce Yourself / Stilll... lurking....
« on: November 07, 2011, 12:50:23 AM »
You possess the power of the glow!

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