[Discussion] FFA discussion thread

[SorO_Lost]

Hmm, teamwork stuff sounds great. But also knowing what every does would be great too.

I'm running a Blue Mage and until the game starts I keep reediting the exact build but concept wise:
I will have 30+ Charisma, and I'm taking advantage of it.
Infiltration: Skills, Bluff/Gather/Disguise is 20+, SleightOfHand/Autohypnosis/Diplomacy/Intimidate are 15+, I don't have Sense Motive.
Arresting power: Permanent duration Paralysis, 2/day Greater Bestow Curse to drop you're casting stat to 1, which a hope a generic wording will nix rather than playing guess their class.
CC: DC 22+ Glitterdust & saveless Eggshell Grenades means I blind people which helps me hit them with Sudden Stunning.
Other: I am using Guidance of the Avatar for huge Craft(poisonmaking) check when I use Psionic Minor Creation, not that it matters since a bucket of the raw poison thrown at someone is better than crafting it to apply to weapons. But sharing is caring.
Note: Officially I'm NE. Didn't rewrite Unseelie Fey's Alignment change when I wrote the Lesser version. And while Evil doesn't mean "douchebag" in my book Lawful Stupid style characters may present some conflicts, if only to play their alignments right.

Well, upon obtaining more wealth, be more mimic style as well.

Edit - I'm an agent of the PA. Think Homeland Security, or at least that's what I think of it, I'm sanctioned by the the state but certain aspects of my job don't get put down on paper. There is no such thing as fruit of the forbidden tree and you're due rights may be tossed outside the window, but the things I do are for yours, mine, and our security so that we may continue our peaceful lives.

[sirpercival]

Dark is no stronger than Magebred, really (strong on the stealth side, but lacking in the stat increases). So x2 would be a good conservative estimation. For a total x3 in D&D Math, or 450/HD.

Using the Base Creature's HD (5), 2250. Including the +1 HD for Warbeast, 2700. So whichever sounds better to you.

2700 sounds good.

[phaedrusxy]

But also knowing what every does would be great too.

I'm a lockdown tank specializing in protecting my allies, and incapacitating my enemies.

Protecting: I can intercept blows aimed at adjacent allies, and use Shield Other at will. I can give the entire group immunity to poisons and diseases, the ability to see in all darkness (including magical), fast healing, and one lucky person an extra full round of actions every round.

Incapacitating: Thicket of Blades + Combat Reflexes + Stand Still + my attack bonus as a penalty on concentration checks, and I can cause a "curse" with my breath weapon which leaves them unable to act 25% of the time if they succumb to it.

I hadn't put much thought into a disguise, as I thought that constructs probably aren't that rare, and everyone would assume I was a mindless golem.

Edit: Affiliation is the Dreaming Apothecary, but I think fluff-wise I'll be an experimental prototype made by the DA for the PA.

[sirpercival]

You guys should include Affiliation info in these summaries.

[Sohala]

Latoris - Tanky beat-stick with a fist full of spell-like abilities, along with some once a day undead and mind influencing themed spells.

He has flight, alignment detection, invisibility detection, telepathy (along with Mindsight), and spell reflection.

Skills are focused on UMD (little use at this time) and Intimidate (has Never Outnumbered).

PA for affiliation.


Malifium - Close-ranged, tricky combatant with a few spell-like abilities, along with a small list of manipulation spells.

He has gliding, Dex damaging poison, ability to steal spells, telepathy, some minor shapeshifting (racial animal forms and orc from feat)

Has 1 skill point in the ID knowledges, maxed Spellcraft, Disable Device, Search, Open Lock, and Use Magic Device (last four are for redundancy).

Also by my calculations you have close to 4000gp left, so you could just by both the strength and armbands of might for a nice +3 to hit when power attacking and bonus damage.

And I don't see a top hat listed yet for the imp so I am gonna call foul on leadership until I do.

There was ~4k left because I hadn't decided if I was going with a Legacy or not. I have now decided to go with one, and with removal of my object reading gloves I was able to get the full funds for it, along with some +1 str gloves and a few more consumables.

I don't know of a price for a top hat (or a deck of cards, or even a blank book). 


Would you call what the second guy is wearing a robe?

[skydragonknight]

A top hat is 50 gold (like a masterwork tool) and confers a +2 circumstance bonus on checks related to being awesome. This stacks with the circumstance bonus for wearing a monocle.

[sirpercival]

A top hat is 50 gold (like a masterwork tool) and confers a +2 circumstance bonus on checks related to being awesome. This stacks with the circumstance bonus for wearing a monocle.

This post is so full of win I don't even.

[TheAbyssDragon]

Butterfingers is an alchemist of the Dreaming Apothecary. His goal is to be a capable buffer/debuffer by chucking potions at people.

Unfortunately, he doesn't get his signature ability until next level. Until then, his contributions to the party will be infusions (such as bane) and breaking WBL.

[skydragonknight]

Veil, a whisper gnome from the outskirts of the Imperium is the archer of the group. Despite practically no magical abilities to speak of, she boasts respectable lockdown and anti-mage capabilities at range, as well as possessing a penchant for stealth and so was scouted by the Praesidio Arcanum. Lifelong dedication not being her style, she works under a long-term (10-year) contract enforced by a geas of loyalty and another of secrecy (the former will be removed at the end of the term, but the latter is permanent), having just finished her second year. Unlike previous years where she didn't care about the Games, this year she has been anticipating the Games with an obsessive quality that goes beyond merely a desire to win. The secretive Veil has something personal at stake this time.

Birdy (name subject to change) is a Stealth War-Hawk bred for infiltration missions where the rider would attack from another direction than the main team, creating a pincer attack. He has worked with Veil for nearly a year now and understands routine commands. A very talon-ted fellow.

[Zionpopsickle]

Gogo is a secret agent of the PA who specializes in infiltration and battlefield control.  Has incredible talent for disguise (can get to +30s easily) and can bluff, sense motive, gather intel and generally convince anything less than a Solar that he/she/it is their mother.  Has undead immunities, high saves, good DCs, and spiffy clothes.

Uses Uncanny Forethought and a very large spellbook to be able to cast the right spell at the right time.

When Gogo hits level 9 he will take the feat that allows familiars to share spells at range and then will have two mobile weapon platforms through which spells like cloud of knives and polymorph can be shared.

Has two familiars (Gilgamesh and Enkidu) and Elven sub levels so he can give bonuses to nearly any skill, all saves, initiative (+23 with all buffs active). 

To sum it up, Gogo is a bundle of shapeshifting undead sexiness.

[SorO_Lost]

You know, we all have the some concepts in mind I think.

City? Need social skills!
Battle? Need CC!
Awesome.

[phaedrusxy]

So... back to those teamwork benefits... who here has Evasion? This one looks pretty nice:

Friendly Fire Evasion   

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HoB   Spellcraft 4 and evasion   Ref +2 and Spellcraft 1   You gain the evasion ability (see page 41 of the Player’s Handbook), but only concerning spells cast by your team members.

I have Iron Will, so anyone who has at least one rank in Concentration can get Slippery Mind, basically.
Snap Out of It   

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DMGII   Concentration 8 or Iron Will   Concentration 1   If a team member is known to be under the sway of a compulsion effect, an adjacent team member can spend a full-round action to grant that team member a new save against the compulsion effect (as the rogue’s slippery mind class feature, except that the second save need not happen in the second round of the effect). No character can grant another team member more than one extra save against any one compulsion effect. However, multiple team members can all attempt to help the same character.

I could rearrange a few skillpoints to get Spot and Listen both to 8, which qualifies for a couple:
Door Procedures   

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DMGII   Listen 8 and Search 8   Listen 1 or Search 1   When listening at or searching a door or similar portal, the task leader gains a +1 circumstance bonus on his Listen and Search checks for each team member within 10 feet of the door. If the task leader chooses to take 20 on a Listen or Search check made at a door, he can do so in half the normal time (as if he had made ten attempts, rather than twenty).

Scouting   

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HoB   Listen 8 and Spot 8   Listen 1 and Spot 1; or Alertness   The team as a whole can make a free Spot check and a free Listen check at the end of each round, regardless of whether any members of the team have already made such checks that round. Use the lowest check modifier of any member of the team present, with a +1 bonus for every team member beyond the first. In the middle of a combat when actions are precious, this teamwork benefit gives the members detailed information about their immediate environment that they otherwise wouldn’t have.

I'm sure someone has Hide and MS 8, also. So if we all put at least 1 rank in Hide, we can get this one, which is quite nice:
Cunning Ambush   

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PHBII   Hide 8 and Listen 8   Hide 1   If the team members allow the task leader to prepare their hiding positions, he can make a special Hide check to camouflage them. This check is modified by each team member’s armor check penalty and Dexterity rather than the task leader’s, and the camouflage effect lasts until the team member moves. Hiding a team member in this manner requires 10 minutes of work.

[Zionpopsickle]

Abyss, I was looking into some stuff and I think it would probably be better for you to trade TWF for the feat that gives 25% of gold costs.  I can provide TWF to you via heroics and you can get TWF with gloves of the balanced hand added to you hands for like 3500g.  Plus you'll save like 2000g off your initial items and let all of us break WBL even harder (yeah artificer!).

Also, on teamwork benefits there is forge of wars teamwork benefits with the one that lets you buff additional people (double heroics... can you see where this is going?)  and we can get a guardian spirit pretty quick once we get some money and XP and get transference for even more buffiness.

Also, I think that I should point out that besides SDK we are a pretty sexy team (14 cha being the lowest besides veils 8).

[SorO_Lost]

Abyss, I was looking into some stuff and I think it would probably be better for you to trade TWF for the feat that gives 25% of gold costs.  I can provide TWF to you via heroics and you can get TWF with gloves of the balanced hand added to you hands for like 3500g.  Plus you'll save like 2000g off your initial items and let all of us break WBL even harder (yeah artificer!).

Actually, given my ability to repeat spells every 5 minutes, 10/min buffs are perfect. I could be the ultimate party buffer if I can figure out how to acquire Dragonfire Inspiration.

I can drop Glitterdust since everyone has CC and pick up Heroics and just keep recasting it on everyone. Since none of my Feats are Fighter based and I can't pick up Eschew Materials, you'll have to supply the Material Component your self through. Of my other slots, I can't give up Devil's Ego (my only 3rd) right as I can't afford to toss it into the Runestaff but Wealth expense changes may help. My other 2nd level spell, Eagle's Splendor, is 1/min level forcing me to continually recasting it making it a requirement to keep as one of my spells. And funny thing is it can lead to an awkward point of me actually losing it if engaged in a lengthy activity where chanting a spell isn't feasible until I can buy a permanent buff or Extend it.

Of my 1st level spells however. I've got Lesser Restoration because it's pretty useful and someone needs it but I can drop Sticky Fingers (+10 slight of hand), for another buff. Unity Wine is the best I could find for now, +1 Moral to Skill Checks for 6 hours per casting. Hilariously, this also means I have semi-infinite source of wine to provide this sexy party with a type of beer goggles.

[Zionpopsickle]

The material component for heroics can be pulled out of your spell component pouch (apparently 16th level fighters leave bits of gear everywhere for commoners to gather).

Plus, I don't think you really have to worry about eagles splendor wearing out in battle too much.  If a battle actually goes 10 rounds (worse case scenario for your spell) every enemy remaining should be nauseated, paralyzed, blinded, entangled and shaken (although not stirred).  We can probably take them out with foul language at that point. 

Oh and Phae, you need to invest in some splinterbolts for your crossbow (from dragon) because the guy who busts in the door totally needs a shotgun for the cool factor.

[TheAbyssDragon]

Abyss, I was looking into some stuff and I think it would probably be better for you to trade TWF for the feat that gives 25% of gold costs.  I can provide TWF to you via heroics and you can get TWF with gloves of the balanced hand added to you hands for like 3500g.  Plus you'll save like 2000g off your initial items and let all of us break WBL even harder (yeah artificer!).

Actually I was thinking this myself and I agree entirely. Even without something to replace TWF, I can just use a large shield and crank my AC.

[TheAbyssDragon]

I just remembered: I originally picked up TWF with the intention of using it in combination with Gloves of the Balanced hand, thus gaining ITWF.

That said, I'm still gonna swap out. Maybe TWF will be my 9th level feat.

[phaedrusxy]

\
Oh and Phae, you need to invest in some splinterbolts for your crossbow (from dragon) because the guy who busts in the door totally needs a shotgun for the cool factor.

Could you post the stats?

[skydragonknight]

I just remembered: I originally picked up TWF with the intention of using it in combination with Gloves of the Balanced hand, thus gaining ITWF.

That said, I'm still gonna swap out. Maybe TWF will be my 9th level feat.

So that makes eligible gear 57.5% original cost?

[TheAbyssDragon]

So that makes eligible gear 57.5% original cost?

Yes, as summarized here (someone feel free to check).

Wondrous items, enchants, and scrolls: 57.5%
Potions: 48.125%
Alchemical substances: 33.333%
Mundane crafting (courtesy of Zion): 33.333%

Note that for weapons/armor, you have to calculate the mundane cost separate from the enchant, using the appropriate cost reduction for each.