Author Topic: DM Needs Help with a Blighter  (Read 3727 times)

Offline SleepyShadow

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DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« on: June 19, 2016, 04:31:05 PM »
I know that the Blighter prestige class is not a good one, but thematically it fits very well with an upcoming villain the party is going to be running into soon. The PCs' level of power and optimization varies wildly, and I'd like to make this fellow a reasonable challenge to the group without being too overwhelming (hence why I'm not just making a straight evil-aligned druid). The party consists of a rather tame two-handed OA Samurai, a thrown weapon focused Artificer, a breath weapon focused Dragon Shaman, a long-range sniper build, and a disarm focused Ranger.

Aside from Core, all of the Complete books, Player's Handbook II, Tome of Battle, all of the Eberron books, and the Oriental Adventures book are all allowed. The party was built with 32-point buy, so I'd like to do the same with the Blighter.

I need the Blighter to be level 12, since he is supposed to be fought alone aside from whatever animal companions and summoned critters he may have. I was considering having him be a necropolitan elf, but I'm willing to scrap that idea if it hinders the build. Any help you guys can give me is greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
« Last Edit: June 19, 2016, 04:40:59 PM by SleepyShadow »

Offline Keldar

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2016, 10:53:40 AM »
Have you considered Talontar Blightlord from Unapproachable East (pg34)?  It has much the same flavor as Blighter but doesn't light 5 levels of Druid on fire.

Offline Nanshork

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2016, 12:58:43 PM »
Other options:

Take 1 level of Druid and then cast druid spells from another source (Archivist or Spirit Shaman).

If there's a way to cast druid spells as an arcane spellcaster you could take a dual-progression PrC, I don't think there's a divine/divine one the way there's arcane/divine, arcane/arcane, etc.

Offline Kerrus

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2016, 03:48:06 PM »
Other options:

Take 1 level of Druid and then cast druid spells from another source (Archivist or Spirit Shaman).

If there's a way to cast druid spells as an arcane spellcaster you could take a dual-progression PrC, I don't think there's a divine/divine one the way there's arcane/divine, arcane/arcane, etc.

As the DM, you get to decide what content is permissible. Make them an Arcane Defiler from Dark Sun. It solves basically all your thematic issues, and there's an ACF to swap your wizard familiar for an animal companion, so you'd still be themed as a druid. Just lose out on wildshape.

Alternatively, an early entry Walker in the Waste Domain Druid can get in at level three. (Uses assorted dragon magazine and unearthed arcana content, and an implied 'Alternative Class Feature equivalency' rule)

Human Domain Druid + Swift Druid ACF

Nature Sense, Wild Empathy, Turn Undead, Fast Movement (Barb), Monk AC + Wis to AC, Favored Enemy, Track feat.
Lose: Spontaneous SNA, Armor/shield proficiencies, Wildshape.

H1: Magical Training
L1: Precocious Apprentice (take Dessicate)
F1: Heat Endurance
F2: ???
D1: Track, Pick two domains, one of which must be the Thirst domain.
F3: Practiced Spellcaster
F6:
F9:
F12:

Such a character would be a Dry Lich, have a massive aura of extreme desert conditions, have almost full druid casting, can create sand golems and salt mummies, and a number of useful SLA's. No wildshape, but sustantial resiliency (by writ of being a lich and not dying when killed).

Given that the desert condition aura is out to 100 ft and defaults to whichever is hotter between local conditions +2 heat steps or extreme heat, you'd get the massive forest wilting effect that you'd see with a Blighter, without the ridiculous need to om nom the forest to cast spells.
« Last Edit: June 20, 2016, 03:52:43 PM by Kerrus »

Offline Nanshork

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2016, 04:04:02 PM »
Also, if you're willing to use homebrew there's a fixed blighter that seems pretty good. (You don't waste five levels for one.)  The table seems to be missing though...


Offline SleepyShadow

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #5 on: June 21, 2016, 02:45:15 AM »
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've already handwaved the mandatory deforestation away since the party is going to be encountering him out in the desert and I didn't want to have the Blighter shipping in truckloads of potted plants on a daily basis to his secret lair. I try not to use material that the players don't have access to just to keep things fair. Here's the preliminary build I've got worked out so far:

Mori Mundi, The Blighted Agent
NE Desecrated Venerable Necropolitan Elf Ex-Druid 6/Blighter 6
Feats: Empower Spell, Energy Substitution (Cold), Natural Spell, Lord of the Uttercold, Corpse Crafter

The plan I had worked out in my head was having him wildshape into a skeleton bear and fight the party while standing inside an uttercold wall of fire.

Offline linklord231

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #6 on: June 21, 2016, 03:08:54 AM »
What about a Wild Reaper variant druid (Dragon 311)?  If you're a necropolitan, you need Corrupt Wild Shape in order to use Wild Shape.  I'd also recommend looking at Child of Winter and its friends Vermin Companion and Vermin Shape for flavor.  And/or homebrewing an "Undead Wild Shape" to turn into Undead versions of animals. 
I'm not arguing, I'm explaining why I'm right.

Offline SleepyShadow

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #7 on: June 21, 2016, 03:18:26 PM »
What about a Wild Reaper variant druid (Dragon 311)?  If you're a necropolitan, you need Corrupt Wild Shape in order to use Wild Shape.  I'd also recommend looking at Child of Winter and its friends Vermin Companion and Vermin Shape for flavor.  And/or homebrewing an "Undead Wild Shape" to turn into Undead versions of animals.

Alright, thank you very much. Would he still need Corrupt Wild Shape to use the undead wild shape from blighter?

Offline awaken_D_M_golem

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Re: DM Needs Help with a Blighter
« Reply #8 on: June 21, 2016, 05:01:35 PM »
Druid 5 / any Racial Hit Dice 1 , qualifies for Blighter, and is what a Rebuild would do anyway.
So that would allow Druid 5 / Blighter 7 , which is kinda OK even with the slight cheese ( + medium size handwaving).
Might be pushing at the tier 3 to tier 2 border.

Cleric 1 / Druid 1 / Divine Minion LA+1 / Master Of Many Forms 3 / same rhd 1 assumption / Blighter 7
throw in the level 5 punpun base sans the obvious, DMM Heighten, and LA buy-off too
would take most of the feat slots for qualifying, adding decent WS-ish and 1 higher level spell
Natural spell, and a ws feat.  Just remember punpun told you to pull your punch.
For all the cheese, it'd work as a recurrent bbeg and be most of a tier 1.
Your codpiece is a mimic.