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Messages - Janthkin

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1
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Help Finalize this bard build I almost got it.
« on: March 08, 2016, 05:31:39 PM »
A few questions:
1) What level are you starting at?  If you're starting at level 1, I'm not sure how fun it will be for the first 5 or 6 levels.
2) Is the misspelling of "Martial Rouge" intentional in this case?   :lol
3) Is that Ardent Dilettante 4?  If so, what are you getting out of it that you find preferable to more Bard?

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: WHat is a good fullcasting prestige class for bards that ISN'T lyric thaumaturge
« on: January 25, 2016, 05:49:25 PM »
Virtuoso has some neat elements (Jarring Song, Song of Fury, Revealing Melody) that make it better than continuing with straight Bard, while still advancing Inspire Courage & Songs/day, but since it's only 9/10 casting it pairs better with Sublime Chord than straight bard casting.

3
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Summoner idea (help please)
« on: April 08, 2015, 02:24:37 PM »
Are you summoning the snake (via Summon Monster or some such)?  It's a little unclear where you're planning on getting the snake from.  You could always go Druid, and just BE the snake.

As far as Tripping goes, you could try to optimize Bigby's Tripping Hand, but tripping as a combat maneuver suffers from all kinds of issues (size, # of feet, etc.).  Again, go Druid & summon wolves if you want to trip.

4
Min/Max 3.x / Re: Got some spare XP to use, what to use it for?
« on: April 07, 2015, 03:04:25 PM »
Quote from: Shadowhunter on March 22, 2015, 06:07:56 AM
There are no dual primary casters in the current applications, but I can sort of understand that. This is the game description:
Quote
This game will be a Horror campaign, taking place in the world of Greyhawk. You will have to fight to survive, having little to no time to rest between encounters. Fighting monsters will not be the only challenge that you will face. Conserving resources, fighting off hunger and thirst, and many other challenges await in this titillating tale of terror.

Now, Binder is my favourite class and it gains an additional vestige bound at lvl 8, so there was no question of playing anything else. But coincidentally, they can manage not resting properly far better than any spellcasting class. So if I can't sleep for long enough, I'll just choose Divine Focus and pretend to be a cleric. Heck, if I can't prepare spells since we missed the sunrise, I guess I'll just chose something else.
Also worth noting, items that create food and water (ring of sustenance, everlasting rations etc.) are banned. Spending spells on Create Food and Water is fine, since that's a resource spent, using items not so much.
Sounds like a very interesting premise, though I'd consider Warlock or Dragon Adept for your other half, if you REALLY want to be immune to running out of resources.  And yeah, sounds like a conventional dual caster is going to have to play a little stingy with the resources.  Reserve Feats, I guess?  But divine casters don't require sleep to get their spells back, just prayer at the right time of day.

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: Dragonlance adventure - beguiler ?
« on: April 06, 2015, 03:02:17 PM »
Quote from: Dwarfi on March 11, 2015, 11:37:17 AM
There are basically no other prestige classes left in the pool (PH, PHB2, DMG, all Dragonlance books, Magic Item and Spell comp at times)
Especially dragonlance really stinks for a beguiler as almost all casters are more or less supposed to take the high sorcery stuff.
It's okay; Beguiler is a very nice class in its own right (though admittedly it pairs wonderfully with Shadowcraft Mage from Races of Stone).

Quote
Currently my biggest question is what feat to take next. I know its still a bit in the future.
Lv12- Again, very limited by the pool of books, so I thought of:

Lucky- +1 On all Saves, as saves are always one of my biggest concerns
or
Quick thinking: +2 Ini and on all perception skills - Together with Impr Ini and +3 dex I could make good use of the shock and awe spell. And I max spot/listen/search anyway.
I'd skip Quick Thinking, and plan on getting a Belt of Battle (Magic Item Compendium) instead.  Also, remember that Cloaked Casting just requires that your target be denied a Dex bonus: you can achieve that with Grease, or (Improved) Invisibility, or spells like Phantom Battle.

Saves are rough; your goal is to avoid having to take them at all, rather than try and boost your success rate.  Don't worry about grapples; at character level 11, you can cast Freedom of Movement enhanced by Still Spell, which gets you out of grapples forevermore.  But you might want Rapid Metamagic, if you DM will let you dip into Complete Mage to get it - otherwise, casting a Still Freedom of Movement becomes a full round action, which is not nearly as cool.  (Failing that, Anklets of Translocation are your friends.)

Something as mundane as Spell Focus (Illusion) or (Enchantment) can actually make a big difference for the Beguiler; so many spells depend on your targets failing Will saves, and every 5% helps.

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Building a Shadowcraft Mage/Seeker of the Misty Isle
« on: April 06, 2015, 02:40:28 PM »
Just for early entry (mostly, anyway - I'm leaving Earth Spell on the table, so to speak).

I ended up saying "screw it, I'm not playing another cleric," and rolling with a Beguiler/SCM.  The other players in this particular group need to learn to cope with healing that isn't provided by me, and the Seeker concept is neat enough to merit its own PC at some point, rather than cramming it into the SCM build.

7
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: 3.5 Bard/paladin Core only build
« on: March 10, 2015, 02:07:01 PM »
Could you define what you mean by "core"?  (You've got flaws, so presumably Unearthed Arcana, which doesn't fit my def'n of core).

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: 50 Shades of Cleric Archer
« on: February 19, 2015, 05:49:39 PM »
Quote from: SorO_Lost on February 18, 2015, 12:35:01 PM
plus if you've watched the Arrow at all super-smacking people with your bow should be a valid option. :)
See Races of the Wild, "Elvencraft (Longbow)", p. 166.  :)  Plus, being a (dual-weapon) quarterstaff on top of being a bow, you can stick all kinds of interesting enchants on there.

There's also the Animated Shield w/the Crystal of Arrow Deflection; just plain nice to have while playing at range, though it won't specifically help with the dragon's breath weapon.

The Rod of Extend is really expensive at level 10.  Your boots, belt, cloak, head, and ring slots are completely empty as a result. 

Remember that Righteous Wrath is limited to bonus melee attacks, and doesn't benefit archery, so ride the Haste bandwagon.  Don't forget Divine Guidance prior to your Knowledge Devotion roll, at least for (known) big fights.  Ummm...Aura of Evasion for your dragon fight?

9
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Building a Shadowcraft Mage/Seeker of the Misty Isle
« on: February 17, 2015, 05:00:10 PM »
Ah, there it is.  Sorry - got Ruathar confused with something else entirely.

Looks like minimum level for access is level 6 (via 3rd level spells), and then at least 2 levels (unless I go 18 Int).  I may just pay the Apprentice (Woodsman) tax instead, as otherwise I delay entry into Seeker until probably level 13 (as I can enter ScM at level 8).

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Building a Shadowcraft Mage/Seeker of the Misty Isle
« on: February 17, 2015, 02:24:25 PM »
Sadly, this MUST be an elf (and a particular flavor of elf, which is not to my advantage in this particular problem, but is overall a good fit for the character concept).

11
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Building a Shadowcraft Mage/Seeker of the Misty Isle
« on: February 16, 2015, 07:29:52 PM »
My poor bard ate an inopportune lightning bolt, and died mid-campaign.  I'd like to insert a Cleric/Shadowcraft Mage into the party, but I'm working with a few restrictions:
1) He's got to be an elf, or maybe a half-elf/half-human elf (DM has waived the gnome requirement for ScM), as that's the only good option for plot-insertion at the moment.
2) 11th level.
3) I'll need the Shadow Domain to get in (no Heighten Spell tricks), and once I'm in, I'll definitely need the Illusion domain (or there's no value in ScM).
4) Nothing from Forgotten Realms, nothing from Unearthed Arcana, and nothing but the Shadow Domain from Eberron.

I was looking for a good thematic prestige class to bulk out the build (Shadowcrafter isn't an option), and Seeker of the Misty Isle caught my eye, as I was considering adding Zen Archery anyway.

Build probably goes:
Cleric 1: Illusion, Shadow (ACF: Spontaneous Domain (Illusion))
Cleric 2
Cleric 3
Cleric 4
Cleric 5
Seeker 1: Travel
Seeker 2
ScM 1
ScM 2
ScM 3
Contemplative 1: ??
ScM 4
ScM 5
Seeker +X

Current question: how do I get 8 ranks of Survival?  It's not a Cleric class skill, unless you have the Travel domain.  I could take Travel as a 1st level domain, but while Seeker grants the Travel domain, I'm not finding permission to take a different domain if you already have it (which would leave me without Shadow).

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: Casting-focused Bard advice (I need more spells/day)...
« on: November 26, 2014, 03:02:31 PM »
Is it too obvious to suggest going Bard 6/Lyric Thaumaturge 4/Sublime Chord 10? 

Or, if you're not allowed 9th level spells, maybe slip over into something goofy, like Abjurant Champion (and advance Bard casting once you've hit the max on Sublime Chord casting)?  Or take Arcane Preparation, and go from Sublime Chord into Ultimate Magus for a truly silly number of spells/day?

If you want to be caster focused, maybe you want some metamagic & Metamagic Song?

For having a Draconic character, there's a disturbing lack of Dragonfire Inspiration in your build. 

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Magic item tropes/stories/plots
« on: October 02, 2014, 12:56:21 PM »
Quote from: Frogman55 on October 02, 2014, 11:56:44 AM
Arty treasure (historical artifacts, rather than magical ones) work as MacGuffins, as do items with high value; Instead of Excalibur, go for the Crown Jewels.
This one doesn't seem to map as cleanly.  While raiding the BBG's treasury is personally gratifying & may indeed hinder his plans for global domination (can't pay his Legions of Doom with promises, after all), on a purely practical level it's hard for characters without bags of holding to haul away enough wealth at a time (unless it's a full frontal assault, I guess).

But stealing his Orb of Nuclear Winter?  That'll definitely screw over Mr. Frost King for a while.

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Magic item tropes/stories/plots
« on: October 01, 2014, 05:05:45 PM »
"The Rod of Seven Parts" (and its infinite variations): basically, the traditional scavenger hunt-style campaign that gives your party a reason to visit a series of linked dungeons/encounters to retrieve unique items that eventually become powerful.

The Head of Vecna.

Divinations and/or magic compass-style travel progression.

Batman/Iron Man/Green Arrow/etc. - all the gadget-powered superhero equivalents (PCs & NPCs).

Alchemists & artificers.

"Alice in Wonderland" (Drink Me/Eat Me) effects.

Evil Dead/The Mummy/etc./etc. - "Don't read from The Book!"

One obvious note: eliminating magic items (without providing some equivalent) makes the divide between martial classes & casters much, MUCH broader.  I'm curious how you're approaching this.

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D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Please help me with the house cat argument
« on: May 02, 2014, 06:26:29 PM »
Quote from: Tonymitsu on March 29, 2014, 02:41:50 AM
The cat has only a +2 to Initiative from its Dexterity, giving it a 10% chance of going before the average commoner.  Assuming the cat does win out, it can proceed with it's full attack routine: two claws at a +4 and a bite at a -1, the claws have a 75% chance of hitting and the bite has a 45% chance and the cat must succeed with at least two of these attacks in order to incapacitate the commoner before he has a chance to retaliate.  Discounting critical hits, it has roughly a 78% chance of doing that.  Good odds, but certainly not guaranteed.
Your initiative math is off - it's not a 10% chance of going before the average commoner.  Effectively, the cat has the equivalent of a +3 on an opposed d20 roll (because the cat will win on ties, owing to having the higher dex).  If both were equal, there'd be a 50/50 chance that the cat would go first. 

As the GitP shirt says: "Win initiative, win it all."

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: IP Proofing, Falling off the RNG, and challenging encounters.
« on: March 27, 2014, 12:59:17 PM »
Quote from: Nytemare3701 on March 25, 2014, 11:38:12 PM
^That looks like a party who hates wraiths, right? NOPE, the gish pops them on accident just being close to them.
So, BBEG learns to buff up his Wraiths with Mass Resist Energy, right?

I'm vaguely reminded of the old G.I. Joe cartoon, where Cobra would have a plan that almost works, until something fairly minor ruins it completely at the end.  Why didn't they ever just patch that problem, and reuse the plan?

The old 2e High Level Campaigns guide has a section on how to create challenging encounters for higher-level players, without forcing them to fight gods 3 times a day.  The example I remember best was the giant slug behind a salt-covered grate high up in the wall - it couldn't move forward, so it would just sit behind the grate and spit acid at the adventurers.  Bad guys, especially recurring villains, are allowed to optimize their use of resources, too.

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: IP Proofing, Falling off the RNG, and challenging encounters.
« on: March 25, 2014, 05:03:28 PM »
From a DM plot-evolution space, this could actually be a good thing - the party has some potent strengths, but also some obvious weaknesses.  Any BBEG should be probing the latter in some way (send more minions!); after a few skin-of-the-teeth encounters triggered by lack of, say, protection from energy drain, they'll have to shift behaviors...and that's when you smack them with the all-flying-evil-monkeys encounter.  :)

18
D&D 3.5 and Pathfinder / Re: Removing a Weapon Enhancement
« on: March 24, 2014, 02:30:45 PM »
Remove Curse/Break Enchantment, put the bow down, and buy one you prefer?  If that doesn't work, you're locked in a plot loop; rules won't help you.

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: Advice on a long-term cleric build
« on: June 19, 2013, 02:52:28 PM »
Quote from: Sevash on June 19, 2013, 02:14:52 AM
Are there other things I could include on what shall now be referred to as my "Blinded By The Light" build?  Feats, items, or the like?  I feel like this is going places.
I'm going to reuse an older post here.
Quote from: Janthkin
You'll want the "Spontaneous Domain Casting" ACF from PHB2 & you must have the Healing domain for the "Empower/Maximize/Supreme Healing" abilities to do you any good - they don't apply to EVERY Cure spell you cast, but rather to casting "a domain spell from the Healing domain."  Casting a domain spell is not the same as casting a spell that appears on a domain list - it actually is referring to casting out of your domain slot (usually 1/level/day).  Spontaneous Domain lets you spontaneously cast domain spells, e.g., from the Healing domain.

Once you have the Radiant Servant's Extra Greater Turning, destroying the undead is a matter of preparation.  You'll want a Rod of Defiance (MIC p. 56), probably a Reliquary Holy Symbol (MIC p. 120), a Circlet of Persuasion (DMG p. 252), and likely a Cloak of Charisma (DMG).  If you know you'll be facing undead, check out the "Light of ___________" line of spells from the SPC: they are specifically designed to boost your ability to crush the undead. 

DMM Persist if you can; I actually got great mileage out of DMM Quicken with my last RSoP, as it let him do things like a Quickened Divine Power before hitting things.
Given that you're doing a minimal dip into RSoP, you can skip the Spontaneous Domain (Healing) advice; you won't have the free Empower/Maximize available.

Judging by the perceived optimization level for this campaign, I'm guessing you'll have access to Night Sticks?  Maybe stacking Night Sticks? 

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Min/Max 3.x / Re: Advice on a long-term cleric build
« on: June 18, 2013, 06:53:40 PM »
It's a busy build already, but could you slip in a level of Radiant Servant of (some appropriate god)?  I don't have the KotR lying about, so I could be missing a pre-req incompatibility, but a single level gets you Greater Turning, another boost to Light spells, and full martial weapons/armor proficiencies (to fix the gap caused by Cloistered Cleric).  (Really, the whole class is nice, but levels 1, 2, 3, and 5 make good break points.  Your allies in particular may appreciate the extra +2 to Will saves from the level 3 ability.)

I like the roleplaying potential of a Bone Knight in a world teeming with (hostile) Undead, but it could get a little old by level 23 or so to have to constantly re-explain how you're the GOOD kind of evil necromancer. 

Provided you can get armor back somehow, Cloistered is always good. 

Are you going to use DMM in some way?  DMM (Quicken) is a great alternative to Persist, and lets you toss up Divine Power (and/or Righteous Wrath) at the start of a fight when needed, which negates the whole issues with BAB progressions.

Edit: And just to be crazy - have you considered some sort of Ur-priest based build, instead?  It would mean no clerical abilities until level 6 or so, but you could focus on smashy abilities (or hell - Dread Necromancer?) for the first few levels, grab 2 levels of Ur-Priest, and then into your choice of divine-advancing-prestige class.

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