Need Help With a Unique Campaign

[darkcrab34]

Hello, firstly I'd like to thank anyone looking over this and offering any help, as this  recent campaign a friends running has opened up some rather interesting possibilies, as I will discuss below.  All rules/available books and my current ideas will also be listed below.  I will try and reply as soon as I see a message pop up ^^.

So long story short, a friend of mine is gathering myself and some old buddies to run a 3.5 campaign, but he is allowing us an LA worth of 7 to spend on a race and templates.  Mind you we will be starting at level one, just with said 7 LA worth of races and Templates.  One friend is playing a rogue, another a psionic mindflayer (who wouldn't want that) And the last is playing some kind of bard.   

So that falls onto me to playing the big beefy melee character, which thankfully I'm happy to do.    Now, Before I discuss what I've so far come up with, I will explain books rules and that sort of stuff.

Rules

Edition: 3.5
While we will be getting 7 LA worth of stuff between race/class, we will be level one and we won't be getting any feats/skills/HD that say....a 4-5 LA monster race would get.  All we get are stat boosts, and base abilities one would get for being said race (such as a rakasha's spell resistance)
Books Available:  So far as I can tell anything that was made into an official physical book is legal, not counting stuff like Dragon Magazine.  Naturally online only stuff is also outlawed.  Naturally only books made for DnD version 3.5 are allowed.
There will be no flaw feats allowed ( I may be able to change that, but for now its a big no)
Seeing as I am going for a melee build, he has outlawed Uber charger setups. That includes hitting certain feats that really enable it (storm trooper etc)  I did it once, he found it hilarious how said rules could be interpreted, than promptly said no more of that silliness. 
32 Point Buy

What I have currently Come up with, and am curious on expanding with.
For Race/templates So far I have been thinking
Stone Giant(lesser) https://www.dandwiki.com/wiki/SRD:Giants,_Stone_(Race)   For 4 LA the states alone seem insane, not to mention the extra 10 move speed, natural armor and the fact I get to be large, and thus get some reach.
2x Slams to expand on my full attacks when I get to do so.

Than for a template I would take Half Dragon From the Dragon cross breed template.  This would cost my last 3 LA but would offer me natural flight, a nice chunk of stats, a few status immunities along with an elemental immunity as well as a bite attack ( claws as well technically, but two hander and all that jazz).  I suppose the extra 4 Natural armor is icing on the cake.

For my Class I was thinking of going for either a Warblade or a Psychic Warrior, but if you guys have any other suggestions I am certainly open to all ideas.  If you think it may be better to go with TWF or something else please say so, curious what kind of insanity can be cooked up given this 7 LA thing.   

As for a build, as I said due to the humongous strength/reach, I was thinking maybe a tripper or just a straight up brawler, granted the no flaw feats things would make me kinda starved for a few available paths.  Just looking to be a melee force to be reckoned with, and open to any ideas.

Thanks again for any advice you can offer! 

[Skyrock]

So racial hit dice are completely ignored? Stone Giant doesn't just come with +7LA, but also with 14RHD, which puts them at ECL 21.

[darkcrab34]

So racial hit dice are completely ignored? Stone Giant doesn't just come with +7LA, but also with 14RHD, which puts them at ECL 21.

Thank you for the reply, and I should have been more specific about the whole Monsterous hit die and level etc.

Correct, Racial HD are ignored, all that you get is what stats modifiers/base abilities said creature race offers.  Also we will be starting at lvl 1, with whatever class we so choose.

In this case its the stone giants blob of stats, move speed and large size.

And we only get a total of 7 LA between race and templates, so for me its
4: Stone giant lesser
3: Cross breed dragon:  Offers flight, more stats a bite, more AC, and a few immunities

[MrPurple]

Hi, interesting exercise,

You could go for a Fire Giant instead, it got bigger stats (less Dex, but better Wis, and Str) the HalfDragon is an idea with great stats (and if you choose wisely you could get 2 immunities and no weaknesses, also an interesting backstory )

I was about to suggest half minotaur before I saw your "no Drag Mag" stuff. So that rules it out.

If your after the stat, you could go for a big fat were something, as you ignore the HD, you could go legendary tiger or something like that, as a natural were legendary tiger that would be +3 LA and when transformed, gives you +22 in Str, +8 Dex and +14 Con. Add to it something like half dragon (+3 LA) +8 Str, +2 Con, +2 Int, +2 Wis) and why not Savage (Savage Species), for another +4 Str, -2 Dex, +2 Con, -4 (that might hurt if you wanted to go warblade) Int, and +2 Wis. All that on any race with 0 LA (human for the feat or something else for some more stats).

anyway, there's lot to do with rules like that

[skydragonknight]

Similar to Purple's idea, but bringing up that Giants are a valid candidate for Lycanthropy. +4 LA for Large sized giants and +3 LA for natural lycanthrope. Legendary Tiger is still a good all-around choice, but something Huge like Elephant would get you additional reach/size mod as an alternative. Were Giant Squid would also be an interesting choice with your Mind Flayer buddy too. Tentacles for all.

[phaedrusxy]

Similar to Purple's idea, but bringing up that Giants are a valid candidate for Lycanthropy. +4 LA for Large sized giants and +3 LA for natural lycanthrope. Legendary Tiger is still a good all-around choice, but something Huge like Elephant would get you additional reach/size mod as an alternative. Were Giant Squid would also be an interesting choice with your Mind Flayer buddy too. Tentacles for all.

Your DM is insane. 

SDK's idea is a very good one. DR 10/silver, insane stat boosts, etc, on top of the crazy giant stats...

I might be tempted to go with an animal that gets pounce, like a dire tiger.

[Nanshork]

Hybrid form doesn't get things like pounce without a way to get around that.

Lycanthropy is definitely a strong way to go. I wrote a guide (linked in my signature thread) if you decide to go that route since you would ignore the animihd which is the biggest downside to lycanthropy.

[darkcrab34]

Ok first of all I would like to thank everyone for replying!  But I also do have some regrettable news.

I was talking to my DM, and he said I could only use races that actually offered a stat block.  Much like how Stone Giant, hill giant...and I guess even sand giant have.

, I don't see one for Fire Giant.  yes I know you lower stats by 10-11 and round up or some such method but hes giving a big fat no to that, his rules.  Granted i've now seen the sand giant, and that offers some rather neat stats AND fire immunity, could always go Sand giant+Dragon blood to give myself immunity to cold as well.

I will ask about lycanthropy, as much like stuff like Symbiotic creature/tauric hes always been very iffy on that, mostly due to how easily you can do some game breaking stuff.

PS:  IF anyone does have a fire giant stat block, much like some of the other giants etc, would be super grateful.

Also, even though Ubercharger is banned, would it still be wise to take some totem barbarian levels first, doesn't one give improved trip, at least?

[awaken_D_M_golem]

Stone Giant has both details.
Abilities:    Str 27, Dex 15, Con 19, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 11
+16 Strength, +4 Dexterity, +8 Constitution, +2 Wisdom.

If your DM will allow it, hey fine, it'll help low level survival for sure.
Half-Dragon template too, why not, I'll take that.

Stone Giant has Barbarian as a favored class.
Pounce Barb 1 is a euphemism for a specific acf
but whichever Barb 1 ability floats your boat, works.
Then go Warblade +X.
Perfectly acceptable build, doesn't need any massaging at all.

Plus you get to save money on arrows, as in you don't need them.
You can act like the Smart Hulk in Avengers Endgame. 
Rahr smash horsecart, seems gratuitous but hey I'll do it.

[darkcrab34]

Oh I get stone giant has a stat block, I meant fire giant, my bad.

Also was actually thinking of Sand giant, more dex, more wisdom, fire immunity AND i can take cold immunity from the dragon pool to remove that weakness.  That would give me two common elemental immunities right off the bat.

If I wanted to go sand giant, with its rather nice +6 to wis (+2 more from dragon) That would give me a shocking number of points for psionic warrior maybe?  Get stuff like vampiric claws, lion charge etc.   Thoughts on that idea?  I could even forgo tripper and take the feat(forget its name) that lets me grab any psionic power I want, even ones that Psi warrior can't normally take.

[Nytemare3701]

IIRC Sharn are LA +5  with 4 Racial HD, but get free casting levels as they gain HD. I know you said "big beefy melee" but bear with me a sec.

Sharn are 3000lbs on average despite only being large and due to the ability to threaten through their hex portals have up to 100ft of melee reach and between the cover the portals provide, their always-on haste, and their natural armor, they have an effective +15 AC bonus.

They have multiweapon fighting and multidexterity as bonus feats, giving them a brutal natural OR weapon attack routine that can be split anywhere on the battlefield through the hex portals.

Natural regeneration, immunity to mind effecting and polymorph effects, evasion, DR10/Cold Iron, and the ability to take multiple standard actions in a turn.

The source book (monsters of faerun) is 3.0, not 3.5, but they issued an official statblock update when 3.5 came out.

[awaken_D_M_golem]

No idea about Sand giant, but if you're getting the same mega-buff idk it's OK.

Sure a PsyWar will work, it's much more complicated, and someone in the party
will blame something interesting you do on "psionics is broken".

Another option :
Cleric works as a bruiser just fine.  And you get all the 9s Full Casting goodies.
No in-combat healing.  Easier than PsyWar, could be mixed with Warblade.

[Ithamar]

Draconic War Troll (MMIII) for:  +22 STR, +6 DEX, +20 CON, -2 INT, +4 WIS, +2 CHA, +15 Natural Armor, Regeneration 9, Spell Resistance 20, DR 5/Adamantine, claws, bite, and Dazing Blow special attack!

Also check out Valkyrie from Tome of Battle.  They are large outsiders with some amazing stats, a gaze attack, flight, etc. and only +5 LA as I recall.  So throw on Half-Dragon or Phrenic and just go nuts.