Min/Max challenge - Lowest level melee build to beat a Balor?

[Basket Burner]

You've never heard of min/maxing for the shear fun of it?

Alright people... can we figure out a way to get it to ECL 1?

I'm more interested in practical value. That's not the point though. The point is that the win conditions are so loose as to be meaningless, and yet there are already multiple people bitching about my method without even knowing what it is.

@ BB- Necropolitan Puglist Fighter 2?

Not even close. Ghost isn't the trick either, as it doesn't block quite as many of his spells.

[Jackinthegreen]

You've never heard of min/maxing for the shear fun of it?

Alright people... can we figure out a way to get it to ECL 1?

I'm more interested in practical value. That's not the point though. The point is that the win conditions are so loose as to be meaningless, and yet there are already multiple people bitching about my method without even knowing what it is.

The bitching has less to do with the method itself and more to do with your presentation (or lack thereof).

[JaronK]

Okay, here's a legal version of the stupid template thing... that requires silly levels of DM fiat, but it's funny: 

Find an Orc with every single Half Dragon template ever as well as Half Minotaur and Lolth Touched... who's dead.  With an Artificer, raise him via Animate Dead at level 1 (using Animate Dead from the Deathmaster spell list, a level 2 spell) as a Skeleton.  Now you have a Str 200+ Skeleton who's immune to pretty much all the things... and CR 1/2.  Now, if you can somehow get him into range, he can kill the Balor in one hit.

JaronK

[zook1shoe]

Seems legite since he only talked about spells and Psionics, not infusions

[JaronK]

Also, the skeleton melees the Balor to death.

Note that you could have a few such Skeletons (in, I dunno, the most awesome necromancy graveyard ever), each rolling their own initiative, each with orders to "attack the first Balor you see."  You might want to slap on some templates that boost dex, though I don't know of many.

JaronK

[Mixster]

Also, the skeleton melees the Balor to death.

Note that you could have a few such Skeletons (in, I dunno, the most awesome necromancy graveyard ever), each rolling their own initiative, each with orders to "attack the first Balor you see."  You might want to slap on some templates that boost dex, though I don't know of many.

JaronK

Dragonspawn templates can give extra Dex IIRC.

[Tshern]

Unseelie Fey does.

[Basket Burner]

Bone creature, Nimble Bones feat... If you're going to abuse templates that much to beat a stock enemy it's a moot point.

[JaronK]

But then I'd have a con penalty! 

Okay, seriously, you get the basic idea.  Stack on templates that raise str and dex in addition to the Half Dragon thing without raising HD, turn creature into a skeleton (which removes all the Cr increases), sick it on the Balor.  It should be able to one hit kill the big guy, and you can have a few of them (four to be precise, at level 1).  Of course, this method involves somehow finding said creature, which is the hard part.

JaronK

[zook1shoe]

Oh unless the balor flies up and dive-bombs you... Then you're screwed

[JaronK]

Oh, you go nowhere near the Balor.  You just set you skeletons to wander around and attack one if they see one.  Balors are dangerous.  You wouldn't want to go anywhere near those things!

And yes, this is a silly solution (much like the "throw a rock at it" solution).

JaronK

[Tshern]

And yes, this is a silly solution (much like the "throw a rock at it" solution).

JaronK

To be fair, you are not supposed to get through this at these levels with conventional solutions.

[JaronK]

Similarly stupid solution: use diplomacy to convince some giant melee monstrosity to go kill a Balor for you.  Perhaps convince a few titans or solars?  This should be doable at very low level... Venerable Unseelie Fey Magic Blooded Dragonwrought Kobold Marshal 1/Warlock 1/Binder 1/Bard 1 or something.  With a basic +7 Cha on a starting Charisma 18, you could have a Charisma of 26 by level 4 without magic items.  7 ranks, + 16 Cha (including Motivate Charisma), +6 from your Warlock abilities, +2 from Sense Motive and Bluff and Knowledge Nobility and Royalty, +1 from wearing Glamorweave Clothing... that's +42 to Diplomacy checks (and you can take 10).  Now just find a friendly Solar or ten.  Make them fanatic.  Have them run off and squish the Balor for you.  Make sure they kill it in melee to fulfill the letter (not the spirit) of this challenge.

JaronK

[Childe]

Similarly stupid solution: use diplomacy to convince some giant melee monstrosity to go kill a Balor for you.  Perhaps convince a few titans or solars?  This should be doable at very low level... Venerable Unseelie Fey Magic Blooded Dragonwrought Kobold Marshal 1/Warlock 1/Binder 1/Bard 1 or something.  With a basic +7 Cha on a starting Charisma 18, you could have a Charisma of 26 by level 4 without magic items.  7 ranks, + 16 Cha (including Motivate Charisma), +6 from your Warlock abilities, +2 from Sense Motive and Bluff and Knowledge Nobility and Royalty, +1 from wearing Glamorweave Clothing... that's +42 to Diplomacy checks (and you can take 10).  Now just find a friendly Solar or ten.  Make them fanatic.  Have them run off and squish the Balor for you.  Make sure they kill it in melee to fulfill the letter (not the spirit) of this challenge.

JaronK

If we're going the Diplomacy route, there are simpler ways than that, restrictions after a comma:
Spirit Friend [Ancestor], Phoenix Clan.
Soul of Green Walls, can only be taken at 1st level.

Spirit Friend makes all outsiders no worse than Indifferent to you. This already gives you the absurd advantage of the Balor not attacking you first, initiative solved. Then, if you really do want to persuade solars or whatever, you're not fighting an uphill battle.
The second lets you move the initial attitude one in either direction (so we'll go the positive direction, making Indifferent into Friendly).
There's a third feat I'm still trying to find again after not writing it down that basically does the same thing as Soul of Green Walls (with a little more limit, but none that actually matter), which would let you treat all Outsiders as initially Helpful to you.

That can easily be done at level 1 with Human or Strongheart Halfling or such and a Flaw. Where you go from there is up to you.

[JaronK]

Wait, I've got it: use that feat combo to get two Helpful Balors right off the bat.  Get them to fight each other in a friendly boxing match.  Whichever loses, that's the one you've defeated in melee.  Good job!

JaronK

[Childe]

Wait, I've got it: use that feat combo to get two Helpful Balors right off the bat.  Get them to fight each other in a friendly boxing match.  Whichever loses, that's the one you've defeated in melee.  Good job!

JaronK