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

[Sirdanile]

Vorpal/Implosion/Blasphemy/Enough damage to kill you in one hit/Death by Massive Damage

All that will save you from is if the explosion reduces you down to 0 to -9 hp which is a rather small range and thus you still need at least 91 hp to survive the blast (not counting the fort save against massive damage).

I always forget about massive damage saves...

Is there a way to just straight up tank him to death Vorpal and all over a ridiculous amount of rounds?

[littha]

No because blasphemy auto kills you with no save.

If you are evil then you will probably get imploded with a DC 27 save. 

[Ithamar]

UMD a couple castings of Surge of Fortune for natural 20's when you really need it?

[littha]

Would be rather expensive considering its a 5th level spell and thus you cant have a wand of it. Scrolls are 1125 gp each and getting your UMD to the point you can reliably make a DC 29 check is going to be a challenge in a melee build.

[Thurbane]

Not sure of it's already been mentioned, but if near-inifinite loops are allowed, a dip into Cancer Mage and Festering Rage to get ni STR. Also, the other disease that pumps natural AC...? Not sure if that's in the spirit of the challenge, though...

Sorry, just read that inifinite loops are out.

[Sirdanile]

No because blasphemy auto kills you with no save.

If you are evil then you will probably get imploded with a DC 27 save.

Somehow Silence yourself and stand near him, then the tank thing comes into play being able to take his melee

[Amechra]

I can make the Balor my pet with a wand of a 4th level spell and a bunch of DC 30 skill checks, but that's against the spirit of the thing, ain't it?

[littha]

No because blasphemy auto kills you with no save.

If you are evil then you will probably get imploded with a DC 27 save.

Somehow Silence yourself and stand near him, then the tank thing comes into play being able to take his melee

He will still implode you, its a spell like and thus has no verbal or somatic components. The only way you are going to get it to fight you head on really is using an antimagic field which is a good way of killing yourself against a BAB 20 demon with power attack.

[SolEiji]

Be a ghost (or otherwise gain incorporeal via spells), then use a ghost touch weapon to hit the material plane.  That should bypass Implosion.

[muktidata]

I think this would be simpler if you limited it to core/complete/races/tob/whatever else you'd want to include.

[littha]

Incorporial would save you against implosion but is getting a bit out of the range of a melee character. Plus with all the LA you have spent on being a ghost you have even less hp to stand up to the balors weapon attacks (which are magical) and you will never beat it on the opposed str check when it entangles you with the whip.

I think this would be simpler if you limited it to core/complete/races/tob/whatever else you'd want to include.

There is little point to limiting books on a purely theoretical argument unless you actually want to make it more difficult. Its a one sided fight to begin with.

[SorO_Lost]

I think this would be simpler if you limited it to core/complete/races/tob/whatever else you'd want to include.

o.O
You mean harder right?

Also Incorporeal is only a 50% chance to ignore the explosion.

[littha]

I think this would be simpler if you limited it to core/complete/races/tob/whatever else you'd want to include.

o.O
You mean harder right?

Also Incorporeal is only a 50% chance to ignore the explosion.

I believe he was referring to the implosion spell like which is prevented by being incorporeal.

[bruceleeroy]

The challenge is open to any official WoTC material. For grins, that includes the Kingdoms of Kalamar Players Guide and I think one of the DragonLance books.

I mean, we're already got it to Level 4 using Cityscape, let's explore other options. A level 5-6 build that doesn't use Hood tech would be interesting.

[LordBlades]

Details details. It's put together well enough to say ECL 8 can do it so that's done. I was thinking of level 6 when I started posting it but Vaulting is like 20k and needed 8th level WBL to afford it. Then when I got to the number crunch I realized I didn't even need it. Maybe later I'll try for level 6 again.

Off topic, where is Vaulting from? Never heard of it before, and Google turns nothing up.

[littha]

Arms and Equipment guide i think, it is extracted from a halberd of vaulting.

[SorO_Lost]

Off topic, where is Vaulting from? Never heard of it before, and Google turns nothing up.

Halberd of Vaulting(A&E): +30 to Jump, if you jump while charging you get an x2 modifier.

It's why the character (and his later incarnation) is using a halberd.

You should bookmark the link.

[zook1shoe]

The challenge is open to any official WoTC material. For grins, that includes the Kingdoms of Kalamar Players Guide and I think one of the DragonLance books.

I mean, we're already got it to Level 4 using Cityscape, let's explore other options. A level 5-6 build that doesn't use Hood tech would be interesting.

I'm at ~ 3-1/2 ECL

[Basket Burner]

There is an incredibly easy method of doing this at low levels that does not revolve around win init and one round it or die, that is just about immune to anything that the Balor could do to them.

Some of you are getting warmer. I will wait a while to see if anyone figures it out.

[JaronK]

If you have an idea, post it.  Pretending you know some amazingly awesome solution without saying anything about it isn't helpful.  But remember, this is doing it with melees, not with casters, so you'll have to figure out how to do it that way.

JaronK