Walker in the Waste build... starting play at 3rd level. How ?

[Drake]

Hi there !

I'm trying a build inspired by the Mr. Icy-Hot character, who's a Walker in the Waste (WitW). It's my third WitW, but this time I'm starting at low level (3rd), so I'm looking for ideas to keep the character powerful throughout the levels where my Con score is going to be pretty dismal (to prepare for undead status... 10 levels ahead).

We don't have all the info on rules yet, so I'm mentionning what I remember talking with the DM :

• DM allows stuff players submit that she has had time to read. Books are legit as long as she can read what is being used. A lot of freedom, she's a minmaxer herself.
• Player's start at 3rd level with, I assume, gold appropriate (following DMG) to their level. I assume items can be picked from mostly 3.5 ed., including Magic item compendium and other sourcebooks as long as she can check them.
• Other players will be : a very nomadic and serious elf wizard, a very chaotic bratroguish-halfling (newer player, PC built by DM), and it's likely the last party member will be a meleer, tank to some extent (hopefully).

I handed the following "announce" to the DM (nothing --except base class and prestige class-- is set in stone, race and feats can change at my will)  :

###RACE###
Lesser Aasimar (Player's Guide to Faerun p.191, Humanoid instead of Outsider, Level Adjustment +0), (http://www.d20pfsrd.com/races/monsters-as-pcs#TOC-Aasimar, http://www.d20srd.org/srd/monsters/planetouched.htm)


+2 Wisdom, +2 Charisma.
Medium size.
An aasimar’s base land speed is 30 feet.
Darkvision: Aasimars can see in the dark up to 60 feet.
Racial Skills: Aasimars have a +2 racial bonus on Spot and Listen checks.
Racial Feats: An aasimar gains feats according to its class levels.
Special Attacks (see above): Daylight.
Special Qualities (see above): Resistance to acid 5, cold 5, and electricity 5.
Automatic Languages: Common, Celestial. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Gnome, Halfling, Sylvan.
Favored Class: Paladin.
Level adjustment +0.


###CLASSES###
Cloistered Cleric 3 (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/variant/classes/variantCharacterClasses.htm#clericVariantCloisteredCleric)

Followed by : Walker in the Wastes (level 4 to 13th inclusively) (Sandstorm p.89)

###FEATS###
Divine Metamagic (Complete Divine p.80)
Persistent Spell (Complete Arcane p.81)
Peut-être avec des Domain Feats (Complete Champion, p.52)


###ROLE###
Low-level (1-5) : heal-bot.
Low-mid (6-7) : develops necromancy and a small army of durable minions.
Intermediate (8-12) : can enter melee to some extent.
High level (13+) : Becomes a Dry Lich, an excellent divine caster, capable of doing stuff on its own in CC.

I phoned her for confirmation, and she promptly accepted most everything, including that the Dry lich template wouldn't cost Level Adjustments at the end of Walker in the Waste. She's also OK with the early entry into WitW. She's OK with the power level of the build and want's me to work on the background. She allows me to even change the baseline environment of the WitW to any climate I want, including cold north for example.

The only problem was with Lesser aasimar, given variants closely linked to the world setting.

Being a fluff-conscious person, the DM is also working hard on little variants for the magic system, that I'm not completely privy to... yet. So that's an element of uncertainty. For example, she told me it was easier in her setting to become a Dry lich than to reanimate corpses and create undead through, for example, Animate Dead.

Because the setting is pretty low-magic, I though that crafting my own equipment would be the best idea. Especially since Craft Wondrous items is basically required for constructing the Canopic Jars used for transforming into Dry lich.

--

OK, so far, I think I've given as much detail as I could muster. My main questions revolve around how to build the character for starting play at 3rd level, and how to advance before reaching level 13th and Dry lich status. I'd like suggestions. Even if it's the third Walker in the Waste I play, I've never played one so early and I'm puzzled by the challenges ahead of me.

[Rebel7284]

- Are flaws allowed?

- Even at levels 1-5, you should not be a heal bot. 

- Of course take Divine Metamagic as soon as possible.

Domains: Sand and Planning (you can cast desiccate from the Thirst domain naturally.)

Also, invest in an umbrella before level 13.  It's a broken item for Dry Liches.

[Nunkuruji]

Of the caster-centric & low str clerics and cloistered clerics my PCs have played, they've always seemed like slow starters.

Typically having to rely on a crossbow weapon
Often using whatever mundane bag of tricks they pack (marbles, caltrops, etc)
CLW Wand, Healing Belt
Choice persisted spell
Close Wounds / Delay Death for oh crap
Rebuked skeleton/zombie - dependent on encountering one in most cases
Making the most out of powers granted by domain choices
Very careful with equipment/weight options due to str - witw requirement to carry sand?

[McPoyo]

Some advice from personal experience: i've played a casting-focused witw in a game starting in mid-levels, a melee focused Witw from 1st level to 14th using earlyentry, a ranged focused on starting after I completed the template, and one other that I don't particularly remember standing out. It's one of my favorite characters from a flavor perspective.

It plays like a cleric in combat. There really isn't a lot of difference, except you can benefit from the awesome buffs available to the undead type. Pretty much just build like recommended in the cleric handbook, and keep in mind there's some nifty spells and magic item effects.

Oh, and SLA-based infinite gold from Salt.