Iku Rex said:
- The character isn't proficient with heavy armor. Use darkleaf (A&EG or ECS) armor instead, to make it medium armor.
Hmm, forgot about that. I just checked both those sources, and neither seems to actually give a price for darkleaf armor. ECS gives two examples (breastplate & banded mail) with prices, but nothing that says how much it would cost for full plate.
- I'm one of those who'd "debate" allowing the use of Leap Attack on all the attacks at the end of the charge. However, if you can trick a DM into allowing all those attacks as "charge attacks" you can do som truly sick damage. List of "charge-boosters":
http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2903115&postcount=36 . (Most aren't applicable to pounce/natural weapons, but some are.)
Another option for armor besides darkleaf could be the Rhino Hide. 5 points of AC would be a huge amount to give up, though.
But yeah, I'm guessing that most DMs would rule that charge-enhancing effects generally only apply to the first attack.
- I don't think you'd have to put your gear on several times a day. You can use the wild shape ability in cave troll form.
The way they've reworded wild shape is pretty awkward. "Any gear worn or carried by the druid melds into the new form and becomes nonfunctional."
So you could wild shape while still in cave troll form, but I believe that anything you've donned in that form would then get absorbed into the new cave troll form. To prevent that, I think you'd need to take it all off first (or cause it to be dropped at your feet by ending the wild shape) and then put it back on after re-assuming cave troll form.
- Technically, haste doesn't work with natural weapons. "[A] hasted creature may make one extra attack with any weapon he is holding". (I'd allow it though, and so would most DMs I think.) However, why not use a weapon? As written, Leap Attack triples the extra damage from power attack (12x3), making the first attack very impressive. (The first two attacks with your interpretation of Leap Attack.) It's probably better even if you "just" use 12x2 from Leap Attack.
I hadn't noticed that about Haste. Still, if you follow the literal wording, then Monks are kindof screwed. I agree that most DMs would allow it.
The 12 from power attack was already doubled for Leap Attack. It's actually only 6 points of power attack, so 18 for leap attack with a 2h weapon.
A 9th-level Druid/MMF would have a BAB of +6/+1. The only 2-handed weapon he'd be proficient with is a quarterstaff, which is 1d8 damage for a large creature. The damage would be better per hit, but it works out to less overall due to the lower chance to hit on the 2nd attack and no chance of rending and dazing:
3 claws + rend vs. AC15 w/6 pts of power attack:
((.95 * 3 * (7 + 10 + 1 + 2 + 6)) * 1.05) + (.993 * 29) = 107 damage + 99% chance of dazing blow
3 quarterstaff attacks vs. AC15 w/6 pts of power attack:
((.95 + .95 + .7) * (4.5 + 15 + 1 + 2 + 12)) * 1.05 = 94 damage
Leap attack would add 6 damage to each claw or quarterstaff hit, and the claws are more likely to hit, so adding that would actually be slightly in favor of the claws.
- Other spells worth noting: Girallon's blessing (SC, 3rd) - even if the DM doesn't allow two rend attacks (I wouldn't) and lowers your regular cave troll claw damage, it will help your overall damage.
Hmm, that's interesting. The wording is a little odd -- I'd assume that the claw attacks just replace the normal Cave Troll claw attacks and still allow the bite and rakes. I think you'd probably lose the Cave Troll's Dazing Blow ability, though, which is kindof significant. Let's see what the damage would be, though:
Normal Cave Troll attacks, no Leap Attack:
(((.95 * 3 * 26) + (.95 * 2 * 21) + (.85 * 18.5)) * 1.05) + (.993 * 29) = 165 damage
With Girallon's Blessing:
(((.95 * 5 * (2.5 + 10 + 1 + 2 + 6)) + (.95 * 2 * 21) + (.85 * 18.5)) * 1.05) + (~1 * (5 + 15)) = 186 damage
So more damage but no Dazing Blow. Potentially worthwhile if there are enough spell slots for it.
Charge of the triceratops (SC, 3rd) adds yet another natural attack, if you have a 3rd level spell to spare and the time to cast it. Lion's Charge (SC, 3rd) lets you pounce in any form (handy if you want to change your perferred form to war troll later.)
The Lion's Pounce wild feat is another good way to get a full attack without using spell slots.
Charge of the Triceratops looks pretty good -- my only concern would be the short duration, which means you'd need to cast it during combat. I don't know if the extra damage would end up being as valuable as an extra round of attacks, especially since it would have to be used as a secondary attack.