Ogre Mage/Dragonborn of Bahamut Paladin or Fighter

[Gray Lensman]

Feasible?

Yes or No?

Paladin or Straight Fighter (alignment issues)?

Develop Racial Levels for the Ogre Mage or just suck up the LA?

With the Ogre Mage +10 Str +6 Con +4 Int +4 Wis +6 Cha and the Dragonborn +2 Con -2 Dex it could be one heck of a frontline fighter.

What do you think?

This inquiring mind would really like to know.

 

[Dandu]

You of course could make a character like that. Whether it's advisable to do so is an entirely different question.

 

[emoplato]

The Ogre Mage has a level adjustment of 7 and 5 racial hit die. You pretty much have to take the die in order to get the abilities with that price over your head. Also they start with only the land movement 40 and 2 str. and cha plus dark vision 60. Then even after you are 7 levels behind with only a +3 to your hit die, +4 to hit melee, a mess of mental attributes which may be useful, and a few nice special spell-like abilities. The Ogre Mage doesn't know what it wants to be so it has a mess of unrelated abilities for a severe price.

 

[Starbuck_II]

The Ogre Mage has a level adjustment of 7 and 5 racial hit die. You pretty much have to take the die in order to get the abilities with that price over your head. Also they start with only the land movement and 2 str. and cha plus dark vision 60. Then even after you are 7 levels behind with only a +3 to your hit die, +4 to hit melee, a mess of mental attributes which may be useful, and a few nice special spell-like abilities. The Ogre Mage doesn't know what it wants to be so it has a mess of unrelated abilities for a severe price.

Technically, he could hire a spellcaster to cast energy drain (or a friendly undead) to drain the racial HD away so he would be lower level.
You would be left with 1 Racial HD and 7 LA with a decent roll of energy drain spell (cross your fingers). You are allowed to exchange 1 RHD for a class level. Thus you are no longer bound by RHD.

But what class fits Mr. Magi?

 

[emoplato]

Technically, he could hire a spellcaster to cast energy drain (or a friendly undead) to drain the racial HD away so he would be lower level.
You would be left with 1 Racial HD and 7 LA with a decent roll of energy drain spell (cross your fingers). You are allowed to exchange 1 RHD for a class level. Thus you are no longer bound by RHD.

But what class fits Mr. Magi?

Yeah, but then he loses his abilities as an Ogre mage. It isn't that you are bound to racial hit die it is that with something like this high of a price one wants to get what you payed for.
Well that is the issue I mean yeah the guy has some awesome abilities but being large and stealth/charm spell-like abilities really don't mix. Apparently he has both fighter and sorcerer as favored classes, however the level adjustment and no actual spells sort of kicks sorcerer out the window.

 

[Dandu]

Forgive me, but where does it say the ogre mage's abilities are dependent on HD?

 

[Androrc]

You could start as an Ogre Mage at first level anyway by using the Savage Species Ogre Mage monster class progression.

 

[Gray Lensman]

I would just as soon accept the LA and begin play from there than take 12 levels of Ogre Mage to get all the benefits.

Another thought I had was that turning into smoke and running away from trouble doesn't really fit all that well with the Paladin class so straight Melee Fighter it is.

What would you think of dipping a level of rogue to get the Backstab to go along woth the invisibilty?

 

[emoplato]

Forgive me, but where does it say the ogre mage's abilities are dependent on HD?

Savage Species shows its progression and its starting characteristics. I mentioned the starting ones the first time I posted on this topic.

 

[emoplato]

I would just as soon accept the LA and begin play from there than take 12 levels of Ogre Mage to get all the benefits.

Another thought I had was that turning into smoke and running away from trouble doesn't really fit all that well with the Paladin class so straight Melee Fighter it is.

What would you think of dipping a level of rogue to get the Backstab to go along woth the invisibilty?

You could, but you would better of with a pixie with only 1 HD and Level 4 adjustment. It has the same thing(natural invisibility actually) plus better flight speed, many of the same abilities+illusions. You can make one heck of good ranged character. I guess you also could go swordsage, weapons finesse, shadow blade route as well.