D&D 3E/3.5 [3.5e] What's the most broken character under the new rules?

[Saeviomagy]

Anyways that kind of spellcaster stacking isn't prohibited in the written rules (I think), so I don't see a problem with it for the purposes of this contest. The Ur-Priest gets +1 extra caster level for every 2 caster levels of other classes you have, giving it 1.5 levels every MT level and yes, its broken.

You could already use ur-priest to get 9th level spells at level 14 (iirc).

Add that to the ability to trap a djinn and steal it's "wish X per day" power, and it's just a flat-out broken PrC all on it's lonesome.

 

[Nareau]

Human Druid9/Ftr1
...wildshape into a dire ape and cast animal growth and cat's grace on yourself.

Actually, look at PHB p227: Enlarge Person. "Multiple magical effects that increase size do not stack". Since wildshape is magical, and animal growth is magical, this trick won't work. Which isn't to say that this tactic won't work...it'll just be a bit less nasty.

At this point, I'm thinking of a Human Rog3/Sor1/Rng6

Str 15 +1 (4th)
Dex 16
Con 10
Int 10
Wis 11 +1 (8th)
Cha 8

1st Dodge
1st Combat Expertise
3rd Improved Trip
6th Combat Reflexes
9th EWP: Spiked Chain

Follow the 2-weapon style as a Ranger
Magic Fang, Endure Elements as your Rang spells
Wolf animal companion (with the +2HD, +2Nat AC, etc. for being a 6th level Ranger; and unless I'm reading this wrong, your 4HD wolf is now Large, and therefore even cooler)
Enlarge Person, Mage Armor as your Sorc spells
Snake familiar (+3 bluff checks, later useful for feinting)

Arm yourself with a Med Spiked Chain, Small Spiked Chain, and a Kukri. When you're medium-size, attack with a Small SC (a 1-handed weapon for you, but at a -2 penalty), and the Kukri. Make sure your wolf flanks your enemies. You'll have:

+8/+3 BAB +3/+3 Str=+11/+6
+7/+2 Sm Chain, +9/+6 Kukri. Damage is 1d6+3+2d6/1d6+3+2d6, 1d4+1+2d6/1d4+1+2d6.

If you have a couple of rounds to prepare, cast Enlarge Person on yourself, Magic Fang on your wolf. Pull out your other Small SC, and go to town:
You're Large, so your natural reach is 10'. But those 2 spiked chains mean it's now 20'. The small one is now a light weapon (-4 to hit), the med one is a 1-handed weapon (-2).
Now you're at:
+8/+3 BAB +4/+4 Str -1/-1 Size=+11/+6
+5/+0 Med Chain, +5/+2 Sm Chain. 2d6+4+2d6/2d6+4+2d6, 1d6+2+2d6/1d6+2+2d6.
14d6+12 each round, assuming you hit all the time (granted, not particularly likely at those bonuses...)

And this doesn't even consider: That you're tripping your opponent (and then hitting them at +4), your wolf is tripping them (and damaging them), you're getting a +2 to hit them from your wolf's flanking, the +4 and +2 damage against your Favored Enemies, the fancy equipment you've got, or all the AoO's (4 if you're med, 3 if you're large) you're taking as they try to stand up or get away from you.

While I don't think this reaches the realm of true smack-down goodness, I think it could be a really fun character to play. He'd be versatile, mobile, and relatively self-sufficient.

Spider

 

[youspoonybard]

While you're probably right about the whole "multiple casting" think, I always thought of Polymorph/Wild Shape not increasing but changing your size.

After all, you could Animal Growth yourself if you turned into a small animal, right? (If you were medium to start off with). Nothing against the rules there.

In the spells that do change your size, they all have that disclaimer. I read it as, "All spells with this disclaimer do not stack".

 

[Nareau]

Well, in my book, "changing your size to larger" == "increasing your size". There are more ways to increase your size in 3.5 (enlarge person, type change to animal with pmorph effects) than there were in 3.0. I think the good way to balance this is to be pretty strict about letting people stack these effects.

At any rate, I don't see any problem with wildshaping into a wolf (medium-size), then Animal Growthing yourself up to Large Size.

Spider

 

[Sollir Furryfoot]

You could already use ur-priest to get 9th level spells at level 14 (iirc).

Add that to the ability to trap a djinn and steal it's "wish X per day" power, and it's just a flat-out broken PrC all on it's lonesome.

9th level spells, at 12 caster level however, which is really really sucky against SRs, at caster levels 11 and 9, even lower vs. SRs, but it scales higher. And, depending on your DM, Wish X/day could be a curse

 

[Cyberzombie]

At this point, I'm thinking of a Human Rog3/Sor1/Rng6

Str 15 +1 (4th)
Dex 16
Con 10
Int 10
Wis 11 +1 (8th)
Cha 8

I think you switched your Wis and Cha scores, 'cause your character, as designed, can't cast Sorcerer spells. You need at least a Cha of 11.

 

[Pielorinho]

Well, in my book, "changing your size to larger" == "increasing your size". There are more ways to increase your size in 3.5 (enlarge person, type change to animal with pmorph effects) than there were in 3.0. I think the good way to balance this is to be pretty strict about letting people stack these effects.

At any rate, I don't see any problem with wildshaping into a wolf (medium-size), then Animal Growthing yourself up to Large Size.

Spider

While I'm fine with this ruling, I don't agree with it: polymorph gives you a new shape (and size), which I think would become the new baseline for any attempts to change your size. I'm sure this will be clarified at some point. At any rate, given that I think the type change of these spells is an awful idea, I'm not too worried about it: remove the type-change to animal, and the cheese goes away.

Although there'd be no problem with wildshaping into a wolf and then animal growthing up to large size, there'd also be no reason at all to do this. By the time you're able to cast animal growth, you're able to turn into a dire wolf.

Daniel

 

[The Souljourner]

There's a big difference between changing your shape and changing your size. Righteous Might changes your size, enlarge person changes your size - both give size bonuses to attributes. Polymorph changes your shape - whether or not you were the same size as the thing you change into is irrelevant - it gives no size bonuses to attributes, it just makes you into x. Thus, you can cast enlarge person on a halfing polymorphed into a human, and you can cast enlarge animal on a human druid polymorphed into a large black bear.

If the spell doesn't say "your size changes by x amount" or give a size bonus to some attribute, then it doesn't "change your size" for the purposes of spell stacking.

Otherwise, a human turning into a medium sized wolf would be able to be enlarged, but a halfling doing the same thing would not, and that's just silly.

-The Souljourner

 

[youspoonybard]

I think Animal Growth is supposed to be the Druid's version of Righteous Might, same level, mainly the same increase. Once again, the Druid has more restrictions, but makes up for that with a longer duration, and more targets.

If you take away the type change, that's a pretty significant change, I feel. Thus, making polymorph/wild shape's size change equivalent to a size growth, you're denying Druids that. Granted, the type change does open the awaken can of worms.

And why can't you turn into a Dire Wolf, then growth yourself? Works for me.

Actually, I like the new HD=level restriction. It opens up different animals to turn into each level, and lets you get the dire animals generally faster.

 

[LokiDR]

Duid 10, leadership, sorcerer cohort (lvl 8) sorcerer balefull pmorphs himself, druid awakens, sorcer dispels himself. Repeat untill out of spare XP. 3d6 int is not much of loss for the sorcerer, but the stackable charisma is a great boost. With all those animal HD, the sorcerer should have great HP and BAB then he just has to change into something nasty and beat people up. Or, with all the charisma, he could beat the everloving snot out of anying with amazing spell save DCs and bonus spells. That works under the rules as published.