Best opening move...

[jgsugden]

So far, my favorite was a high level half-orc barbarian 4 / rogue 11 with an oversized spike chain and great cleave. He snuck into a barracks where 30 guards were asleep, raged, power attacked for everything (as the guards were without their armor), took advantage of the sneak attack damage - 27 dead 8th level fighter types in 1 round (you have to love triple layer bunk beds). For a second I thought I'd get all of them, but that stupid 1 likes to show up just when you think it won't ...

Now, if I were the DM, I would never allow that many attacks in a single round, but the DM realized I could have slit each of their throats with no difficulty, so we were just saving time ...

 

[rowport]

Yes, where?

It sounds like Leap Attack, from CV, or Flying Kick, from OA.

In our old Epic game (all 4 sessions of it), my half-dragon anthro-tyrannosaur monk was fond of using Flying Kick and Sandals of the Tiger's Leap on a Dire Charge to unleash one heck of a flurry of blows. The first hit, I think, was somewhere around 200+ damage. The rest were smaller, but still quite impressive.

Brad

Whoops! Sorry, guys, you are right. I meant "Leap Attack" for CW, not "Leaping Charge". Flying Kick is a good idea, too- very similar approach. And, unlike me, it sounds like Brad actually *used* the tactic in-game!

 

[Bastoche]

So far, my favorite was a high level half-orc barbarian 4 / rogue 11 with an oversized spike chain and great cleave. He snuck into a barracks where 30 guards were asleep, raged, power attacked for everything (as the guards were without their armor), took advantage of the sneak attack damage - 27 dead 8th level fighter types in 1 round (you have to love triple layer bunk beds). For a second I thought I'd get all of them, but that stupid 1 likes to show up just when you think it won't ...

Now, if I were the DM, I would never allow that many attacks in a single round, but the DM realized I could have slit each of their throats with no difficulty, so we were just saving time ...

And having loads of fun!!!!!!!! I like the image it generates in my mind. Never where a fan of spike chain though...

 

[Bastoche]

in our campaing, at some point the DM gave each player a solo adventure. In my solo adventure (ftr3 rogue 6 dual daggers) the clever DM chose to have a barbarian as a foe (uncanny dodge). I just gained improved feint. I managed to challenge him to a duel at some point.

Strategy: combat expertise + fight defensively -> +8 AC -9 to hit. Barbarian without armor (he had a +2 natural armor bonus from a magic item and a bit of dex). I had a +1 mithril shirt, 19 dex (+4) and the +8 from the defensive. Feint each round. He never ever hit me. I could hit with about 12 or 13 on the d20 and he needed a 20.

He escaped and lauched his lackey at me before I could finish him off.

 

[Kilroy]

No-Save spells are nifty. Use a Spell Storing weapon if you aren't a caster.

Lastai's Caress
Ray of Enfeeblement
Lahm's Finger Darts

Metamagic the heck out of the last two.

Opening up with Assay Resistance and a Maximized Lahm's Finger Darts can drop anything vulnerable to stat damage, no hit roll, no save.

 

[Evilhalfling]

My melee priest just loved - Quickened divine favor, charge, powerattack +5
with a 2nd round there was a divine power, Q DF, then Quicken truestrike (time domain), Charge, PA full. 1d8+37 x4 crit. whee. At 11th lvl.

 

[Felnar]

how about a perfectly worded Wish?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

As others have pointed out, the perfect opening move varies depending upon the opening in question. But, here's a nifty combo:

Charge. Use your jump skill and the Leap Attack feat to make your power attack x3 damage (with a two handed weapon). Rage right before you attack. Declare full Power Attack. Use the Shock Trooper's Heedless Charge ability to take all of the penalty to your AC rather than to your attack bonus. Then sunder the opponent's weapon (Improved Sunder), and cleave through into the opponent (the Combat Brute feat's sundering cleave ability), and if possible, great cleave into a nearby foe. Declare the survivor of the attack (or a nearby melee foe) as your Dodge target and use the Elusive Target feat to negate any damage bonusses he might gain from Power Attack. (Since your AC is in the toilet, doing so will save your life). In the next round, you can then power attack that second foe with 3/1 Power Attack thanks to the Advancing Blows ability of Combat Brute.

Ways to get more out of it:
1. Charge through a nearby enemy's threatened square, hope he misses (you do have mobility and haven't declared your Power Attack or raged yet), then, when he does miss, make a free trip attack on him thanks to Elusive Target's cause overreach ability.

2. If you're doing this, you're obviously not a battle cleric because you need nearly every feat available to a 16th level single classed fighte to pull this off, but if you somehow came by the ability, cast a quickened brambles on your greatclub (that you've already cast spikes upon) first.

For style, a quickened magic missile (to check for spell turning) followed by a finger of death works nicely.

And, for mage power, if you've an Incantatrix in your party readying an action to apply the Twin spell metamagic to your spell, you can cast a sudden empowered, and sudden maximized cone of cold and then watch it get twinned. Ugly.

 

[Jhulae]

e2 to e4.

 

[green slime]

e2 to e4.

Hooray! My own thoughts exactly!