Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Persiflage" data-source="post: 5289973" data-attributes="member: 73597">Hiya folks,I'm shortly to begin a new campaign, run by a novice DM.  She's a very long-established member of my main gaming group who wants a crack at running a game so I'll be taking on the mantle of player.I'm having some thoughts of breaking completely with my usual habits and playing a character who's neither a full caster nor a ranged specialist... that's right, I'm actually going to run a melee PC for the first time since 3.5 was released.From the few hints I've had about the forthcoming campaign, access to things like spellbooks and magic items is going to be, at best, sporadic.  We're starting at 3rd level in - and I quote - "the middle of nowhere".Hmph.As several people have noticed, we're not a gaming group scared of a slightly increased power level over the core game.  In fact, I think it would be more accurate to say that we're a group of slavering cheesehounds: we're all playing the same game the same way so it works for us and we love it.However, I now find myself in unfamiliar territory; to whit, attempting to create a walking, talking slab of finest Stilton that inflicts damage on all and sundry by the use of undignified fisticuffs instead of the ritual-humiliation-by-battlefield-control that has been my staple for such a long time.I may well have to create a second character to make up the numbers, but if I do I'll holler on a separate thread.  For now, I'll concentrate on creating this melee build, and believe me when I say that the temptation to just "be a cleric" is strong enough that I might not be able to resist without help  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Due to the aforementioned lack of ready access to items, I want to build a pretty self-contained character.  Inspired by other threads here, I've been thinking about creating a shapeshifting melee brute: right now, I have some vague ideas about a wildshape-based Changeling (for the early shapechanger subtype) Druid (or Wildshape Ranger)/Warshaper/Nature's Warrior/Master of Many Forms type combo.  Does that sound viable?  Has anyone here actually played this?Important House Rules:One Feat Every Level:  This is in addition to any bonus feats granted by class or raceEarly Qualification:  No, I'm not talking about the Precocious Apprentice feat.  The rule is, you can apply the acquisition of skill points, feats, BAB and other functions of levelling-up (but not spellcasting) in any order you like in order to qualify for a PrC at level-up, provided both your old class and your new class would allow you to meet the prerequisites.In other words, we've deliberately and with malice aforethought broken this rule from the section on Prestige Classes:We've said "nuts to that".  Demonstrating by example, if you want to enter a PrC that has "10 ranks in Spellcraft" as a prerequisite, you can get in at 7th level by applying an increase in skill points first, provided one of your previous classes and the prestige class itself grant you access to the Spellcraft skill and enough skill points to bridge the gap.  Same applies to feats: if you're missing all but one, you can choose the feat at the same level as you enter the class.  Likewise, if the entry requirement is "BAB +5", your current BAB is +4, your previous class would have gotten you to +5 this level and the PrC gives you +1 BAB at 1st level, you can use that +1 to qualify for the class that requires it.Damn, I hope that made more sense than I think it did  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" />Naturally, I want the build to be playable and useful through every level.  We're unlikely ever to see any territory north of 13th level or so, so I need to absolutely maximise my combat schtick throughout the 11-ish levels I actually expect to play at.Any and all positive ideas welcome: can anyone here help?  Pretty please?Thanks in advance!  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" /></blockquote>

Verification