Challenge: Making the worst 20th-level character

[Zithuan]

I think in order for this to be interesting, you'd have to disallow "hopeless" characters. i.e. Those with total stat modifiers of +0 or lower, and those who's highest stat is 13 or lower.

Also, it would be tempting to include requirements for following wealth by character level guidelines, but you'd just end up with Fighters with Rings of Wizardy, Metamagic Rods, and 50 spyglasses.

Though if flaws were allowed, Dragon 330 has some pretty brutal ones. (Nagging Cough: you begin play with mummy rot.)

 

[HeavyG]

20th level commoner, all ability scores at 3.

And spend all of his cash on cursed items.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

And spend all of his cash on cursed items.

No cursed items allowed but since he is a commoner his lord could tax him to death, and he would need to have something to tend to, so he could buy some land... He’d need tools for that too, and a house/keep for his family.

He might not end up with anything magical from the DMG if done right.

 

[Jdvn1]

And spend all of his cash on cursed items.

Nope, that violates rule number four.

EDIT: You beat me to it, BS! Then again, you missed that items are only from the PHB. He could buy a boat.

I wonder why no one has mentioned a Venerable character.

 

[Brother Shatterstone]

EDIT: You beat me to it, BS! Then again, you missed that items are only from the PHB. He could buy a boat.

Very true.

I guess the 20th level commoner should be age 90 or so.

 

[Jdvn1]

Very true.

I guess the 20th level commoner should be age 90 or so.

Why didn't I think of this earlier? You could make Noah and his Ark! A really old commoner who spends all of his money buying a huge boat, two of each animal on the planet, and feed for all of them (and rations for himself). He sits on his boat waiting for a flood. "It's coming... I know it is!"

 

[Victim]

A 20th level commoner still has +10 Bab. Multiclass with 1 level of each thing to remove any possible competency.

 

[Felnar]

using a PHB class (non-commoner) and not forcing the use of non-proficient, inappropriately-sized weapons...

Wurt the Worthless
Gnome, Evoker-Wizard 20 (UA Evoker variant)
LG small humanoid (gnome)
HitDice 20d4 -60 (20 hp)
Init: -4
Spd 20 ft.
AC: 7 (+1 size, -4 dex), touch 7, flat-footed 7
Base Atk/grapple: +10/+1
Attack: Unarmed +5 melee (1d2-5/20) *non-lethal
Full Attack: Unarmed +1/-4 melee (1d2 -5), Off-hand Unarmed -3 melee (1d2 -5) *non-lethal
SQ: Gnome Traits
Saves: Fort +3; Ref +2, Will +8
Abilities: Str 1, Dex 3, Con 5, Int 3, Wis 3, Cha 8
Skills: Swim 6 (11.5 ranks, -5 str)
Feats: Empower Spell, Enlarge Spell, Extend Spell, Heighten Spell, Maximize Spell, Quicken Spell, Silent Spell
Possessions: Peasant's Outfit (.5 lbs.), rest gambled away
Max Press: 7.5 lbs

UA evoker variant trades wizard bonus feats and familiar for meta-magic type abilities. But with 3 Int, Wurt cant cast any spells. (do you need 10+ Int to use wands?)

venerable age actually makes a character better (assuming all 3's starting stats, and as long as the -3 str/dex/con doesnt kill the character)

 

[HeavyG]

No cursed items allowed

Doh. Teach me to read too fast...

How about a unholy axiomatic sword for the CG farmer then ?

 

[Saeviomagy]

You need to have:
Are there 20 casting classes? Full casters I mean. Take one of each, and mental stats too low to cast any spells from them. Take one level of war hulk, gained with a scroll of enlarge person (so you suffer the negatives - 0 ranks in all mental skills, but none of the positives). Then spend all your points in mental skills.

Only thing is - you've got pretty good saves, and can use any spell-trigger magic item that doesn't need a spellcraft roll, so you're not TOTALLY useless.

Our feats will be mostly ones which require things that we could TEMPORARILY gain, but do not currently have. One-shot items of tensers transformation will let us get some EWPs (+1 bab needed). Power attack would be a good one, and so will expertise. That's pretty easily done, but we can STILL use spell trigger items like wands.

So, let's take vow of poverty in addition to all those feats that we can't use. Now we can't use any magic item except a potion.

There you go - bab 0, no items, no useful feats, no skills. You can be fed a potion, but that's about it.

Unfortunately your will saves are through the roof, and your fort save is pretty good too... I don't know how to fix that.