Converting monsters from Second Edition Monstrous Compendiums

[Cleon]

Excellent! Updated.

Fancy anything in particular for the sample?

Blackguard with a level or two in Ranger?

 

[freyar]

Sure, if we put 6 levels in ranger including some cross-class skills into Know (religion), that can qualify it for blackguard. Feats will be determined by blackguard prereqs. What race? Just human?

 

[Cleon]

Sure, if we put 6 levels in ranger including some cross-class skills into Know (religion), that can qualify it for blackguard. Feats will be determined by blackguard prereqs. What race? Just human?

I'd make him an ex-Paladin Blackguard for the "extra cheesiness". Stat him as a Ranger 2/Paladin 7 who's fallen to become a Ranger 2/Blackguard 7.

 

[freyar]

If I understand the rules correctly, an ex-Paladin can only exchange Paladin levels to Blackguard levels if he/she starts with more than 10 levels of Paladin. So it would be something like Ranger 2/Paladin 7/Blackguard X. That sound about right?

 

[Cleon]

If I understand the rules correctly, an ex-Paladin can only exchange Paladin levels to Blackguard levels if he/she starts with more than 10 levels of Paladin. So it would be something like Ranger 2/Paladin 7/Blackguard X. That sound about right?

Oh right, in that case we'd want him to be a paladin of 11+ level.

Say, a Ranger 2/Paladin 11 who becomes either a Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 1/Blackguard 10 (which gives it an extra smite good) or a Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8 (if we want it to have lay on hands).

That's higher level than we were originally aiming for, but this is someone who takes on dragons, after all.

Alternatively, if we still want to keep the slayer at 9th level Ranger/Blackguard he'd be able to get all the prereqs as a human Ranger 4 (due to his Human Bonus Feat), making him a Ranger 4/Blackguard 5.

Ranger 4/Blackguard 5 is a good combination, since Blackguards special abilities drop off after 5th level (they just get extra sneak attacks and smite goods). Although the access to 4th level spells at Blackguard 7+ is nice.

 

[freyar]

The Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8 can't use lay on hands as an ex-paladin, right?

I'm open either to Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 1/Blackguard 10 or Ranger 4/Blackguard 5 (though doesn't it have to be Ranger 6 to put sufficient cross-class ranks into Know (religion)?).

Well, let me know what you think, and I'll try to find some time to write a stat block this weekend.

 

[Cleon]

The Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8 can't use lay on hands as an ex-paladin, right?

Yes they can, but only on themselves or their Fiendish buddy. Check out the Fallen Paladin level 3-4 ability in the Blackguard class:

Lay on hands. Once per day, the blackguard can use this supernatural ability to cure himself or his fiendish servant of damage equal to his Charisma bonus × his level.

I'm open either to Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 1/Blackguard 10 or Ranger 4/Blackguard 5 (though doesn't it have to be Ranger 6 to put sufficient cross-class ranks into Know (religion)?).

It needs only 2 ranks in Know (religion). You can get that at level 1 even as cross-class skills since your max cross-class skill ranks are half or (level+3).

Oh dang, I just noticed Blackguard has a +6 BAB prerequisite too, meaning Ranger 4/Blackguard 5 won't work. Looks like Ranger 6/Blackguard 3 is the minimum for a two-class Ranger/Blackguard build, although for different reasons than you cited.

Well, let me know what you think, and I'll try to find some time to write a stat block this weekend.

Better late than never. You can still write up a statblock a weekend, just not the one after the 1st of November of your last post.

I'm liking the Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8 option the most.

 

[freyar]

Oh, right, I'm not sure why I was getting confused about the cross-class ranks. Maybe I misread the prereq.

Well, it did take you nearly 2 weeks to respond to my post. So we are doing Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8, I guess. Does it matter how many of the Blackguard levels are from trading in ex-Paladin levels? Guess not. I'll try to get to that sometime before too long....

 

[Cleon]

Oh, right, I'm not sure why I was getting confused about the cross-class ranks. Maybe I misread the prereq.

Well, it did take you nearly 2 weeks to respond to my post.

It either took me that long to come up with such a finely crafted response or I hadn't noticed your post.

You pays your coppers and you makes your choice.

So we are doing Ranger 2/Ex-Paladin 3/Blackguard 8, I guess. Does it matter how many of the Blackguard levels are from trading in ex-Paladin levels? Guess not. I'll try to get to that sometime before too long....

Well, since it needed 11+ paladin levels to be able to trade any of them in, all its blackguard levels used to be paladin levels (as 3+8 = 11).

I guess it depends whether the "trading in" allows it to reassign its class skills, since the two classes have different skill lists:

Blackguards have Hide and Intimidate,
Paladins have Sense Motive,
Both Classes have Concentration, Craft, Diplomacy, Handle Animal, Heal, Knowledge (religion), Profession & Ride.

In either case, it's obviously more efficient to make the 1st level in Ranger, so you get the most skill points.

 

[freyar]

Can't believe I'm so far behind on these posts. Taking a vacation this week, too, and I'm not sure if that will speed me up or slow me down.

Anyway, I think I was forgetting about prereqs and thinking it could start blackguard after ranger 2/paladin 3, but clearly that's not right.

Anyway, as you suggest, the first 2 levels will be ranger, then I'll choose skills that are in both the paladin and blackguard skill lists just to avoid confusion. Anyway, I will work on that stat block but might try to catch up on other posts first, not sure.