Give Me Your Broken BO9S Characters!

[GoodKingJayIII]

Hi! i just bought the book a few days ago and I love it. But I'm trying to figure out why it's considered so broken in many respects. At first glance I considered a lot of this stuff (while very different from standard rules) pretty in line with core rules.

So I'm curious: show me your broken builds. Parse them out, explain them. Tell me what makes them absolutely devestating. I'm eager to learn. Please teach and impart to this young and ambitious padawan! I figure if I can spot this stuff, I can potentially address it more quickly.

 

[Geoff Watson]

The main source of brokenness is the interpretation of 'ally', mainly with regard to White Raven maneuvers.

Some people think you can use the 'help ally' maneuvers on yourself, when only some of them include yourself. Eg: Lion's Roar targets "You and allied creatures", while Order Forged From Chaos targets "Allied creatures".

Within BO9S, you are not your ally.

Geoff.

 

[Aus_Snow]

You might have more luck in the Rules forum, or even General. Just sayin'.

 

[Nifft]

... or even the forum ending with "Rogues!", since you're asking for characters.

C, -- N

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

Yeah I sort of wondered if this would be better in another forum... wasn't sure honestly. I'll try reposting there. Thanks folks.

 

[GoodKingJayIII]

BO9S Question and Request

This is actually reposted from the d20 Forums for better exposure. It might actually belong in the Rogues gallery, but I had a general question at the bottom I hoped people would address as well.

Well, I just bought ToB a few days ago and I love it. But I'm trying to figure out why it's considered so broken in many respects. At first glance I didn't find anything too nasty, but I'm generally comparing the book to Core and just do not have a roladex-like brain to recall various feats and abilities from the dozens of combinations out there.

So I'm curious: show me your broken builds. Parse them out, explain them. Tell me what makes them absolutely devestating. I'm eager to learn. Please teach and impart to this young and ambitious padawan! I figure if I can spot this stuff, I can potentially address it more quickly.

Also, a general question. Maneuvers seem to have levels, a lot like spells. But I can't for the life of me figure out when each of the classes receives the next maneuver level. I've looked at the various classes, read the Blade Magic Chapter, and checked every other place in the book I thought I might find the text. I just can't find a definitive answer anywhere in the text. Anyone have a page number, or at least a chapter, where I can find that information? Thanks.

 

[Dracomeander]

Also, a general question. Maneuvers seem to have levels, a lot like spells. But I can't for the life of me figure out when each of the classes receives the next maneuver level. I've looked at the various classes, read the Blade Magic Chapter, and checked every other place in the book I thought I might find the text. I just can't find a definitive answer anywhere in the text. Anyone have a page number, or at least a chapter, where I can find that information? Thanks.

Page 39, the section on Initiator Level explains how to calculate a character's initiator level and what the highest level maneuver available to a character should be.

As for brokenness, I don't think anything is truly broken. Most martial adepts are going to be slightly more effective than their core warrior build equivalents, but not so farr as to be completely broken. The one maneuver that gets the most attention is White Raven Tactics, but from my reading of it, it really can't be chained the way folks who fear its abuse feel it can.

 

[hong]

One thing that can blindside people is that strikes amp up standard actions, compared to full attacks. Now you don't need to stand there and hit 3-4 times to do 100 points of damage; you can do it with a single attack.

 

[Nifft]

So I'm curious: show me your broken builds. Parse them out, explain them. Tell me what makes them absolutely devestating.

Warblade 1 / Cleric 19 (Strength & Destruction) -- the devastating part is the Cleric 19, but he has better HP and a reasonable skill list. Similar to Barbarian 1 / Cleric 19.

Swordsage 2 / Cleric 18 (Trickery & Travel) -- the devastating part is the Cleric 18, but he gets his Wis to AC in light armor, too!

Cheers, -- N

 

[Nifft]

But seriously... this is where "broken" builds, and builds in general, are most often born: http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=683941

Cheers, -- N