D&D 3E/3.5 known-abusable 3.5 combos/techniques/etc.

[PallidPatience]

Personally, I would never allow a character to use any means to cast a spell at any level that he doesn't have access to, and I don't see any allowance in Divine Metamagic or the Naenhoon ability to allow that. The exception to this, of course, would be the use of spell-trigger/spell-completion magic items, but that's a bit different than this.

Also, neither of those abilities allows you to PREPARE spells as though they were of a higher level; you can only cast them as though they HAD been prepared with the metamagic feats. I would also argue that, if I were to allow the use of Divine Metamagic/naenhoon to metamagic spells to a higher level than the caster could use (which is tantamount to giving a first-level fighter any feat chains he wants just for playing the game, IMHO), the caster is not really casting a higher level spell, but instead casting a spell as though it WAS a higher-level spell. They seem similar, but they're not the same.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Personally, I would never allow a character to use any means to cast a spell at any level that he doesn't have access to,

Well, that is very good for you. Fortunately, that is what this post is about and what the OP asked for. Abuseable combos. So here is another that you, and perhaps the original poster should not allow.

and I don't see any allowance in Divine Metamagic or the Naenhoon ability to allow that.

I already demonstrated how the feat combination allows it.

Also, neither of those abilities allows you to PREPARE spells as though they were of a higher level; you can only cast them as though they HAD been prepared with the metamagic feats.

Fortunately, the Extra Slot feat doesn't care how you PREPARE spells, or what slots you PREPARE them in. It only cares if you are able to CAST spells of a given level. I suspect this is because they didn't want the feat limited to classes that have to prepare spells (such as a Wizard or Cleric). They wanted Sorcerers and Bards and such to have the option of taking it as well.

Extra Slot
Benefit: You gain one extra spell slot in your daily allotment, at any level up to one lower than the highest level of spell you can currently cast.

I would also argue that, if I were to allow the use of Divine Metamagic/naenhoon to metamagic spells to a higher level than the caster could use (which is tantamount to giving a first-level fighter any feat chains he wants just for playing the game, IMHO), the caster is not really casting a higher level spell, but instead casting a spell as though it WAS a higher-level spell. They seem similar, but they're not the same.

Well, according to the Heighten Spell feat he really is casting a higher level spell.

A heightened spell has a higher spell level than normal (up to a maximum of 9th level). Unlike other metamagic feats, Heighten Spell actually increases the effective level of the spell that it modifies. All effects dependent on spell level (such as saving throw DCs and ability to penetrate a lesser globe of invulnerability) are calculated according to the heightened level. The heightened spell is as difficult to prepare and cast as a spell of it's effective level. For example, a cleric could prepare hold person as a 4th-level spell (instead of a 2nd-level spell), and it would in all ways be treated as a 4th-level spell.

But you can certainly house rule it that it doesn't work that way.

 

[Kisanji Arael]

The Artificer is extremely abusable. Type in "Omnificer" in Google for the trick. If I recall, it allows him to get a +infinite bonus on knowledge checks.

 

[RigaMortus2]

Oh yeah, how could we also forget the Cheater of Mystara.

 

[two]

Core combo, one feat, matchless damage and versatility

This one is ultra-core.

Imagine this.

You just hit level 20 as a class (or multiclassed) character with semi- or no spellcasting.

You get to pick a feat. Great. Pick away.

The feat?

Leadership.

The cohort?

Cleric 15+ (depending on leadership score, although obviously at level 20 most characters can figure out how to get a leadership score high enough to qualify for a nice high cohort).

Think about that for a second.

One feat gives you the spellcasting power of a Cleric 15+, (your cohort, after all, is essentially dedicated to your character), as well as "doubling" your characters actions in a given round, plus of course increasing your offensive and defensive capabilities hugely.

It is really such a grossly huge advantage, it's often "The Purloined Letter" option of power gaming. Right there, but... somehow... not that often chosen. Overlooked in plain sight.

Obviously for a spellcasting PC, it might be extremely advantageous to have a dedicated high-spot high-listen high-defense character a few levels below your own... fighting on your behalf, stepping up to take grapples meant for you, etc. etc.

Doubling your spellcasting power is also nice (pick another spellcasting cohort).

Really, you just can't go wrong.

 

[Jack Simth]

This one is ultra-core.

Imagine this.

You just hit level 20 as a class (or multiclassed) character with semi- or no spellcasting.

You get to pick a feat. Great. Pick away.

The feat?

Leadership.

The cohort?

Cleric 15+ (depending on leadership score, although obviously at level 20 most characters can figure out how to get a leadership score high enough to qualify for a nice high cohort).

Think about that for a second.

One feat gives you the spellcasting power of a Cleric 15+, (your cohort, after all, is essentially dedicated to your character), as well as "doubling" your characters actions in a given round, plus of course increasing your offensive and defensive capabilities hugely.

It is really such a grossly huge advantage, it's often "The Purloined Letter" option of power gaming. Right there, but... somehow... not that often chosen. Overlooked in plain sight.

Obviously for a spellcasting PC, it might be extremely advantageous to have a dedicated high-spot high-listen high-defense character a few levels below your own... fighting on your behalf, stepping up to take grapples meant for you, etc. etc.

Doubling your spellcasting power is also nice (pick another spellcasting cohort).

Really, you just can't go wrong.

Personally, I, as a DM at my table, would require you cover all your cohort's equipment out of your share of the wealth - which means that, while you get a nifty helping you that can be really strong, that 25k for the cloak of Resistance +5 you wanted is instead used to purchase a cloak of resistance +3 for you and a cloak of resistance +4 for your cohort...... unless, of course, you want him failing saves vs. things like Dominate Person when he's RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. That 36k for the +6 Headband of intellect you were after may very well get used for a +4 Headband of Intellect for you and a +4 Peripat of Wisdom for your clerical cohort..... and so on. You'll suddenly have a lot more flexibility, but be gimped a might on equipment.

 

[Plot-Device]

Opening a DIF on someone and counting it as crushing damage. I'm not 100% sure if that works but we argued with our dm and ended up winning.

 

[Wonko the Sane]

Opening a DIF on someone and counting it as crushing damage. I'm not 100% sure if that works but we argued with our dm and ended up winning.

DIF = Daern's Instant Fortress? Reminiscent of the shrink item spell cast on dozens of anvils which then rain out of the sky upon some hapless opponent for beaucoup damage. My players and I have an understanding that if they don't use that spell for weaponry, neither will the bad guys.

 

[XCorvis]

Eventually I'm planning to come up with a minimalist set of house rules that would address these things (which I'll post under house rules), but for now I'm just trying to figure out what's out there to be addressed.

I'm curious as to how you plan to do this. It seems to me that the vast majority of abusable combos are simply poorly writen feats/spells/abilities that don't take other specific pre-existing feats/spells/abilities into consideration. For instance, you don't see a lot of badly broken combos that are just out of the core books - they're generally checked against each other. Something from a splat book is less rigourusly checked, so it's much easier to find a broken combo. My theory would be that the greater the "distance" from the core books, the more likely and easier it is to find a combo of rules that weren't written to take each other into consideration.

Have you formed any preliminary rules to handle it?

 

[two]

House Rules

Personally, I, as a DM at my table, would require you cover all your cohort's equipment out of your share of the wealth - which means that, while you get a nifty helping you that can be really strong, that 25k for the cloak of Resistance +5 you wanted is instead used to purchase a cloak of resistance +3 for you and a cloak of resistance +4 for your cohort...... unless, of course, you want him failing saves vs. things like Dominate Person when he's RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. That 36k for the +6 Headband of intellect you were after may very well get used for a +4 Headband of Intellect for you and a +4 Peripat of Wisdom for your clerical cohort..... and so on. You'll suddenly have a lot more flexibility, but be gimped a might on equipment.

You are, of course, free to implement whatever HOUSE RULES you wish.

It's not really the point of the thread, however.

By the most core of core rules, you get a cohort of level determined by your leadership score complete with cohort equipment equal to what the core rules state.

A PC taking leadership at 20th level is not suddenly made poorer in retrograde to cover a cohort's equipment costs (when the cohort shows up). Not only is that a house rule (as noted), it's well -- completely silly.