Little Powergaming Rules That Slip By

[airwalkrr]

This thread is devoted to those little powergaming tricks that can be used to gain that extra edge. Some of my favorites:

A rogue with one level of wizard (evoker) and practiced spellcaster so he can get four ranged touch sneak attacks against flat-footed opponents via ray of frost and three melee touch sneak attacks with shocking grasp.

A heirophant level to make touch range spells range 30 and then using chain spell to create your own mass effects (i.e. mass harm). Works great with DMM.

That inconsequential level of barbarian plus extra rage to give your fighter a little more oompf whenever he needs it.

Quickened true strike + spin fate + sudden maximize + disintegrate to teach those BBEGs a lesson.

Sudden maximize + time stop + 5 delayed blast fireballs (accomplishes pretty much the same thing as the previous). Even better with rods of maximize and empower.

Leap Attack + Shock Trooper (heedless charge) + total Power Attack + Frenzied Berzerker's supreme power attack to get your damage into quadruple digits and hit 95% of the time.

Shifter + War Shaper + Weretouched Master.

 

[Huw]

A rogue with one level of wizard (evoker) and practiced spellcaster so he can get four ranged touch sneak attacks against flat-footed opponents via ray of frost and three melee touch sneak attacks with shocking grasp.

Sounds fair. You don't even need practiced spellcaster.

That inconsequential level of barbarian plus extra rage to give your fighter a little more oompf whenever he needs it.

Also fair. But I'd never call a barbarian "inconsequential" to his face.

Quickened true strike + spin fate + sudden maximize + disintegrate to teach those BBEGs a lesson.

Leap Attack + Shock Trooper (heedless charge) + total Power Attack + Frenzied Berzerker's supreme power attack to get your damage into quadruple digits and hit 95% of the time.

Since when have the Fatespinner or Frenzied Berserker been considered "little tricks"? More like "open statement of intention".

Nice list. I can't think of anything to add at the moment. Need more coffee for brain to work...

 

[shilsen]

Your definition amuses me

Maybe I'm pedantic, but I wouldn't call a strategy that involves one 9th lvl and five 7th lvl spells:

Sudden maximize + time stop + 5 delayed blast fireballs (accomplishes pretty much the same thing as the previous). Even better with rods of maximize and empower.

or four feats and all ten levels of Frenzied Berserker:

Leap Attack + Shock Trooper (heedless charge) + total Power Attack + Frenzied Berzerker's supreme power attack to get your damage into quadruple digits and hit 95% of the time.

or two prestige classes, one of which has been heavily errataed:

Shifter + War Shaper + Weretouched Master.

a little trick.

 

[Li Shenron]

Can you explain the first and the second?

A rogue with one level of wizard (evoker) and practiced spellcaster so he can get four ranged touch sneak attacks against flat-footed opponents via ray of frost and three melee touch sneak attacks with shocking grasp.

Four ranged attacks, three melee attacks... how exactly? Don't you still need a standard action to cast?

A heirophant level to make touch range spells range 30 and then using chain spell to create your own mass effects (i.e. mass harm). Works great with DMM.

I think Chain Spell doesn't work at all with touch or range touch spells.

 

[shilsen]

Can you explain the first and the second?

Four ranged attacks, three melee attacks... how exactly? Don't you still need a standard action to cast?

I think airwalkrr meant that's the total number that he can cast in a day, since a 1st lvl wizard with at least 12 Int and specialization would have 4 cantrips and 3 1st-lvl spells.

 

[dagger]

CHARGING
Knockback (RoS), Shock Trooper (CW) and Improved Trip (PHB)
Optional: Three Mountains style, Elusive Target, Karmic Strike, Battle Jump
Each time you hit someone, you get a free bull rush, you can steer them into an ally and get 2 free trips which result in a further 2 free attacks.
Three Mountains style is likely to make then waste there entire next turn standing up.
Elusive Target helps to avoid the potential backlash if you opponent has power attack from the massive AC loss. Karmic Strike also helps with this.

Shock Trooper (CW) and Leap Attack (CAdv)
Optional: Elusive Target, Karmic Strike, Battle Jump
Massive damage on a charge without a to hit penalty. Elusive Target and Karmic Strike help deal with the repercussions of the resulting low AC.

Shock Trooper (CW), Knockback (RoS) and Rampaging Bull Rush (RoS)
Optional: Combat Brute, Leap Attack, Karmic Strike, Battle Jump
This effectively allows the charger to effectively setup his Heedless Charges every round.

Shock Trooper (CW), Power Lunge (S&F) and Karmic Strike(CW)
Provoke an attack of opportunity on a charge but deal insane damage twice.
NOTE: Power Lunch is a 3.0 feat.

ATTACKS OF OPPORTUNITY
Karmic Strike (CW) and Double Hit (MiniHB)
Optional: Deft Opportunist, Double Hit
They hit you, you hit them back twice. Works best for a Monk.

Hold the Line, Karmic Strike and Sidestep Charge
Optional: Deft Opportunist, Double Hit
If they charge you, you get 2 AoO, if your opponent hits you or if he misses.

Elusive Target (CW) and Defensive Throw (CW)
Optional: Opportunist rogue class feature
Use Diverting Defence to activate Defensive Throw. With the Opportunist feature you can also get another attack if the Diverted attack hits.

Karmic Strike (CW) and Arcane Strike (CW)
Optional: Double Hit
Allows for full use of the extra hit and damage by granting you more attacks.

DEFENSIVE
Karmic Strike (CW) and Sidestep (MiniHB)
Optional: Elusive Target, Deft Opportunist
Great for stopping a full attack action.

Karmic Strike (CW) and Improved Disarm/Sunder (PHB)
As near as you'll get to a Parry effect. It's possibly that the AoO from Karmic strike resolves before the damage from the attack so you may be able to stop the attack entirely, although this is open to individual interpretations of the rules.

Dive for Cover (CV) and Kip Up (CW)
Reroll all reflex saves.

OTHER
Flick of the Wrist (CW), Hamstring (CW) and Spring Attack (PHB)
Stop your foe from catching up with you.

Eagle Claw Attack (CW) and Combat Brute (CW)
Does great Sundering Cleave damage.

Improved Trip, Shock Trooper, Combat Brute and Improved Sunder
Trip, sunder and hit, all in one attack.

Improved Disarm and Improved Unarmed strike
For stealing weapons.

Two-weapons Fighting and Improved Unarmed strike
Fight with a 2 handed weapon and a kick as a off-hand weapon

High Sword Low Axe (CW) and Double Hit (MiniHB)
Every time you make an AoO, you get a free off-hand attack. If both attacks hit, you get a free trip attempt. If your trip succeeds, you get a free attack against your (now prone) foe.
The Knockdown feat (S&F) works better than High Sword Low Axe but it's a 3.0 feat.

Anvil of Thunder (CW) and Double Hit (MiniHB)
Potential daze effect every time you use an AoO.[/QUOTE]

 

[Plane Sailing]

A rogue with one level of wizard (evoker) and practiced spellcaster so he can get four ranged touch sneak attacks against flat-footed opponents via ray of frost and three melee touch sneak attacks with shocking grasp.

Why not just take 1 level of sorcerer and get even more rays of frost and shocking grasps?

A personal favourite would be reach weapon + unarmed strike (either from monk level or feat) to enable you to threaten at reach and also close up without having to use a spiked chain. Particularly good for closing nose to nose with an archer or wizard and preventing them from just taking a 5ft step back and firing, since they are still in your threatened area.

Best low level anti-army spell? Pyrotechnics. Will ST or blind 2-5 rounds in 120ft radius. Thats a surprisingly large number of cavalry horses, and it breaks up a charge beautifully if readied correctly...

 

[XCorvis]

When you are balancing you are considered flat-footed, and are thus vulnerable to sneak attack. Unless you have 5 ranks in balance, that is, and who ever takes balance? Rogue + scroll of grease = trouble.

 

[Benimoto]

A personal favourite would be reach weapon + unarmed strike (either from monk level or feat) to enable you to threaten at reach and also close up without having to use a spiked chain. Particularly good for closing nose to nose with an archer or wizard and preventing them from just taking a 5ft step back and firing, since they are still in your threatened area.

Reach weapon + armor spikes can arguably do the same thing, except without the cost of a feat.

 

[jcfiala]

Why not just take 1 level of sorcerer and get even more rays of frost and shocking grasps?

Not a bad idea if you have the Charisma for it. Depending on the Rogue build, they may not have a Charisma over 10, but they're likely to have an Int over 10 for the skill points. But if they have the CHA, that's a good idea.