Maximum HP for 20th level?

[green slime]

Only 547??

A 20 th level Necromancer using a staff of Maximized Empowered Vampiric Touch against his 50 faithful 10th level bodyguards (assume fighters) would gain 60 (maximized Vampiric touch) * 50 (charges)*1.5(empowered) or 4500 hp... It would take 5 minutes to "charge up" and the effect would last for 55 minutes...

The good news is that this spell can still be used in conjunction with spectral hand... as Metamagic feats only affect the spell's slot and not it's level...

Give the Mage a decent Con for those levels, say 18 (base stat 12, +6 item)... and with maximum hp per level, so his total would be 4(Con)*20(levels) + 4(mage hp)*20(levels)+4500=4660...

Wait! He than casts a Maximized Tenser's Transformation on himself, and gains a further 120 hit points, +8 Strength, and +8 Dexterity and +10 to BAB, and +5 to Fort saves. 4780 hit points.

Thus feeling fairly secure he telports off to the market place to do the saturday shopping...

I love necromancers.

I'm sure something more could be added, a clerical "aid", some obscure item from a splat book, perhaps.

 

[Maudlin]

Re: Only 547??

A 20 th level Necromancer using a staff of Maximized Empowered Vampiric Touch against his 50 faithful 10th level bodyguards (assume fighters) would gain 60 (maximized Vampiric touch) * 50 (charges)*1.5(empowered) or 4500 hp... It would take 5 minutes to "charge up" and the effect would last for 55 minutes...

2 glitches, imho.

1) Empower only multiplies the base damage, not the maximized damage, so one of those would only net you 77 extra hp on avergage, for an 8th level equivalent spell.

2) Vampiric Touch doesn't stack with itself, so he'd merely be able to get refills, not a huge pool up front.

My entry for max hp would be the psion positive feedback loop thingy, where you could get infinite Con for 1 round, in theory.

 

[Andor of the Blade]

green slime:

I think that once he's cast Tensor's Transformation, he can't do anything but fight. So no teleporting to go shopping.

 

[SpikeyFreak]

Using just core rules and the class books what is the maximum number of HP a 20th level character can have not counting Magic Items.

The most I can come up with is 547 (587 while raging) for a
Dwarf Barbarian 6/Forsaker 10/Fighter 4.
At 20th level Constitution is 35 (39 while raging).

Permanent HPs? I can't think of any way to get it higher.

An empowered endurance can get you more than +5 enhancement to con though. Empower it twice and you can get up to +9. And IIRC a 20th level cleric casting it will make its duration 20 horus.

--Trying Spikey

 

[Maniac]

Put a level of sorcerer in there and get a toad. It'll cost you (10-4)=6 HP, but you'll gain 20 Hp from increased CON.

I tried this and all I could do was break even. Because the sorcerer has a bad Fort save it throws off when you can get the high toughness feats. I added some extra classes in the boost the save (Ranger, Fighter) more quickly but in the end I got the same number of HP.

An empowered endurance can get you more than +5 enhancement to con though. Empower it twice and you can get up to +9. And IIRC a 20th level cleric casting it will make its duration 20 horus.

Unfortunately, because of the Forsaker levels this character won't accept any magic cast upon him. However, if you could get a Wizard to cast wish 5 times to increas Con before becomming a Forsaker that would be +5 Con for a total of a permanent 40 con. So at +15 HP/level, base HP is 607 and raging is 647.

M.

 

[green slime]

Re: Re: Only 547??

2 glitches, imho.

1) Empower only multiplies the base damage, not the maximized damage, so one of those would only net you 77 extra hp on avergage, for an 8th level equivalent spell.

2) Vampiric Touch doesn't stack with itself, so he'd merely be able to get refills, not a huge pool up front.

My entry for max hp would be the psion positive feedback loop thingy, where you could get infinite Con for 1 round, in theory.

Uncertain as to the mixing of Empower and Maximize so I'll leave that well enough alone.

Where did you see that Vampiric touch doesn't stack with itself? Reference please.

Vampiric Touch from the SRD:
The character must succeed at a melee touch attack. The character's touch deals 1d6 points of damage per two caster levels (maximum 10d6). The character gains temporary hit points equal to the damage the character inflicts. However, the character can’t gain more than the subject’s current hit points +10, which is enough to kill the subject. The temporary hit points disappear 1 hour later.

Nowhere have I read that temporary hitpoints do not stack... Of course it would be logical to restrict the accumulation of temporary hitpoints by saying you can only gain from a particular source once during the duration of said source, but such is not the wording of the spell Vampiric Touch...or anywhere else that I have seen.

 

[Caliban]

Re: Re: Re: Only 547??

Nowhere have I read that temporary hitpoints do not stack... Of course it would be logical to restrict the accumulation of temporary hitpoints by saying you can only gain from a particular source once during the duration of said source, but such is not the wording of the spell Vampiric Touch...or anywhere else that I have seen.

He's probably referring to PHB, page 153, Stacking Magical Effects, and the Same effect more than once in different strengths seciton lower down.

 

[Maniac]

1) Empower only multiplies the base damage, not the maximized damage, so one of those would only net you 77 extra hp on avergage, for an 8th level equivalent spell.

This is true but since we are talking about Maximums here it is possible to get 90 extra HP and that is what I would consider. (Normally when Empower and Mazimize stack, you get the Max, 60 in this case plus half of what you roll, average of 17.5 in this case).

Where did you see that Vampiric touch doesn't stack with itself? Reference please.

Unfortunately on Page 25 of the D&D Faq it explicitly says that the effects do not stack. Here is the passage:

"In general any effect that allows you to gain temporary HP over time allows you to stack those points but only those points. For example, if you use the Vampirc Touch spell, the Temporary HP you gain from that particular casting of the spell stack. The don't stack with the temporary HP you gain from an Aid spell nor would the effects of two Vampiric Touch or Aid spells stack."

 

[MeanGenes]

According to the DMG, the maximum inherent bonus to any stat is +5. So the forsaker can only put 5 of those stat bonuses to con. Let me try something different:

Dwarf with 20 con, start lawful good align, switch to neutral good at 3rd level
Levels (max/avg HP at each level)
Level 1 paladin, feat toughness, 13/13 HP
level 2 monk 8/4.5
level 3 cleric, dwarf's toughness +6 HP, 14/10.5
level 4 barbarian 12/6.5
level 5 fighter, giant's toughness +9, 19/14.5
Level 6 fighter, dragon's toughness +12 taken twice, 34/29.5
rest fighter with dragon's toughness taken every other level as bonus feat
7 10/5.5
8 22/17.5
9 10/5.5 + 12 dragon toughness feat
10 22/17.5
11 10/5.5
12 22/17.5 + 12 DT
13 10/5.5
14 22/17.5
15 10/5.5 + 12 DT
16 22/17.5
17 10/5.5
18 22/17.5 +12 DT
19 10/5.5
20 22/17.5

Maximum HP = 362, avg = 287.5 (let's round up to 288).

Now let's add in con. 20 at first level + 5 stat increases + 5 inherent (tome) + 6 amulet of health + 4 raging = 40 con. A 40 con gives a con bonus of +15. 15 X 20 levels = 300 HP.

Max HP = 662, avg HP = 588.

Someone double check my math.

You can throw more stuff in there like aid (1d8) and bardic music (2d10) and potions of heroism, etc., but I'm too lazy to go through the various books to find all the +HP spells and equipment.

Can anyone beat 662?

 

[CRGreathouse]

Take the level of barbarian first, to move the average hit points up by one point; this also gives you the option of keeping your paladin abilities (Cha bonus to saves!).