Need help, 5th Lvl Character for Underdark

[Thurbane]

Underfolk Ranger? Ranger makes a decent Assassin, though you'll have to spend a few cross-class ranks.

Underfolk (RoD) are great for the Underdark: darkvision 60-ft, extra skill points as a human, bonus on listen and hide checks, camouflage against stone backgrounds, favored class: any.

 

[irdeggman]

Elf ranger with racial subsititution levels (from Races of the Wild).

When you take Servants of Lolth as a favored enemy you get +3 (instead of the +2) bonus to drow, monstrous speiders of all sizes and driders. This +3 works the same as the normal +2, that is each time you "increase" it you can add another +3. You can also apply gain the +3 when choosing undead or orcs following the same pattern.

 

[Angerland]

Elf ranger with racial subsititution levels (from Races of the Wild).

When you take Servants of Lolth as a favored enemy you get +3 (instead of the +2) bonus to drow, monstrous speiders of all sizes and driders. This +3 works the same as the normal +2, that is each time you "increase" it you can add another +3. You can also apply gain the +3 when choosing undead or orcs following the same pattern.

This sounds VERY promising.....would you go TWF or Archery focus? Any feats I should especially keep an eye out for?

 

[irdeggman]

This sounds VERY promising.....would you go TWF or Archery focus? Any feats I should especially keep an eye out for?

For an elf - I think I would go with two weapons and weapon finesse (if both are light weapons or rapiers - get the bonus on each, which helps with the penalties for attacking with two weapons).

Follow the two weapon fighting chain as you progress. Improved, greater, etc.

Note that at the racial substitution levels (only three of them if you take all) you only get a d6 hit points, but IMO it is worth it for the bonuses.

 

[Nifft]

Some ideas involving Warshaper, which gives you +5 ft. reach at its 3rd level, thus eliminating the need for a spiked chain -- or making your spiked chain that much more annoying effective.

A : Changeling Ranger 4 / Warshaper 1 (going to Warshaper 4) -- Archery path for Rapid Shot, but most of the time you'll prefer melee. Your 6th level feat is Multiattack. If the campaign starts going in a different direction (undead, demons, aberrations, whatever), just take your next Ranger level, and you've got a new Favored Enemy.

B : Need some social skills to go with your new face? Changeling Rogue 3 / Ranger 2 (then Warshaper 4).

C : Changeling Barbarian 2 / Fighter 2 / Warshaper 1 (-> Warshaper 4).

1/ Brb 1 -- Combat Expertise
2/ Brb 2
3/ Ftr 1 -- Power Attack, Improved Trip
4/ Ftr 2 -- Combat Reflexes
5/ Warshaper 1 -- Morphic Immunities, Morphic Weapons

Fight with a Ranseur at 10 ft. to 15 ft., grow a bite attack to handle adjacent targets.

Cheers, -- N

 

[Angerland]

To add more confusin to the mix, I haven't had a chance to min/max a B09S character yet either...maybe a Crusader of St. Cuthbert? Or a Warblade of some type?

Any favorite mixes or tips for one of these classes?

With the Crusader is it best to focus on one martial style or mix the three open to them? I am leaning towards a Greatsword for weapon type simply from a damge output standpoint.

 

[blargney the second]

Any of the Bo9S classes are wicked fun. I've played a crusader and warblade, which are both fantastic. Between the crusader's recovery method and their delayed damage pool, it's certainly more fiddly than most other classes I've played. It's high maintenance but definitely worth the ride. I kitted mine out with Dodge, Mobility, and Elusive Target to annoy the heck out of the monsters.

Warblades are pretty straightforward. Pick just two disciplines for your maneuvers and you'll never have trouble with prerequisites when you level up. It's a class that rewards offensive power, so crank attack and damage bonuses as much as possible and you'll do fine. Power Attack and Deep Impact go wonderfully together...

Swordsages are pretty amazing in their own right. If you've ever wanted to build an all-out Dexterity based melee character, it's the best class ever. It's what ninjae and monkae should have been. Great attacks, great defense, great skills. Nothing wrong with this class.