Need help dealing with a melee character in a predominately ranged combat setting...

[Storyteller01]

We're running a Dragon Star gestalted campaign. One of the players is dead set on playing a melee fighter after being warned that the campaign will be ranged combat intensive. This has gone so far as to have him remake a character, since the previous one did not work out.

I'm not out to bash the player. We've spoken, he's been warned, and he refuges to budge on this. Done is done.

My question: what can be done, short of constantly fudging dice rolls, to help him compete in this regard. His plan is to make himself too hard to hit while remaining a light fighter. Here are some specifics:

1) Ranged weapons have an average range inc of 200 ft.

2) Ramged weapons damage ranges for 1d8 to 4d10, not counting vehicle mounted weapons.

3) Grenades/explosives can target the square a character stands on, negating the characters AC (hitting an AC 5 forces the character to Ref save for half damage).

4) His current character is a trollkin Unfettered (AU)/Totemist 6.


Note: I don't have any of the complete series and would choose to avoid them. They never seem to make their way into the bargain bin.

 

[smootrk]

Honestly, if he won't budge or take the constructive suggestions, then let him be a pin cushion. He will either get the point (no pun) after a while, or after a few deaths.

Maybe he just needs to focus on something other than Fighter types; try suggesting something that is neither Archery based, nor melee fighter based... like a warlock or another alternate spell caster. If he wants to lead the charge, maybe suggest Marshall or have him play the role of a healer cleric where the character would already be less apt to fling himself into melee.

 

[irdeggman]

Then he needs a way to close quickly.

Ring of invisibility would help.

Clases/Races with evasion and quicker movement would likewise help.

Barbarian for quicker movement, evasion and DR.

Or Barbarian/rogue to combine those.

If you are using the Expanded Psionic rules then go with a Xeph - can use a burst of speed 10 ft + 10 ft/4 levels (competence bonus) 3x/day

Barbarian - increase movement to 40 ft (untyped)

Speed of Thought feat - +10 speed (Insight bonus) (Expanded Psionics Handbook - or SRD)

Or a monk (enhancement bonus to speed and evasion)

Boots of Striding and Springing +10 ft enhancement bonus to speed


Boots of Speed +30 ft enhancement bonuse to speed


Pick the best fit.

I'd go with the ring of invisibilty though - can't hit it if you can't find it.

 

[RangerWickett]

Dragon Star? So would psionics be okay? Because it's not too hard to get the ability to teleport long distances in psionics, or short distances as a swift action.

 

[The_Gneech]

Protection from arrows and a tower shield are good starting places...

-The Gneech

 

[grimwell]

Kill his character(s). Repeatedly.


Who would have thought that this advice would prove useful twice in a single hour?

Seriously though, you've done your part and talked about the setting to the guy. He knows what he's in for and is willing to take the punishment. Deal it to him. If he lives he can take on legendary status as the one guy who can take ranged punishment. If that happens, convince him to take a Leadership feat and give him a wildly loyal following of people who want to be just like him, but keep getting killed.

Think of him as your worlds version of a berzerer. Running screaming mad and naked into a battle against armed and protected forces must have seemed just as crazy as this guy seems in your setting -- didn't stop them so why stop himi?

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

It's dragonstar. Play a soulmech barbarian with wheels and/or a jetpack, a massive strength, a keenblade falchion (or similar high damage weapon). Take combat reflexes and the feat that lets you follow an opponent taking a 5' step.

The character should also do whatever is necessary to get rings of at least minor energy resistance to electricity (blasters) and fire (lasers); a cape of elemental protection (Mini HB) is also a good short-term and partial solution. Follow up by taking enough rogue levels to get evasion (it helps with grenades IIRC).

That combination should enable the character to close with his enemies quickly and force the into melee combat. Perhaps not the best strategy, but it's one that could work.

 

[Storyteller01]

Thanks for the responses. Here's what I have in response from him so far:

Soulmech: he doesn't want to deal with the lack of healing.

Invisibility: Too easy to trump with infra vision, and he doesn't want to act like a rogue.

Jet Pack: Doesn't fit his character concept (I tried to get him to use screamer wings earlier).

Tower Shield: He's using a two handed weapon (an asain broad sword similar to a flachion).



I'll run the psionics rule by him and see what happens. PS: We tweaked the psionic rules slightly (You can't augment save DC's or SR/PR penetration without feats) so he may not go for it.

 

[Elder-Basilisk]

Thanks for the responses. Here's what I have in response from him so far:

Soulmech: he doesn't want to deal with the lack of healing.

Invisibility: Too easy to trump with infra vision, and he doesn't want to act like a rogue.

Jet Pack: Doesn't fit his character concept (I tried to get him to use screamer wings earlier).

Tower Shield: He's using a two handed weapon (an asain broad sword similar to a flachion).

I'll run the psionics rule by him and see what happens. PS: We tweaked the psionic rules slightly (You can't augment save DC's or SR/PR penetration without feats) so he may not go for it.

Well, if he doesn't want to do anything that will help his character survive, just kill him until he gets the picture.

 

[Seeten]

All he needs to do is use a couple of fighter feats on Shadow Hand Teleport maneuvers from Tome of Battle. Then he can dimension door around the battlefield as a swift action