Need help deciding what to play...
- Thread starter wayne62682
- Start date
Wraith-Hunter
First Post
Darklone said:Ooook.
Besides the term GISH, do people really consider ranged combat specialists not as typical fightermages?
I always saw fighter mages as 1/2way decent fighters who have a few more options. Never cared if they were melee or ranged. With the right spells they just gain a bunch of flexibility and they have a decent enough BaB and enough hitpoints to fight pretty decently as well. There are a bunch of gish builds that focus on different things. The Duskbalde though cool I find boring, they are stuck in the melee mold and have little in the way of flexibility. The flexibility is what I always liked about fighter mages (see I didn't call them gishes). And if you take the right feats and spells you can do a decent job at all of the roles. THough not as good as something focused.
Wraith-Hunter
First Post
Nail said:...as in "suck the life blood out of the bad guys".
LOL. Clerics are always a good choice, really can't do much to go wrong. (Full caster special abilities, decent armor, decent hit dice and BaB) I just never liked them. Course if I was running a game I'd knock them down a bit (d4 or d6 lower bab and non proficient in heavy armor) and open up healing as a universal school for both arcane and divine casters, but that is a whole 'nother thread.
Well if you want a skill monkey and if you do not mind indirectly contributing to battles a straight bard could be effective in a group with so many fighter types. Take improved initiative and get your party hasted then follow up with an inspire courage. You can easily be responsible for the most damage per encounter if you counted the extra damage and hits. Try to never dirty your hands with actual combat, leave that to the less beautiful people.
Nifft
Penguin Herder
Some suggestions:
Dragonfire Adept (from Dragon Magic -- not on your sources-list, but about as weird as the Warlock, which is).
Max out your Constitution and your Use Magic Device skill, and avoid having a Cha penalty.
For your Invocations, take the one that makes your team mates immune to your breath weapon, and the one that lets you identify loot for free. Take Draconic Flight and Voidsense (fly all day and blindsight 30 ft. radius). Get these wands: glitterdust, silence, and invisibility.
For your breath effects, choose Frost Breath and Slow Breath. At 10th level, choose Thunder Breath.
For at least two of your feats, take Draconic Auras (Senses, Stamina and Swiftness are all good choices). For your 12th level feat, take Double Draconic Aura.
You'll be like a Bard (auras buff allies), but you can actually lay down some arcane smack-fire every round.
Dragon Shaman (PHB-II) -- as Dragonfire Adept, but front-line melee, and no Invocations or Use Magic Device. You buff your allies via Auras, and you also blast away with your breath weapon. You can heal, too, which will take some heat off the Cleric guy.
Scout (Complete Adventurer) -- mobility fighter, can skirmish or do archery, and has a lot of skill points. Excellent trap-monkey.
Scout 1 / Cloistered Cleric 4 / Shadowbane Inquisitor 4 (Unearthed Arcana or SRD; Complete Adventurer) -- another skill monkey, but with a bunch of Cleric thrown in too. Two part-Clerics will serve your party better than one. And there's already a Paladin, so you won't be dragging anyone down.
... and the final build that will be TOO MUCH FUN to possibly resist:
Rogue 2 / Ranger 2 / Cloistered Cleric 1 / Chameleon 4 (Unearthed Arcana, Races of Destiny) -- You must be a Human to use this build, and take a specific feat from RoD at 1st level.
Why end your indecisiveness today? You can be indecisive every day with this build!
Also, from a power perspective, your caster level will be 20 at level 16, so you'll be perfectly seated to end that module on a high note.
Cheers, -- N
Dragonfire Adept (from Dragon Magic -- not on your sources-list, but about as weird as the Warlock, which is).
Max out your Constitution and your Use Magic Device skill, and avoid having a Cha penalty.
For your Invocations, take the one that makes your team mates immune to your breath weapon, and the one that lets you identify loot for free. Take Draconic Flight and Voidsense (fly all day and blindsight 30 ft. radius). Get these wands: glitterdust, silence, and invisibility.
For your breath effects, choose Frost Breath and Slow Breath. At 10th level, choose Thunder Breath.
For at least two of your feats, take Draconic Auras (Senses, Stamina and Swiftness are all good choices). For your 12th level feat, take Double Draconic Aura.
You'll be like a Bard (auras buff allies), but you can actually lay down some arcane smack-fire every round.
Dragon Shaman (PHB-II) -- as Dragonfire Adept, but front-line melee, and no Invocations or Use Magic Device. You buff your allies via Auras, and you also blast away with your breath weapon. You can heal, too, which will take some heat off the Cleric guy.
Scout (Complete Adventurer) -- mobility fighter, can skirmish or do archery, and has a lot of skill points. Excellent trap-monkey.
Scout 1 / Cloistered Cleric 4 / Shadowbane Inquisitor 4 (Unearthed Arcana or SRD; Complete Adventurer) -- another skill monkey, but with a bunch of Cleric thrown in too. Two part-Clerics will serve your party better than one. And there's already a Paladin, so you won't be dragging anyone down.
... and the final build that will be TOO MUCH FUN to possibly resist:
Rogue 2 / Ranger 2 / Cloistered Cleric 1 / Chameleon 4 (Unearthed Arcana, Races of Destiny) -- You must be a Human to use this build, and take a specific feat from RoD at 1st level.
Why end your indecisiveness today? You can be indecisive every day with this build!
Also, from a power perspective, your caster level will be 20 at level 16, so you'll be perfectly seated to end that module on a high note.Cheers, -- N
wayne62682
First Post
Very interesting replies. While tempting, I think I'm going to play something not only unique but something I've never done before:
Monk 2/Sorcerer 3/Enlightened Fist 4
I think it will be a very interesting experience for me as I've never played a Monk or an arcane caster type of any variety, and I figure I might as well play something that *I* think might be interesting for a change
Monk 2/Sorcerer 3/Enlightened Fist 4
I think it will be a very interesting experience for me as I've never played a Monk or an arcane caster type of any variety, and I figure I might as well play something that *I* think might be interesting for a change
Wizard (Conjuration Specialist)/Druid/Arcane Hierophant would be tempting to me.
If you go the Enlightened Fist route, the feat from ComAdv that lets you add your spell casting levels to your monk levels to calculate your AC is a must, as well as Arcane Strike.
Arcane Strike with a Shurikens would be interesting. Flurry, Rapid Shot, and the 2 for 1 ability of the Master Thrower PrC would be nice.
Lots of MAD, so spend money on Ability boost items. High Wis/Des/Monk AC Bonus + Greater Mage Armor will mean a decent AC. Shurikens of different materials + scrolls of Greater Magic Weapon will get past DR.
If you go the Enlightened Fist route, the feat from ComAdv that lets you add your spell casting levels to your monk levels to calculate your AC is a must, as well as Arcane Strike.
Arcane Strike with a Shurikens would be interesting. Flurry, Rapid Shot, and the 2 for 1 ability of the Master Thrower PrC would be nice.
Lots of MAD, so spend money on Ability boost items. High Wis/Des/Monk AC Bonus + Greater Mage Armor will mean a decent AC. Shurikens of different materials + scrolls of Greater Magic Weapon will get past DR.
wayne62682
First Post
Actually I thought of a Druid, but given that I believe the party is in a dungeon environment I'm worried that a lot of the Druid-y stuff won't be that helpful (I've never played a Druid; isn't most of their stuff good only outside?) and I refuse to abuse Master of Many Forms and/or Wildshape.
Magesmiley
Explorer
I think I'd also advocate a bard or some sort as well. A general support character would probably bolster the group the most. One other area the group might be weak on is skills. I'd make the character human and take the able learner feat from Races of Destiny, that way you'd also be able to cover as a fairly solid skill monkey as well.
