Optimize a Party of Werebears!

[SnowHeart]

OMG! This has to be one of the best things I've seen in a while. I hope you'll keep us updated (as I also hope you get some great ideas) and let us know what winds up happening.

I'm not sure if Practiced Spellcaster will help for a bard, but you might want to keep that in mind -- if not for 1st level then definitely further down the road.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The Warshaper Prc from Complete Warrior would be a beneficial choice for class levels. The classes from the Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords would also likely work well, especially the Tiger Claw maneuvers and stances.

Ooops... Just noticed "core classes only".

Yeah, I would have suggested some kind of Psionic PC, but I had to *ahem* bear that limiting factor in mind.

 

[EroGaki]

To make explicit what Theroc implied- Improved Natural Attack is virtually a must-have for these PCs.

Also, despite his bardish nature (as per Disney), you may wish to pick up on some wilderness skills for Baloo (either by just burning the skill points or by taking a level of druid)- he's not just an entertainer and lorekeeper, he's a keeper of the lore of law, and quite wise as well. (And the mix of Bard and Druid would be kind of Merlinesque, as well.)

Baloo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'd suggest he use a club, spear (esp. longspear) or quarterstaff, and for range, the javelin or sling. The weapons are simple, do decent damage, and are quite easy to replace in the natural environment- ease of replacement would be something Baloo would appreciate. Heck, if your DM is amenable, for RP, you could even play Baloo in such a way that he doesn't carry weapons- he just breaks off a branch to use (club or staff), maybe sharpens it by rubbing it on rocks (spear, javelin), or maybe picks up a rock that he flings with a flip of his wrist with the aid of a handy jungle leaf (sling). He does love to freeload off of nature, after all.

And clearly, his "instrument" should be his voice- don't forget levels in Perform: Dance either.

I'd look into the Reserve feats for this PC. You're going to be strapped for spells, so anything that boosts your spells' potency (by adding DCs as a secondary effect) or by giving you at-will abilities is a winner. There are a lot of Reserve Feats that improve critters you summon, for instance- could be tasty for a Bard.

Depending on your DM, you may also wish to look into things like Spellfire for Baloo- your party is poor in spellcasting firepower, after all- or VoP for Pooh.

Thanks for the link! I plan on blending the two versions of Baloo into one character. We shall see how effective this is.

OMG! This has to be one of the best things I've seen in a while. I hope you'll keep us updated (as I also hope you get some great ideas) and let us know what winds up happening.

I'm not sure if Practiced Spellcaster will help for a bard, but you might want to keep that in mind -- if not for 1st level then definitely further down the road.

The DM intends to write up a story hour at some point (assuming we survive, of course), so I'm sure you will hear more of this. We are pretty excited about this game.


So far it is looking like I will be the magic-user of our group. I intend to max out ranks in Use Magic Device and stock up on wands and scrolls containing essential spells (cures, buffs, etc) so that while we will not be hurling magic all over the place, we will have enough magic to plow our way through whatever obstacles present themselves.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

You might also ask to be able to have unique but low-level magical items appropriate for your party...like a Bowl of Infinite Porridge.

Plus, are you limited to Core + Completes or WotC only sourcebooks for Feats & Spells?

If not, check out the MiC- as I recall, there was actually an enchantment that lets a weapon re-size itself.

Furthermore, in DCv1, there are a couple of nice Feats, and a couple I think your monk might enjoy. Unorthodox Flurry lets you add a single small weapon to a Monk's "Monk Weapon" list ; Pole Fighter does the same for a single polearm; Ring the Golden Bell lets a Monk use his IUS as a ranged weapon. (For more Monk goodness, follow the link in my sig.)

 

[EroGaki]

You might also ask to be able to have unique but low-level magical items appropriate for your party...like a Bowl of Infinite Porridge.

Plus, are you limited to Core + Completes or WotC only sourcebooks for Feats & Spells?

If not, check out the MiC- as I recall, there was actually an enchantment that lets a weapon re-size itself.

Furthermore, in DCv1, there are a couple of nice Feats, and a couple I think your monk might enjoy. Unorthodox Flurry lets you add a single small weapon to a Monk's "Monk Weapon" list ; Pole Fighter does the same for a single polearm; Ring the Golden Bell lets a Monk use his IUS as a ranged weapon. (For more Monk goodness, follow the link in my sig.)

I did notice the sizing enchantment in the MIC; that solves half of the weapon/armor problem. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a similar enchantment for armor... which means we will be sitting ducks. Except for the monk, of course.

 

[Theroc]

Ah, thanks for that. Helps me a lot, especially if that's a completely RAW ruling.

Anyways sorry for the partial hijack, seemed relevant.

I'd recommend any frontline fighters take the monster feats related to natural weapon 'size' and natural AC, unless you're focusing on actual weapons, then just worry over natural AC, obviously.

This portion of my initial (actually remotely helpful) post referred to Monster Feats :: d20srd.org
Which would allow your character's to increase your Natural Armor, making you a bit better at avoiding hits. It's probably not particularly optimal, but if armor is out of the question, you have little choice if you NEED more armor. Edit Note: Biggest issue here is it doesn't help against touch AC.

 

[EroGaki]

This portion of my initial (actually remotely helpful) post referred to Monster Feats :: d20srd.org
Which would allow your character's to increase your Natural Armor, making you a bit better at avoiding hits. It's probably not particularly optimal, but if armor is out of the question, you have little choice if you NEED more armor. Edit Note: Biggest issue here is it doesn't help against touch AC.

Noted. The problem is that feats aren't exactly plentiful, and I'm not sure how much of a benefit increasing my natural armor by 1 is. I'll probably make the sacrifice if nothing else comes up.

I will be taking Improved Natural Attack, however. And will advice the other bears to do the same.

 

[Wolf72]

Equipment and Gear size

Use some other game ideas ... World of Darkness 1.0 (and the newer version would too i guess) ...

have bound equipment that stays with you as you shape change, and in some cases allows you to use it too.

or create a simple enchantment (like posted above) that allows items/gear change appropriately with you ... armor becomes barding, bags become side/saddle bags.

 

[EroGaki]

Thanks for all the great replies thus far!

For my character, I'm trying to decide whether or not I should focus my feats on improving my bard abilities (inspire courage, etc) or not; frankly, I'm never going to be a very high level bard, considering we are technically 10th level characters and I only have 1 level.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Still down about the armor?

Try Rings & Cloaks of Protection, Bracers of Armor and, most nuanced, magic weapons with the Defending enchantment.

Get H's H. Haversacks all around, and have (mundane) armor built for your bear forms stored within each PC's sack.