User:Aarnott/Lego Bin 3
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Low - Contents
Introduction
RAWR I'M A DINOSAUR!!!
You are a dinosaur. As such, you jump on people and eat them.
You are also a martial artist. And water is always on the house!
About
When I make optimized builds, I don't plan on playing them (or to have them played for that matter). I take a set of constraints and try to make the best possible character I can with them. Here are the constraints I used to construct this character:
- The character makes good use of the swift hunter feat (it should have at least 5d6 skirmish damage from scout/ranger stacking).
- The character is melee based
- The character does not use other optimized builds to achieve its ends (ie. pun-pun)
Specifically, the goal with this build was to create a swift hunter build that synergized nicely with the ranger wild shape variant.
In retrospect, however, this build would make a pretty fun character to play, so long as you start at level 10 (it really is sub-par before then). Knock-Down is a fairly cheesy feat to use and only fits the fun of the build, it is not required. I suggest that if you do decide to play a character using this build to pick a different feat in its place (possibly swapping out Monk of the Passive Way for Overwhelming Attack.
If you can convince your DM to ignore multiclass XP penalties, only take one Overwhelming Attack level and instead take an extra Scout level. You'll still have the same number of feats, but you'll get that last +1 AC from skirmish progression.
Heighten Spell could be helpful if you think you will be fighting lots of high AC monsters and you need to cast wraithstrike in your 3rd and 4th level spell slots.
References
- Champions of Valor
- Book of Exalted Deeds
- Unearthed Arcana
- Complete Adventurer
- Complete Mage
- Complete Scoundrel
- Monster Manual III
- Spell Compendium
Game Rule Components
Progression
Race (Templates): Human
| ECL | Class/HD/LA | Base Attack Bonus |
Saving Throws | Feats | Class Features |
Special | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fort | Ref | Will | ||||||
| 1st | Monk of the Passive Way 1 | +0 | +2 | +2 | +2 | Sacred Vow, Vow of Poverty, Combat Expertise, Nymph's Kiss | Unarmed strike (1d6), flurry of blows, monk AC bonus | |
| 2nd | Monk of the Passive Way 2 | +1 | +3 | +3 | +3 | Improved Trip, Touch of Golden Ice | Evasion | |
| 3rd | Ranger Variant 1 | +2 | +5 | +5 | +3 | Knock-Down, Track | Favored enemy: arcanists (CM), wild empathy, fast movement | |
| 4th | Scout 1 | +2 | +5 | +7 | +3 | Intuitive Attack | Skirmish (+1d6), trapfinding | |
| 5th | Scout 2 | +3 | +5 | +8 | +3 | Battle fortitude +1, uncanny dodge | ||
| 6th | Scout 3 | +4 | +6 | +8 | +4 | Swift Hunter, Sacred Strike | Fast movement +10 ft., skirmish (+1d6, +1 AC), trackless step | |
| 7th | Ranger Variant 2 | +5 | +7 | +9 | +4 | Skirmish (+2d6, +1 AC) | ||
| 8th | CoV Ranger substitution level (3rd) | +6 | +7 | +9 | +5 | Sanctify Natural Attack | Weavespeak (sending 1/day) | |
| 9th | CoV Ranger substitution level (4th) | +7 | +8 | +10 | +5 | Improved Skirmish | Skirmish (+2d6/+2 AC), bonus spell slots, improved spellcasting | |
| 10th | Ranger Variant 5 | +8 | +8 | +10 | +5 | Nemesis (arcanists) | Favored enemy: constructs, wild shape 1/day | |
| 11th | Ranger Variant 6 | +9 | +9 | +11 | +6 | Skirmish (+3d6/+2 AC), wild shape 2/day | ||
| 12th | Ranger Variant 7 | +10 | +9 | +11 | +6 | Multiattack, Nemesis (constructs) | Woodland stride, wild shape 3/day | |
| 13th | CoV Ranger substitution level (8th) | +11 | +10 | +12 | +6 | Skirmish (+3d6/+3 AC), expanded spell list | ||
| 14th | Ranger Variant 9 | +12 | +10 | +12 | +7 | Exalted Wild Shape | Spell reflection (CM) | |
| 15th | Ranger Variant 10 | +13 | +11 | +13 | +7 | Natural Spell | Skirmish (+4d6/+3 AC), favored enemy: elementals, wild shape 4/day | |
| 16th | CoV Ranger substitution level (11th) | +14 | +11 | +13 | +7 | Nemesis (elementals) | ||
| 17th | Ranger Variant 12 | +15 | +12 | +14 | +8 | Skirmish (+4d6/+4 AC) | ||
| 18th | Ranger Variant 13 | +16 | +12 | +14 | +8 | Sword of the Arcane Order, Some other VoP feat | Camouflage | |
| 19th | CoV Ranger substitution level (14th) | +17 | +13 | +15 | +8 | Skirmish (+5d6/+4 AC) | ||
| 20th | Ranger Variant 15 | +18 | +13 | +15 | +9 | Nemesis (undead) | Favored enemy: undead | |
Final progression: Monk of the Passive Way 2 / Scout 3 / Ranger Variant 15
Items
None. You have Vow of Poverty.
Highlights
The build does not turn online until level 10 when you can turn into a Fleshraker Dinosaur (MM3).
At level 20:
- Starting stats using a 32 point buy: Str 15, Dex 8, Con 14, Int 13, Wis 17, Cha 8
- At level 20 (including VoP bonuses): Str 15, Dex 12, Con 20, Int 15, Wis 30, Cha 8
- In dino form: Str 17, Dex 23, Con 21, Int 15, Wis 30, Cha 8 (counting +4 dex and con from a spell)
- AC unbuffed: 48 = 10 (Base) +6 (skirmish), +10 (monk), +6 natural (dino form), +2 stacking natural (VoP), +10 exalted (VoP), +3 deflection (VoP), +6 Dex
- AC buffed: 56: +4 (mage armor), +4 (barkskin) ( exalted AC from vow of poverty and armor ac doesnt stack)
- Speed: 70' (+10' scout, 10' ranger)
- Attack routine (without haste): +33/+33/+28/+22/+18 (unarmed flurry of blows) and claw, bite, rake, and tail all at +31 ( you can make your routine of attacks, or all the monster attacks, but not the 2 of them)
- Modifiers are: +18 (BAB) + 5 Magic + 10 (Wisdom) + 2 (Charging) - 2 (Flurry of Blows) -2 (multiattack for natural weapons)
- Thanks to wraith strike, these are all touch attacks.
- To get the rake, the claw must hit
- Only one of the bite or tail can hit a single opponent (but they both can hit different opponents)
- All of these attacks are done in a super-pounce. It works like normal pounce, but if one of the natural attacks hit, you get a free trip attack against the target if they are your size or smaller. If that trip attack hits, you get to make a free grapple attempt. If the grapple attempt succeeds, you are in a grapple with the opponent and they are pinned.
- Damage: 1d6 + 5d6 (skirmish) + 2d6 (improved skirmish) + 5 (magic) + 3 (strength)
- This applies to unarmed strikes and natural weapons
- Against a touch AC of 20, this comes out to approximately 286.2 DPR on average
- Hasted, you do 324 DPR on average (you can cast haste)
- Each hit will trigger a free trip attempt
- Each hit requires a DC 14 fortitude save against dex damage from touch of golden ice
- Each natural weapon hit requires a DC 25 fortitude save against dex damage from dinosaur poison.
- You will have lots of skill points and useful skills.
- You are not a swift tracker, but you do get scent, so you are effective.
Tactics
First, you turn into a Fleshraker Dinosaur (MM3). Next you cast haste on yourself (if you want) and then, using some memorized spells from your spellbook (I assume this is legal with VoP, otherwise, use your buddy's spellbook), you swift cast wraith strike before your pounce making a ton of powerful touch attacks.
If you don't kill your target, you should have enough ranks in concentration to swift cast another wraith strike defensively and ounce a different target. If there is only one target, you will have to evade for a round, unless the target is large enough that you can pounce to a different square (to trigger skirmish again).
Against flying targets, you can always memorize the fly spell. Otherwise, you have a large racial bonus to jump checks in dino form and you have tons of skill points as you level up, so you should be able to reach a nice jump check.
You can also memorize the burrow spell if needed (although that takes up one of your valuable 2nd level spell slots).
Limitations
- Enemies immune to skirmish (oozes, plants)
- Typical melee limitations (illusions, concealment, etc.)
- You do have low light vision and scent, however.
- You can also detect what square a favored enemy is in (if they within 60ft.) without fail.
DM Counters
Exploit those limitations!
Further Optimization
- Use the Mystic Ranger option in Dragon Magazine#336 to gain 0th and 5th level spells (which you can use to memorize wizard spells).
Credits
Thanks goes to Alex2 and BackHandOfFate who helped me refine the build!
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