As an addendum to posting guidelines, it wouldn't hurt to see some guidelines for how to
respond to posts.
Nothing frustrates me more than to see someone go through the effort to follow the posting guidelines, only to be met with a string of one line responses either deriding the OP for his choices or providing near useless information.
It's not as well written as the original guidelines, but I think that if we keep the following in mind when responding, all would be good.
1.
Make an effort to give the OP what he or she wants. Sure, a build focused on taking Mindbender through all 10 levels is not going to be optimal. However, there are helpful and non-helpful ways to portray that.
EXAMPLE:
Mindbender is a 1 lvl class grab mindsite and take incantatrix for the rest
Accurate? Sure. Helpful? Not really.
You'll run into some problems taking Mindbender all the way through - with those 5 levels of casting you lose, you could easily do everything Mindbender offers, and more.
Here are some ways you can keep the Mindbender flavor without actually taking more than a level in the class...
If you're still 100% set on the Mindbender, try this build. You will not be as good at enchanting and controlling as the above build, but...
With this, you're still conveying the information of the above post, but doing so in a much more helpful manner. Better yet, you're rewarding new posters for taking the effort to follow the posting guidelines.
2.
Just like the posting guidelines suggest - please cite books and explain! It does newer players little to no good to simply toss off terms we take for granted without citing our source in some way. Even better, take the effort to explain, in a line or two, what your suggestion means. Don't just say "Play GOD!" - give a link to Treantmonk's thread and explain, in a line or two, what a GOD-type caster is ("Play GOD, an archetypal caster focused on controlling every aspect of combat, rather than dealing damage himself. Treantmonk's thread here is the ultimate resource on that. Basically, you'll be focused on spells that restrict or control the enemy's actions, while boosting your own party.")
Or, to use the example above...
Mindbender is a 1 lvl class grab mindsite and take incantatrix for the rest
Not particularly useful for newer players or players not familiar with PGF. And I've even found some veterans who have trouble finding Mindsight. Instead, try...
If you're taking Mindbender, I would definitely grab Mindsight! It's a feat found in a sidebar in Lords of Madness, and it's like Blindsight on steroids!
Also, rather than taking more than one level in Mindbender, you'll get more bang for your buck by grabbing Telepathy from level 1 and then switching over to Incantatrix, from the Player's Guide to Faerun. This awesome prestige class will make you the master of using metamagic on your spells, which will do far more for your build than the benefits Mindbender gives you.
A good rule of thumb is to cite sources any time you're suggesting anything not in the PHB/MM/DMG. Also, don't assume that the OP will know basic terms that we've come to be familiar with, such as "gish".
3. As a corollary to the above,
please pay attention to what books folks can use! This especially is a pet peeve of mine. If someone lists that they can only play with the Core + Complete, it does them absolutely no good to start suggesting that they play an Artificer.
For a brand new example, if someone is looking to play an Illusionist, and they only list Core/CWar/CArc/CDiv/PHB2 as their books, then...
play a killer gnome! wiz 5/shadowcrafter 2/shadowcraft mage 5 is the best illusionist ever!
Boy, that ain't a bit helpful, is it? Let's try this again...
Check with your DM if you can get access to Races of Stone. In it is the Shadowcraft Mage, a gnome-only prestige class based on Shadow magic and illusion spells. If you can use it, it is quite possibly the best option out there for illusionists, especially when you combine it with...
If you can't get access to RoS, just remember to keep the standard wizard tips in mind - don't lose caster levels being the biggest. These feats and spells will really help you play a strong illusionist...
Remember, nothing wrong with suggesting that someone asks his DM for a particular spell, feat, or class. However, respect that people have book restrictions, and just as they should put in the effort to look around before posting and let us know what resources they have available, we should put in the effort to read their post thoroughly and give them information they can actually USE.
4.
Not everyone is an experienced D&D player. When I was a CO regular, the majority of threads were started by folks who were new to the game, and didn't understand why they weren't doing as well as other players. I've been lurking a lot since, and it doesn't seem like much has changed. Things we take for granted, like the power of wild shape, the folly in losing caster levels, and the impotence of Monkey Grip, are all things we learned over time.
A new player (or old player, new optimizer) making bad choices should not be an excuse for us to get derisive, nor should it detract from our willingness to help others. It is exactly that kind of behavior that causes people to think of CO as elitist, or missing the point of the game. It is also the kind of behavior that will drive away many intelligent and valuable additions to the community before they even really learn to play.