Author Topic: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.  (Read 132714 times)

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PlzBreakMyCampaign

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #60 on: February 02, 2011, 09:24:45 PM »
Is this thing being updated?

Besides undead-related stuff, the only way to effect fear or mind-effecting immune opponents is with the dread witch, yes? And that ability only works on spells, right? Don't non-casters have a method?
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Midnight_v

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #61 on: February 03, 2011, 11:13:46 AM »
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Don't non-casters have a method?

Pretty much no... or at least not that I've been able to find and I look. . . a lot.
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Barbarossa

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #62 on: February 06, 2011, 05:37:37 AM »
For low-level builds, I find 'Bully Chains' fairly effective. For only 2600gp you get +4 to intimidate and your demoralization lasts an extra round, giving you time to stack the effect. Combine this with another ability that can extend the fear, you have a cheap way of getting up to a panic. Source: Dragon Magazine #339 page 36.

cru

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #63 on: February 06, 2011, 06:35:06 AM »

ninjarabbit

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #64 on: February 06, 2011, 01:11:36 PM »
Honestly I don't think any of those feats are really worth it, especially if dreadful wrath is available.

bearsarebrown

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #65 on: February 06, 2011, 01:57:51 PM »
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Is neat because if you have Pounce it will stack with Dreadful Wrath. And that is a damn hard save to make.

Garryl

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #66 on: February 07, 2011, 02:23:15 AM »
Name of the Mage is an auto-win in a two man combo. Have one person take the feat (various CL shenanigans can easily the get CL requirement by 12th, I think). Have the other partner grab immunity to fear. Then the partner goes around speaking the mage's name to everyone he meets, over and over. Anyone who can hear him must make an arbitrarily large number of saves against fear, being frightened on a failure and shaken even of a success. Remember, talking is a free action. Since the talker is immune to fear, nothing bad happens to him, but everyone else within earshot is panicked with no save unless they either are immune to fear or can make the DC 30+ save on a 1 and have Mettle. The best part is that you don't even need a specific mage you know with the feat. As long as anyone has ever taken it, you can just jabber their name away all you like.
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cru

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #67 on: February 07, 2011, 08:21:47 AM »
Name of the Mage is an auto-win in a two man combo.
or it could be a man-and-a-familiar-that-speaks combo
or man-with-summon-elemental-reserve-feat combo

Garryl

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #68 on: February 07, 2011, 02:47:09 PM »
It tends to be harder to fear-proof your speaking familiar, as far as I know. And summoned elementals will frighten themselves before they can reliably make your enemies too afraid. Immunity to fear is a vital part of the combo that lets you talk with impunity. It's somewhat harder to get it on your minions without class levels (although there are spells that will do it, at least.

I think there is already a mage with the Name of the Mage feat, by the name of "Ni".
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Jackinthegreen

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #69 on: July 09, 2011, 03:38:35 AM »
Something that wasn't mentioned in the OP is the Fearsome armor enhancement from Drow of the Underdark.  It's treated differently than the Fearsome from MiC in that it allows a character to make an Intimidate as a Move action, and also grants a +5 enhancement bonus to Intimidate.  The armor also gains spikes and thus a character using a reach weapon still threatens adjacent squares.  Put simply, this is easily one of the most powerful enhancements and it only costs 5k gold.

Bigtuna

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #70 on: July 09, 2011, 09:15:21 AM »

ShneekeyTheLost

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #71 on: July 11, 2011, 06:46:46 PM »
I have two builds for your edification, which might also help. One of which is a pure melee build, in point of fact.

The first one is Takahashi no Onisan. Basically, he uses CW Samurai's 'Mass Staredown' to be able to spam the same effect as 'Never Outnumbered' every round, and the 'Fearsome' enhancement from DotUD to do it as a move action. He also dips Exemplar to Take 10 on Intimidate checks...

The next one is a bit nastier. It's a Dread Necro12/Dread Witch5. Basically, you pick up Aura of Terror spell from SpC at 12th level with Advanced Learning, and cast it with Fell Frighten metamagic. This affects your innate Fear Aura you picked up as a class ability at level 5, and does the following:

* Increases radius from 5' to 15'.
* Increases effect from Shaken to Frightened
* Increases DC of save by 2.

But wait... there's more!

Fell Frighten normally applies the Shaken effect as well, with no save. Since, unless otherwise specified, fear effects stack (and nothing in Fell Frighten states that it does not), this increases the Frightened effect to Panicked, with the consolation gift of still applying Shaken to everyone anyways, no save!

Due to Dread Witch, not only is the Save DC increased by another 2, but it even busts immunities.

Yea, still getting better...

You've got Rebuke attempts. If you pick up any of the several ways of allowing your spells to count as either arcane or divine (Southern Magician regional feat, for example), you can then go for DMM: Persist, to make your aura that powerful 24/7.

Mind you, this is *in addition* to all the power of a T3 class focusing on negative levels and powerful undead minions... like Slaymates...

Jackinthegreen

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #72 on: July 19, 2011, 09:15:30 PM »
After reading the text for Daunting Presence, I'd say it can actually be pretty darn effective when used with other feats, especially the incredible Imperious Command.  Daunting Presence only says, in both textbooks, it has no effect on a creature that is -already- shaken.  The opponent becomes shaken, and through IC starts cowering.  Depending on how one reads the rules, this cowering state might last for ten full minutes.

zook1shoe

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #73 on: July 25, 2011, 05:18:57 AM »
This is my favorite handbook!

What about Voice of the Mage for intimidation long distances?

nijineko

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Re: The Fear Handbook - Caedrus' Art of War, Volume 1.
« Reply #74 on: October 14, 2011, 03:19:04 PM »
i found a feat (Intimidating Presence) that allows one to intimidate (demoralize) a number of opponents equal to your cha mod with no other limitations (like range for skill trick).
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