Race: Human, Dark Creature Template (+1 LA)
Alternate Class Features: Unarmed Swordsage, Cobra Strike Monk, Planar Monk, Hit and Run Fighter
Stat Priority: Dex>Con>Wis>Int>Str>Cha
Build Stub: Swordsage 2/Monk 2/Fighter 2/Jaunter 4/Telflammar Shadowlord 4/Shadow Sun Ninja 6
1. Swordsage 1: Weapon Finesse, (Weapon Focus: Shadowhand), (Darkstalker), (Shadow Blade), (Two Weapon Fighting), [Bestial Instinct], [Light Sensitivity]
2. Monk 1: (Improved Unarmed Strike), (Dodge)
3. Monk 2: Adaptive Style, (Mobility)
4. Fighter 1: (Blind Fight)
5. Fighter 2: (Spring Attack)
6. Jaunter 1: Sun School
7. Jaunter 2:
8. Jaunter 3:
9. Jaunter 4: Snap Kick
10. Swordsage:
11. Telflammar Shadowlord 1:
12. Telflammar Shadowlord 2: Craven
13. Telflammar Shadowlord 3:
14. Telflammar Shadowlord 4:
15. Shadow Sun Ninja: Gloom Razor
16. Shadow Sun Ninja:
17. Shadow Sun Ninja:
18. Shadow Sun Ninja: Superior Unarmed Strike
19. Shadow Sun Ninja:
20. Shadow Sun Ninja:
Maneuvers and StancesEquipment of NoteRequirement TricksBase Statistics: At twentieth level, you will have a BAB of +15 (one short!), base saves of +13/+19/+13, and average base hit points of 101. Factoring in the equipment listed above and Snap Kick, your full attack will be six attacks at +11/+11/+11/+6/+6/+1, dealing base damage as a large 19th level monk, or 3d8 per strike.
StrategyWeaknesses: You are actually quite a well-rounded monk, capable of performing your main strategy (shadow jaunt/stride/blink) an unlimited number of times per day. Your base hit points are pretty low for a frontline fighter, but you are neither on the frontline nor a fighter: as a dark creature with Hide in Plain Sight and the Darkstalker feat, you should have an easy time sneaking up on and hiding from most any enemy.[/spoiler]
Psionic Shadowpouncer
[spoiler]Race: Half-Orc, Half-Minotaur Template (+1 LA)
Alternate Class Features: Arcane Hunter, Lion Totem, Whirling Frenzy
Stat Priority: Str>Con>Wis>Else; requires an Int > 13
Build Stub: Ranger 1/Ardent 3/Barbarian 1/Crinti Shadow Marauder 5/Slayer 10
1. Ranger 1: EWP: Spiked Chain, (Track), (Power Attack), (Battle Jump), [Shaky], [Glory-hound]
2. Ardent 1:
3. Ardent 2: Mounted Combat, (Weapon Focus: Spiked Chain)
4. Ardent 3:
5. Barbarian 1:
6. Slayer 1: Headlong Rush
7. Slayer 2:
8. Slayer 3:
9. Slayer 4: Stealthy
10. Crinti Shadow Marauder 1:
11. Crinti Shadow Marauder 2:
12. Crinti Shadow Marauder 3: Improved Bull Rush, (Spirited Charge)
13. Crinti Shadow Marauder 4:
14. Crinti Shadow Marauder 5:
15. Slayer 5: Shock Trooper
16. Slayer 6:
17. Slayer 7:
18. Slayer 8: Twin Power
19. Slayer 9:
20: Slayer 10:
Powers/Mantles:
Primary Mantles: Freedom, Time
Secondary Mantle: Conflict
2: Dimension Hop, Deceleration
3: Prescience, offensive
4: Hustle
7: Sustenance
8: Dimension Slide
9: Time Hop
15: Fly, psionic
16: Immovability
17: Anticipatory Strike
18: Teleport, psionic
19: Temporal Acceleration
20: Psychic Crush
Equipment of Note: +1 Large Adamantine Gloryborn Wrathful Healing Spiked Chain of Speed, +1 Gloryborn Landing Mithral Chainshirt of Greater Fortification
Requirement Tricks: None used
Base Statistics: At twentieth level, you will have a BAB of +18, base saves of +9/+10/+11, and average base hit points of 102. You case as a 12th level Ardent, with a base of 126 powerpoints.
Strategy: Since you will be performing the same sequence each round, I will break that round down by action:
Move Action: You manifest an augmented Dimension Slide (9 PP) to teleport at least five feet above your enemy, which allows two full attacks: the first by virtue of completing a spell/power with the teleportation descriptor, which activates shadowpounce; and the second by virtue of falling at least 5 feet onto your opponent, which activated Battle Jump. Since Battle Jump is technically a charge attack, you can apply pounce, Shock Trooper, Headlong Rush, and the Valorous weapon property to make a full attack that does quadruple damage, all the while taking a -20 to armor class in order to power attack for +40 damage per strike.
Standard Action: You expend your psionic focus to manifest a twinned Dimension Slide (11 PP) to again teleport at least five feat above your enemy. This allows you to perform four full attacks: two of the charge attacks described above, and two shadowpounce full attacks.
Swift Action: You manifest Dimension Hop (1 PP) to teleport at least five feat above your enemy, performing your final two full attacks of the round, for a total of eight full attacks in a single round, four of which are charges that do quadruple damage.
Weaknesses: Given your base powerpoints, you will be able to pull of the above sequence only six times per day, though that number increases if you have a torc of power preservation and a high wisdom score. Also, your base hit points is only 102, and given that you will be taking a -20 penalty to your armor class each round through Shock Trooper, survivability may be an issue. I tried to compensate for the low hit points and armor class by giving him a wrathful healing weapon, which should heal him to maximum hit points after each round, but any single-round focused assault will kill him. I recommend manifesting time hop to avoid particularly dangerous situations.[/spoiler]
Arcane Shadowpouncer
[spoiler]Race: Desert Kobold, Venerable Age, White Dragonspawn Template (+1 LA)
Alternate Class Features/Rituals: Loredrake, Greater Draconic Rite of Passage
Stat Priority: Cha>Con>Int>Else
Build Stub: Kobold Paragon 3/Sorceror 2/Incantatrix 10/Crinti Shadow Marauder 5
1. Kobold Paragon 1: Dragonwrought, (Mounted Combat), (Iron Will), [Shaky], [Inattentive]
2. Sorcerer 1:
3. Sorcerer 2: Extend Spell
4. Kobold Paragon 2:
5. Kobold Paragon 3:
6. Incantatrix 1: Draconic Reservoir, (Persistent Spell)
7. Incantatrix 2:
8. Incantatrix 3:
9. Incantatrix 4: Arcane Strike, (Repeat Spell)
10. Incantatrix 5:
11. Incantatrix 6:
12. Incantatrix 7: Stealthy, (Twin Spell)
13. Incantatrix 8:
14. Incantatrix 9:
15. Incantatrix 10: Node Spellcasting, (Metanode Spell)
16. Crinti Shadow Marauder 1:
17. Crinti Shadow Marauder 2:
18. Crinti Shadow Marauder 3: Power Attack, (Ride-by Attack)
19. Crinti Shadow Marauder 4:
20. Crinti Shadow Marauder 5:
Required Spells:
2: Wraithstrike, Dimension Leap
3: Dimension Step
4: Celerity, Polymorph
5: Arcane Fusion
7: Arcane Spellsurge, Limited Wish, Greater Teleport
8: Greater Arcane Fusion
9: Astral Projection
Equipment of Note: Hand of Glory, Ring of Wizardry I, Ring of Wizardry II, Ring of Wizardry IV, Cloak of Charisma +6, Tome of Leadership and Influence +5
Requirement Tricks: We use Dragonborn to eliminate the penalty to physical stats and to qualify for Loredrake; we use the +2 to effective sorcerer levels from Loredrake, the +1 to effective sorcerer level from White Dragonspawn, and the +1 to effective sorcerer level from the Greater Draconic Rite of Passage to gain early entry to Incantatrix.
Base Statistics: At twentieth level, you have a BAB of +12, base saves of +5/+10/+14, and average base hit points of 75. You cast as an eighteenth level sorcerer, and given a reasonable point buy, should have 17 (base) +3 (age) +2 (Kobold Paragon) +5 (levels) +5 (tome) +6 (cloak) = 38 charisma.
StrategyThe Final Tally: 114 full attacks, 7 eighth level spells, and 3 ninth level spells in a single round; as an Overseer buffed with wraithstrike, that translates to 1,254 touch attacks in the first round of combat. To give a simplified assessment of damage, 912 of your attacks will do 1d6 (base damage) +6 (strength bonus) +9d4 (arcane strike), for an average of 32 damage per strike; the remaining 342 attacks do 1d8 (base) +3 (strength) +9d4 (arcane strike), for an average of 31 damage per strike. Total average damage for the round, not counting what you do with your eighth and ninth level spells, is 39,957. If you can justify a ring and cloak wearing twelve-headed cryohydra, damage is even more obscene: you are making 1,368 touch attacks per round, each doing an average of 48.5 damage, for a one round output of 66,348 damage. Every point of BAB used for power attack nets you damage equal to your number of attacks per round, as does every other point of damage added by your equipment. An amulet of mighty fists is particularly nice, adding damage to each of your attacks.
Weaknesses