Need Help Making This Monstrosity a Viable Character *Update on 7th page*

[kevin_video]

Yes, the game is supposed to be fun, but fun for all. Lately I've seeing it as more fun for him.

And yes, he can force me to play that character. I am being forced to play that character. I'm just not openly going to take LA's since you buy them as levels ala Savage Species. The thing is, if his will and story demands it, you take levels against your will. Happened to one player this campaign, and he just took the negative levels and minus to rolls, instead of buying them off.

Have you talked to the other players? If you all showed up and said "Listen, we aren't having fun. Make a change, or we're all going to abandon this game, and Kevin is going to start a new game instead." what would happen? Would they be willing to do it, or just chicken out on you?

You know that line from The Simpsons when Homer says you don't quit, you just become lazy and do your work half-assed? That's my group. They wouldn't chicken out, they'd just do what they already are doing; shrug, get mad that they don't like it, and then continue playing. They're usually more loud when he's not there. Like that guy who says what he'd do to a guy the next time he saw them, and then go "Hi" and smile when they did. Then you're like "I thought you were going to do this and that to him." It's a fairly two-faced group.

Note that I can't say "We aren't having fun" because they wouldn't say that openly. I'd be the lone man out. Oh, they complain. They even do it openly, but it's "diluted" so to say, and the DM acknowledges everything, smiles, and nods, and we move on. You know it's bad when you get a creature with LA +12 and all you get in response from the group is "Welcome to the group." because they've all been there. I mean, I just found out last week that the warblade only has 13 HD, and two of them are thrikeen, and we're ECL 19 now.

[McPoyo]

...So, kerosene burns really well when applied to houses...

[kevin_video]

...So, kerosene burns really well when applied to houses...

I'm sure it does. If you're referring to burning down the DM's house, no one's been there. All we know is it's way out of town. We only play at other player's homes.

[McPoyo]

...So, kerosene burns really well when applied to motor vehicles...

...fixed that. Try to get it on tires. If the rims get hot enough to go, nothing will be left of the car. If they don't, the rest of the rubber will set everything internally on fire.

And a DM dancing around because his car is on fire makes an incredibly easy-to-hit-target for a hammergun.

[kevin_video]

...So, kerosene burns really well when applied to motor vehicles...

...fixed that. Try to get it on tires. If the rims get hot enough to go, nothing will be left of the car. If they don't, the rest of the rubber will set everything internally on fire.

And a DM dancing around because his car is on fire makes an incredibly easy-to-hit-target for a hammergun.

He's the last to arrive, and the first to leave. 

[McPoyo]

...So, kerosene burns really well when applied to motor vehicles...

...fixed that. Try to get it on tires. If the rims get hot enough to go, nothing will be left of the car. If they don't, the rest of the rubber will set everything internally on fire.

And a DM dancing around because his car is on fire because of a hobo you paid to soak the car in kerosene and light it up with a match while everyone else is inside makes an incredibly easy-to-hit-target for a hammergun.

Fixed...again.

You know, he's even good at blocking anything remotely useful in real-life, as well. This guy is cheating, somehow, I just know it.

[kevin_video]

You know, he's even good at blocking anything remotely useful in real-life, as well. This guy is cheating, somehow, I just know it.

No hobos. They don't exist. We live in a very small city, and all the players live in the good neighbourhoods. That doesn't mean to say we don't have soup kitchens for the poorer people, or homeless who don't stay in the shelter downtown.

And what is it with you and fire?

Essentially, anything you can think of, he can cock block. I'd say he thinks too much, and compensates for everything.

I mean, this is a guy that laughs when you say your lvl 20 wizard can beat him. Even the players in the group laughs at that because they know he can do it.

[McPoyo]

You know, he's even good at blocking anything remotely useful in real-life, as well. This guy is cheating, somehow, I just know it.

No hobos. They don't exist. We live in a very small city, and all the players live in the good neighbourhoods. That doesn't mean to say we don't have soup kitchens for the poorer people, or homeless who don't stay in the shelter downtown.

And what is it with you and fire?

Essentially, anything you can think of, he can cock block. I'd say he thinks too much, and compensates for everything.

I mean, this is a guy that laughs when you say your lvl 20 wizard can beat him. Even the players in the group laughs at that because they know he can do it.

Rule 0 and DM Fiat is not "Beating" a player though. That's being a dick. It's like a cop that does something illegal to bust someone, then gets caught. Why bother cheating when you can stay inside the box and smash people out by just thinking a little?

I feel sad for the DM. He must be a sorry hollow excuse of a person to have to resort to such tactics to maintain control of a campaign/group.

[kevin_video]

You know, he's even good at blocking anything remotely useful in real-life, as well. This guy is cheating, somehow, I just know it.

No hobos. They don't exist. We live in a very small city, and all the players live in the good neighbourhoods. That doesn't mean to say we don't have soup kitchens for the poorer people, or homeless who don't stay in the shelter downtown.

And what is it with you and fire?

Essentially, anything you can think of, he can cock block. I'd say he thinks too much, and compensates for everything.

I mean, this is a guy that laughs when you say your lvl 20 wizard can beat him. Even the players in the group laughs at that because they know he can do it.

Rule 0 and DM Fiat is not "Beating" a player though. That's being a dick. It's like a cop that does something illegal to bust someone, then gets caught. Why bother cheating when you can stay inside the box and smash people out by just thinking a little?

I feel sad for the DM. He must be a sorry hollow excuse of a person to have to resort to such tactics to maintain control of a campaign/group.

I'm still hopeful that when his kid's born, he'll turn around in some small way, my other DM is slowly doing. We'll see.

[McPoyo]

You know, he's even good at blocking anything remotely useful in real-life, as well. This guy is cheating, somehow, I just know it.

No hobos. They don't exist. We live in a very small city, and all the players live in the good neighbourhoods. That doesn't mean to say we don't have soup kitchens for the poorer people, or homeless who don't stay in the shelter downtown.

And what is it with you and fire?

Essentially, anything you can think of, he can cock block. I'd say he thinks too much, and compensates for everything.

I mean, this is a guy that laughs when you say your lvl 20 wizard can beat him. Even the players in the group laughs at that because they know he can do it.

Rule 0 and DM Fiat is not "Beating" a player though. That's being a dick. It's like a cop that does something illegal to bust someone, then gets caught. Why bother cheating when you can stay inside the box and smash people out by just thinking a little?

I feel sad for the DM. He must be a sorry hollow excuse of a person to have to resort to such tactics to maintain control of a campaign/group.

I'm still hopeful that when his kid's born, he'll turn around in some small way, my other DM is slowly doing. We'll see.

If not, fire works on children as well as cars, so...

Err, I mean...

[kevin_video]

If not, fire works on children as well as cars, so...

Err, I mean...

Yeah... I think we'll stop right there.

[McPoyo]

If not, fire works on children as well as cars, so...

Err, I mean...

Yeah... I think we'll stop right there.

I can stop anytime I want to, I swear!

*laptop goes up in flames*

[Anklebite]

If not, fire works on children as well as cars, so...

Err, I mean...

Yeah... I think we'll stop right there.

I can stop anytime I want to, I swear!

*laptop goes up in flames*

ah, I do love me some pyrokineticst levels. mmm mmm mm.

[kevin_video]

I think I figured out a way to finally do something with this character. After talking to GawainBS, and looking through the Arms & Armor 3.5 book that my DM apparently uses, I think I've found a way to make this character viable. Well, not really, but it's definitely better than what I had before.

Considering all the LAs have +INT, the best thing to do is exploit what will be a ridiculously high INT. Swashbuckler 3/Factotum 3. Considering the LA will be like +12, that's the best I can come up with. And considering the DM's allowing 32 point buy, and what order we get the LA stats, this was the only thing that came to mind. Two reasons: Insightful Strike, and Brains Over Brawn. By the time I'm done I'll have +8 INT, and I was thinking of a base of 16 as a human. As for the other stats, I have very low amount of HD, so CON would be first on the list. I haven't thought farther than just those six levels, but that's because I'm thinking I'll be ECL 9 or 10 by that time. I might even be ECL 13. Who knows? As for the weapon, I'd take the straightsword which is a martial one-handed melee weapon that's both piercing and slashing and can be used with Weapon Finesse.

[McPoyo]

Doesn't swashbuckler have a "you may only add up to the number of levels in swashbuckler you possess from your int while using insightful strike" clause, or am I thinking of duelist?

[kevin_video]

Doesn't swashbuckler have a "you may only add up to the number of levels in swashbuckler you possess from your int while using insightful strike" clause, or am I thinking of duelist?

That'd be the duelist's Canny Defense ability where you add your INT to your DEX so long as you're not wearing any armor of any kind.

[Saxony]

Kevin, you should DM and have a DM controlled party NPC.

I'm serious. As a fellow DnD'r to another.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

>.> Savage Species. That Mind Flayer Class, I don't remember the preq's ^^; But, start eating all the other player's brains. Then Soul Bind them, use their souls to make some magic items. Send said items into a sphere of Annihilation. Yayz

Or, if you must.. bring in Pun-Pun ^_^, and alter reality like never before!

[Havok4]

Illithed Savant. Unfortunately due to the +12 LA he will not be able to meet the skill prerequisites in time to actually get the nice abilities from that class. Kevin_Video really has the very finest DM horror stories here at BG.

[kevin_video]

In order:

I already am a DM in another group, and hope to take over a second group eventually, but the Friday games I'll never touch. The players are too "out there", and they actually accept that DM's ways, even if they do complain about as much as I do at times. Especially when he's cheap, or keeps bringing things back from the dead when Resurrection and such don't exist (although he's bringing back a "form" of Reincarnation so that's good at least).
The group always has a DM run NPC. The stuff the DM does to that poor bastard is ridiculous.

Pun-Pun will not exist in his world. Why? Because if you pull off something broken, and he realizes it (and he will), you will be slammed down hard and nerfed faster than you can shake a stick. If a lvl 20 Wizard makes him laugh, a Pun-Pun will only make that evil laugh louder when he abolishes it.

I will NEVER meet the prereqs for a Savant. There's just no way. I've looked at it, and I'm not into that kind of thing regardless. That being said, he'd like nothing more than for me to go Illithid for 7 levels (Savage Species) and then take that PrC because that would be "perfect" for him. I'd really rather not play into his hands. I know for a fact that he doesn't see what I'm doing because when I bring up Swashbuckler, he thinks I'm referring to the Pathfinder version, which he hasn't accepted/denied yet. The reason I chose what I did was simply because of the fact that I'm pretty sure that I'll only get maybe six class levels in there due to all the LAs. One suggestion was go monk and take Kung-Fu Genius. The only problem is the lack of stacking, and I have yet to meet a single person who's in favour of the monk at all. That being said, I couldn't really see a worse class to take with that many LAs. Aside from that, the DM really wants me to go psionic. The only one I can even remotely consider is the Lurker, but even that's pushing it.

I wouldn't say I have the finest stories. Just the most out there to date. Someday we'll meet someone worse, I'm sure.