Few Totemist Questions

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Few quick totemist questions.

What would be more optimized, 11 Totemist/ 10 Thayan Gladiator (Champions of Ruin), or straight Totemist for specializing in the Manticore Belt?

And also, what would be a good race? Staying non LA

And, What is Splitting?

Also. Thoughts on what would be the best optimization for a Shifter Totemist / Barb / Totem Rager? For extra shifting and the like?

[Hijax]

Splitting is a weapon enhancement in Champions of Ruin. on projectile weapons, each arrows becomes splits to two in the air.

It is extremely awesome.

[Havok4]

Few quick totemist questions.

What would be more optimized, 11 Totemist/ 10 Thayan Gladiator (Champions of Ruin), or straight Totemist for specializing in the Manticore Belt?

And also, what would be a good race? Staying non LA

And, What is Splitting?

Full totemist is better as you can put special properties on an amulet of natural attacks (savage species) and just use that rather than the limited thayan gladiator options.
Warforged is often a good race for a totemist due to their natural attacks and other immunities.
Splitting is a special weapon property that makes each projectile fired split in two it is also in champions of ruin and can be applied to the manticore belt via a amulet of natural attacks.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Well I was thinking of using both. the Thayan Gladiator makes the spines do x3 crit, and 19-20, oh, and deal 1d8 damage. With a bind I can make that 2d6, thoughts?

And, does Wounding Double on a crit? If so it would make the x3 real nice for 3 con dmg

[Brainpiercing]

The Manticore Belt is either good on a straight Totemist, OR on a skirmisher. I'm not sure I'd take Thayan Gladiator with it.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

What would be good enhancements for the Amulet of Natural Attacks (Savage Species) ?

+1 Greater Soulbound (+2) Wounding (+2) Splitting (+3) Collision (+2) looks good

Also. Quick Question. If you had a Incarnum Focus (MiC), and had Split Chakra (Waist) and used two chakra binds to bind to your totem and bind the Incarnum Focus, could you use a Essentia Helm to max the Manticore Belt and then that essentia would be stuck in there due to the Focus? As the Chakra bind states
"nor can any essentia invested in it be lost or drained, except as part of the normal reallocation process" ?

If so.. Extra free eseentia! Yum Yum.

[Brainpiercing]

I'd have Aptitude in there, too, so you could get Weapon Focus(Crossbow) and Crossbow Sniper to apply to the spines - if you have the feats left, or dip a bit of Fighter or something. (Hit&Run Targetteer Fighter FTW.)

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

What is Aptitude? Heh.

Also what would be a good race for focusing in the Manticore belt? No LA, and Warforged isn't my thing.

Also, would adding Shadowstrike (MiC, +5k) and/or Sizing (MiC, 5k) be worth it for the amulet? Would sizing actually work? >.>

[Brainpiercing]

Aptitude is an enhancement from ToB. It lets you apply feats that affect a single weapon to any aptitude weapon.

Crossbow Sniper is from CW, I think, or CAdv. It allows you to add 1/2 your Dex to your damage roll.

Hit and Run Fighter (the Drow fighter sub-level which does not require the Drow race at all) is in Drow of the Underdark, it allows you to add your Dex mod to damage against a flat-footed enemy within 30ft.

Targetteer Fighter is from Dragon Mag (somewhere, look in the Crystal Keep class index.) It allows you to add your dex to damage as precision damage.

All these bonuses are different types, hence, against a flat-footed enemy within 30ft you could get 2.5x dex to damage. Since you're a totemist, your Stealth COULD well be through the roof, since tons of things improve Hide and Move Silently.

A good race is any that has a dex bonus but no CON penalty. Human works fine, Azurin, too, for the bonus feats, and bonus essentia in addition, in the case of Azurin.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Also. Quick Question. If you had a Incarnum Focus (MiC), and had Split Chakra (Waist) and used two chakra binds to bind to your totem and bind the Incarnum Focus, could you use a Essentia Helm to max the Manticore Belt and then that essentia would be stuck in there due to the Focus? As the Chakra bind states
"nor can any essentia invested in it be lost or drained, except as part of the normal reallocation process" ?

If so.. Extra free eseentia! Yum Yum.

Also what too put on the amulet entirely..
+1 Collision, Splitting, Wounding.. Soulbound Greater? No room for Aptitude. >.>

Also, would Sizing work or not?

[Havok4]

Also, would Sizing work or not?

What in the world would that do on a natural weapon. That could be very broken  if all it gave was the size based damage increases.

[Brainpiercing]

I'd start out with +1 Aptitude Splitting, then Collision, maybe, but of course only if I HAVE the feats necessary. The others are just gravy, really.

If you don't have any feats to apply, just forget about Aptitude and take what you have.

Also, would Sizing work or not?

What in the world would that do on a natural weapon. That could be very broken  if all it gave was the size based damage increases.

The stupid amulet allows EVERYTHING, even illegal choices. What it does then... I don't know.

One more thing you need to consider is the ability to overcome DR, so Transmuting (IIRC) is a very valuable choice.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Sizing still has it's limits, you are still limited to the change from Medium based damage to Colossal (d6 - d8 - 2d6 - 3d6 - 4d6)

Gravy!

+1 Collision, Splitting, Wounding, Transmuting, Soulbound (Sizing +5k)

Also, any answers on the theory for the Incarnum Focus + Essentia Helm Abuse?
Or is it not capable of working?

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Gravy..

Essentia Max: 4 for level, 2 for Totem, 1 for feat, 1 for Incarnum Focus = 8

8 Spines, split, 16 spines. 16 x 4d6 dmg, plus whatever else!

1/day for a few minutes.. 16 Spines. Split, 32 Spines. 32 x 4d6.

Lots and lots of carnage

[Havok4]

And do not forget about the flight and flyby attack that comes with it when you also bind the belt to your waist. There is a very good reason manticore belt is used for skirmishers.

[Shadowhunter]

I'd have Aptitude in there, too, so you could get Weapon Focus(Crossbow) and Crossbow Sniper to apply to the spines - if you have the feats left, or dip a bit of Fighter or something. (Hit&Run Targetteer Fighter FTW.)

As stated before, H&R Targeteer isn't possible.

H&R requires you to give up tower shield proficiency and heavy armour proficiency.
Targeteer does not have any tower shield proficiency to give up.
Hence, Targeteer does not qualify for H&R substitution.

Unfortunately.

Nor can we take H&R Fighter 1/Targeteer 1, since the text at the beginning of the fighter alterantives states that you can only pick 1 type of fighter and cannot include more than 1 in any build.

Unfortunately.

However, Deadeye from Dragon Compendium adds Dex to ranged damage with a weapon you have Weapon Focus for.
So you can still net Dex x2 to damage, this time the target don't even have to be flat-footed.
Only within 30' though.

[Sinfire Titan]

The Manticore Belt is either good on a straight Totemist, OR on a skirmisher. I'm not sure I'd take Thayan Gladiator with it.

Right. Don't use Manticore Belt if you are going Thayan Gladiator. Use Girallon Arms or Landshark Boots.

Thayan Gladiator is nice because it gives you another attack and a free Wounding property that stacks with the Amulet. It's bad because it doesn't advance meldshaping, is FR material, and requires a ritual I've never even heard of to even enter. The extra Crit multiplier and improved threat range are icing on the cake, and the ability to overcome DR is always welcome.

[Brainpiercing]

As stated before, H&R Targeteer isn't possible.

H&R requires you to give up tower shield proficiency and heavy armour proficiency.
Targeteer does not have any tower shield proficiency to give up.
Hence, Targeteer does not qualify for H&R substitution.

Unfortunately.

Nor can we take H&R Fighter 1/Targeteer 1, since the text at the beginning of the fighter alterantives states that you can only pick 1 type of fighter and cannot include more than 1 in any build.

Unfortunately.

However, Deadeye from Dragon Compendium adds Dex to ranged damage with a weapon you have Weapon Focus for.
So you can still net Dex x2 to damage, this time the target don't even have to be flat-footed.
Only within 30' though.

Right, that's the problem with Crystal Keep. It just doesn't show in there. Sorry for the confusion.

[A_Shadow_of_Life]

Why is it being FR material bad? >.>

[Anklebite]

Why is it being FR material bad? >.>

situational. alot of campaigns happen in eberron.