Author Topic: A non-traditional healer...  (Read 2197 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

dman11235

  • Grape ape
  • *****
  • Posts: 1544
    • Email
A non-traditional healer...
« on: June 21, 2008, 04:38:44 PM »
So, we all know that the Shadow Sun ninja can be a semi-effective healer.  I want to make it the primary healer, with some options that make it almost effective at in combat healing.  I've actually done this already.  The build is currently monk 2/psywar 2/swordsage (unarmed, if stacks with monk, otherwise doesn't matter) 2/fist of the forest 3/initiate of draconic mysteries 8/wizard 1 (or sorcerer 1, doesn't matter, just need that spell list for wand use)/shadow sun ninja 1/shiba protector 1 (the shiba rotector isn't necessary, I just like wisx2 to attack).  Feats are the prereqs, tashalatora, SUS, and intuitive attack, plus any others you deem necessary.  Important equipment to note are a wand of Greater Mighty Whallop at CL 16+, a monk's belt, and a monk's tattoo.  This gets you unarmed damage of 36d8, and thus you deal 36d8+wis negative energy damage and deal the same in positive energy damage, healing that average of 162+wis per hit.  That's not that bad for someone with no cleric levels.  However it's not all that good in combat (it's much less than the average level 20 full attack).  I want to increase this number to an amount that's effective at in combat healing (for when necessary, of course).  Any thoughts on increasing this, or have I hit a good healer?

Note: this is using the unarmed progression 2d10-4d8-6d8-8d8-12d8-16d8-22d8-28d8-36d8 (+2/+2/+4/+4/+6/+6/+8).  I have seen cases for the damage progression to be 4-6-8-12-16-24-32-48, in which case the average would be 216+wis.  That's not that bad.
« Last Edit: June 21, 2008, 04:45:02 PM by dman11235 »
My sig's Handy Haversack: Need help?  Want to see what I've done?  Want to see what others have done well?  Check it out.

Chemus

  • Donkey Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 751
Re: A non-traditional healer...
« Reply #1 on: June 22, 2008, 08:04:38 PM »
I don't know the ruling/consensus on being able to attack yourself, but I have a suggestion; take Necropolitan if you're guaranteed to have a living ally nearby. If you can hit yourself for negative energy, healing, and your ally the round after, healing, and it is necessary (say that you're fighting undead...) to heal it's a win/win. I think that it works, but only if you can hit yourself. Can you do that?

Ninja edit: Duh! Since you can power it from healing yourself, you can DD (with a melee attack...) the undeads you're fighting. Heal party is good there too.

Regular edit: Does chaos monk assist your build at all? Since you're advancing FoB with the Prc's, the whatchamacallit extra attacks from ChM could help. Monk is better at certainty of numbers though.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2008, 08:08:59 PM by Chemus »
*waves hand* This is not the sig you're looking for...
The freely downloadable and searchable 3.5 SRD I prefer (Web)
Camlen, Enniwey

dman11235

  • Grape ape
  • *****
  • Posts: 1544
    • Email
Re: A non-traditional healer...
« Reply #2 on: June 22, 2008, 09:17:14 PM »
If you couldn't attack yourself, certain spells would be unable to be used on yourself, like any melee or ranged touch attack spells.  And a shambling mound wizard does like to hit itself with an orb of electricity.

Actually, none of the PrCs other than the one level of Shadow Sun Ninja advances FoB.  So Chaos Monk (though nice) doesn't help.  Also, it's a standard action, so you can't gain extra attacks anyway.  Also, I don't know if you can take the passive Way variant with ChM.  And free Combat Expertise (and thus the ability to dump int) is nice.

I guess I should break it down to a bare minimum: one level of SSN, 8 of IoDM, 3 of FotF, and 7 effective monk levels (so 6 monk/1 SSN works, 2 monk/2 psywar with Tashalatora/1 SSN/2 unarmed SS works as well), Tomb-Tainted Soul somewhere in the party, a monk's belt, a monk's tattoo, SUS, and the ability to reach colossal damage, my method was Greater Mighty Whallop.  This gets you the maximum of 36d8 (or 48d8, depending) base unarmed damage and the ability to heal that.

The reason I had those other levels was I was trying to make it viable in a party too, and not just a healbot that's not a cleric.

So.  The build (variations will be listed after wards):

stat priorities: str, wis, con and dex, int, cha

skills of note: hide, concentration, jump, know (arcana), know (religion), tumble (luckily, these are all 4 or 6 ranks except jump and hide, so you can get by with 10 int if human by leaving the 4 ranks at 4).  After level 5, skills are whatever you want them to be.

class progression: monk 2 (passive way variant)/psywar 2/ unarmed swordsage 1/Initiate of Draconic Mysteries 2/unarmed SS +1/Shadow Sun Ninja 1/Shiba Protector 1/Fist of the Forest 3/Wizard 1/Initiate of Draconic Mysteries +6

Skill progression (since it's oh so tricky to get the pre-reqs)
1: hide 4, concentration 4, know (relig) 4, know (arcana) 4, jump 0, tumble 4
2: hide 5, concentration 5, know (relig) 4, know (arcana) 5, jump 2, tumble 4
3: hide 5, concentration 6, know (relig) 4, know (arcana) 5, jump 4, tumble 4
4: hide 5, concentration 6, know (relig) 4, know (arcana) 6, jump 5, tumble 4
5: hide 8, concentration 6, know (relig) 4, know (arcana) 6, jump 8, tumble 4 (with one left over)

and you meet all the prereqs

feat progression:
1: Combat Expertise (bonus), Power Attack, Combat Reflexes (human)
2: Improved Trip (bonus)
3: Alertness, Iron Will (bonus)
4: Great Fortitude (bonus)
6: Tashalatora
9: Superior unarmed Strike
12: Practiced Manifester
15: open
18: open

Powers known: Expansion, open (if there's one that gives you a bonus on trip attempts, good for you, take it now)

essential equipment: Monk's Belt, Monk's Tattoo, Wand of Greater Mighty Whallop (CL 16), and the obligatory stat boosts, AC boosts, flight item, defense items, and Necklace of Natural Attacks (note: it will not affect your Touch of the Shadow Sun), and maybe a permanent Greater Magic Fang CL 20.

Variants:

Intuitive Attack: prioritize wis over all others and take Intuitive Attack, but unless you can get trip based on wis there's not much for you here, other than, oh wisx2 to attack and wis to damage.

No Shiba Protector: eliminates wis to attack and damage, but means you don't need to be human anymore.  Granted, human is a great race for this (bonus feats rock)

feat shuffle: the feats aren't in a particularly necessary order, other than Combat Expertise, Improved Trip, Alertness, Power Attack, and Iron Will.  The first two are set bonus feats, and the second two need to be taken before level 6 (or at level 6).  Iron Will needs to be taken before level 10, and Great Fortitude before level 11.

class shuffle: the first 9 levels are pretty set, but after that, the levels can come in pretty much any order.  Note though: taking IoDM 4 before the second SS level will net you a damage dice boost earlier, but will delay taking SSN by two levels.

Notes: is not able to heal until level 9, but is a decent character before that, especially with the reach and tripping at level 3 (and more at later levels)

EDIT: note that having a party arcanist willing to cast Greater Mighty Whallop frees up that one wizard level (you only need it for the spell list anyways, though going epic does open up some interesting options with Enlightened Fist or other casting PrCs) for maybe another IoDM level or a SS level, the first for a x3 crit and the second for more maneuvers.  IL max of 12 I believe, so level 6 maneuvers if taken at 20.
« Last Edit: June 22, 2008, 09:25:57 PM by dman11235 »
My sig's Handy Haversack: Need help?  Want to see what I've done?  Want to see what others have done well?  Check it out.

dman11235

  • Grape ape
  • *****
  • Posts: 1544
    • Email
Re: A non-traditional healer...
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2008, 01:24:59 AM »
So I figured out a slightly better way to get that last boost to unarmed damage (up to colossal):

Step 1: be a changeling (or shifter, any LA+0 shapeshifting race, but changelings are the best due to the constant changery).
step 2: build: monk 2/unarmed SS 2/psywar 2/FotF 3/IoDM 8/SSN 1/Warshaper 2.
Step 3: ???
Step 4: Profit!

And if you don't care about being able to heal (or maneuvers at all) you can ditch SSN for another Warshaper level, getting you 5' extra reach.  And if you don't care about maneuvers at all you can put another level into psywar, increasing the duration of expansion and getting more PP (or IoDM for the x3 crit), and one more level of warshaper gets you fast healing.
My sig's Handy Haversack: Need help?  Want to see what I've done?  Want to see what others have done well?  Check it out.

Nox_Noctis

  • Hong Kong
  • ****
  • Posts: 1236
  • A Simple Exchange
    • Email
Re: A non-traditional healer...
« Reply #4 on: July 26, 2008, 03:30:29 PM »
Ectoplasmic Fists are great for boosting unarmed damage by size. They cost 4,000 each and a 2-armed, 2-legged creature can have four of them (+4 effective size increases in unarmed damage). They also don't appear to occupy a slot (Eberron Campaign Setting 264).

EDIT: I just realized you can only have a number of such shards equal to your manifester level, so that would limit you to two with two levels of Psychic Warrior.
« Last Edit: July 26, 2008, 03:51:34 PM by Nox_Noctis »
[spoiler]
[/spoiler]