Tier 1 Campaign - Telflammar Shadowlord

[Rebel7284]

I decided to run a high level, optimized campaign with a few friends. 

The rules are as following:
[spoiler]
    * D&D 3.5
    * 112,500 XP
    * 200,000 GP (no more than 100,000 on any one item)
    * 42 Point Buy
    * 2 Flaws, 2 Traits
    * No LA buyoff, but see below
    * Players who chose to make builds that use primarily tier 3 or below classes may get free LA to balance them [tier 3: 1LA, Tier 4: 2LA, Tier 5, 3LA, Tier 6: 4LA]
    * All sources, ask me about obscure ones or specific dragon content
    * Half-Minotaur is LA+2
[/spoiler]

One of my players wasn't sure if he wanted to try a psionic character or something roguish.  With the right entry, TSL can do both!

Considering Ardent and SwordSage are both tier 3 IMO, I'm letting him have the Shadow Walker template for free.  The PrC probably pushes it up a tier, but it's not that great of a template anyway.

Suggested build:
Ardent 8/Swordsage 1/TSL 4/Ardent 2

1 Linked Power
F Blind Fight
F Expeditious Dodge
3 Mobility
6 Spring Attack
9 Martial Stance [Assassin's Stance]
12 Practiced Manifester
15 Twin Power

Dominant Ideal for multiple Twinned+Linked powers per turn.

I have seen people use the orange ioun stones to boost manifester level.  Is this RAW or just a commonly accepted house rule?
Any other way to get +1 manifester permanently and easily?  8th level powers are nice

I'm allowing some mantle power substitution.  Somewhere between 1 and 2 swaps per mantle.

Would be nice to pick up TSL 5 for the reflex save to not die ability, but that loses dominant ideal (or swordsage and makes it MUCH more difficult to qualify)

Also thinking Kalashtar with 15 embedded shards for +30 ML of free augmentation 3/day?

[bearsarebrown]

Orange stone working on ML does work even with basic transparency. If you have Magic mantle it works even with transparency off. And fit sure get power stones. Greatest psionic item. Try to get a psicrystal. Try to swing the feats however you can. your psicrystal can teleport you around.

I'm assuming your letting Shadow Pounce work with psychotransportation effects?

[X-Codes]

Swordsage is 3, but dominant ideal Ardent is easily a tier 2.

Work Synchronicity in there, and you should easily have a very strong character in this game.

[Mixster]

An UM+SC Master spellthief is a tier 1-2 Roguish Character.

[fuinjutsu]

Inconstant Location is kinda obligatory for a psionic Telflammar Shadowlord.

[Phoenix00]

Barbarian 1/Ardent 3/Swordsage 1/Ardent 2/Swordsage 1/Telflammar Shadowlord 4/Ardent 8
Feats
1   Dodge
1   Blind Fight
1   Mobility
1   Exotic Weapon Proficiency Rope Dart
3   Practiced Manifester
6   Spring Attack
9   Battle Jump
12   Free
15   Free

Necessary Powers
1   Dimension Hop
3   Dimension Slide

Standard Action: Dimension Slide (costing 5 PP)
Move Action: Dimension Slide with Augment of 4 PP (costing 9 PP Total)
Swift Action: Dimension Hop (costing 1 PP)

Standard Action:  Shadow Jaunt
Move Action: Shadow Stride (get via Tome of Battle Item at level 16)

So at level 15 you have a power points of 58+12*.5*Your Ability Modifier of Wisdom

Inconstant Location is kinda obligatory for a psionic Telflammar Shadowlord.

Not really since Dimension Hop uses less power points (it is cheaper if you use it less than 11 times during an encounter) and it doesn't take a 1 standard action buff to start it.

Now if it worked the same way the Wizard/Sorc 5 Spell Dimension Jumper worked, they maybe it would be useful.

[Phoenix00]

Forgot to explain what Battle Jump and Exotic Weapon Profiency Rope Dart is for.

Battle Jump is a regional feat that is in the same book as Telflammar Shadowlord.  Whenever you fall 5ft you perform a charge attack.  Thus you teleport at least 10ft above the enemy, you rain death from above with the Rope Dart (which is a melee weapon with 15ft reach from a dragon magazine, but any reach weapon that is bendable will do). After you full attack you just simply fall 5ft which triggers Battle Jump allowing you to perform a charge attack for free (which is a full attack due to lion totem barbarian).

Thus if you get 3 teleport effects in you get 6 full attacks in 1 round.

--------------------------------------------

Now at first glance it may look like psionics are awesome teleporters, but wizards are still better teleporters

For swift action they got Abrupt Jaunt, Shadow Cloak (Drow of the Underdark), Belt of Battle (Magic Item Compedium), Circle of Rapid Casting (Magic Item Compedium)

For move actions you have Dimension Jumper (Wizard/Sorc 5) cast as a swift action but for the rest of combat 1/round you can teleport as  a move action.

For standard actions there are multiple spells you can use.  
Benign Transposition (Wiz/Sorc 1) Spell Compedium
Baleful Transposition (Wiz/Sorc 2) Spell Compedium
Dimension Leap (Wiz/Sorc 2) Magic of Eberron
Dimension Hop (Wiz/Sorc 2) Players Handbook 2
Dimension Step (Wiz/Sorc 3) Players Handbook 2
Dimension Door (Wiz/Sorc 4) Core
Teleport (Wiz/Sorc 5) Core
etc

Plus with Arcane you have lots of metamagic, Arcane Fusion, and Polymorph.

[Endarire]

Done right, you could couple this with a Hood.

[skydragonknight]

Wizards don't get Schism though. So short of Celerity+daze immunity abuse, Ardents (though they get fewer options) get better action economy. They DO burn through PP like crazy, but that's what a recharge setup is for, right?

Add in Linked Power + Dominant ideal and the action economy skyrockets.

[Phoenix00]

Wizards don't get Schism though. So short of Celerity+daze immunity abuse, Ardents (though they get fewer options) get better action economy. They DO burn through PP like crazy, but that's what a recharge setup is for, right?

Add in Linked Power + Dominant ideal and the action economy skyrockets.

Short of a recharge setup (which I know of no DM that will allow a recharge setup), you aren't going to have any power points to do schism, for example the build I posted at level 15 reasonably will have 58 base PP somewhere between 18 and 48 bonus power points (depending on his wisdom and how much +wis items you have).  So best case scenario you will blow through all your teleports in 6 rounds.  Sure you get 36 full attacks in those 6 rounds, but still only 6 rounds.

You simply have not enough power points to cast an additional schism+synchronicity.

[skydragonknight]

If you can make up 1 feat, Kalastar with max Power Link Shards (12 for ML 12) would help a lot with PP issues. +15 PP for Kalastar itself and up to 72 PP in free augmentation from the embeded shards (although, at the cost of 12 hit points).

[Rebel7284]

@Phoenix00
Your build doesn't have dominant ideal and only does 6 full attacks with fewer power points at lower max level powers at 15.  What's the point of being a hood if you can't abuse it any more than the original build that can do 6 full attacks round 1, then 9 full attacks each round after?  I am wondering about ways to combine that though... I am not sure it's possible or necessary at this level.  

Power points with Practiced Manifester and Ioun stone can easily be 88+67 bonus.
Schism is a GREAT idea for novaing after Temporal Acceleration buff rounds for boss battles.  But yes, this would burn all PP after 3-4 rounds.

If you can make up 1 feat, Kalastar with max Power Link Shards (12 for ML 12) would help a lot with PP issues. +15 PP for Kalastar itself and up to 72 PP in free augmentation from the embeded shards (although, at the cost of 12 hit points).

I thought you could have a power shard per HD so 15 shards?  I'll have to double check the book.

[Phoenix00]

It just feels wrong wasting a feat to get Assassin Stance.  Now you could use a Shadow Hand Gloves (3000 gp) to grab it

You need metapower Dimension Slide and metapower Dimension Hop in there.

You can have as many power shards up to your HD up to you ML whichever is lower.

[Rebel7284]

It just feels wrong wasting a feat to get Assassin Stance.  Now you could use a Shadow Hand Gloves (3000 gp) to grab it

Problem is that Dispel Magic technically stops the character from working.  This is bad.

You need metapower Dimension Slide and metapower Dimension Hop in there.

Would totally help with the PP usage.  But feat slots are a bitch :-\

You can have as many power shards up to your HD up to you ML whichever is lower.

TY

[Endarire]

Hood's power greatly depends on how the DM interprets Battle Jump.  I wrote this under Boing Boing:

Note how Battle Jump states, "You can execute a charge simply by dropping from a height of at least 5 feet above your opponent" (Unapproachable East 42).  It doesn't specify that you must use a specific action, like a standard action to do so.  By my interpretation of the rules as written, you can, with a high enough movement speed and Jump check, repeatedly hurl yourself at your foes every turn until they die, using only movement speed to execute charges.  Your DM will probably smack you or otherwise limit you if you try this, but the thought reminds me of Mario pogo-jumping around the battlefield!

Seemingly, you can teleport drop onto someone to initiate two full attacks per teleport drop, one for Telflammar Shadowlord and one for Battle Jump.

[strider24seven]

If you can, snag Shadow Blade and Gloom Razor.  If teleportation counts as "movement," then you always have concealment if you use Child of Shadows stance.  If you always have concealment, then you have a reliable way to keep your enemies flat-footed, which is always good.  So is DEX to damage.