Author Topic: Desert campaign charcter build help needed  (Read 4111 times)

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Gankutsuou

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Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« on: October 20, 2008, 08:07:33 PM »
ok so my dm wants to do a story based in a desert. Now I am not the biggest naruto fan nor do I really like using anime charachters as ideas for dnd characters but I do like the gaara character from naruto. Anyone have any build ideas for a gaara like character. All his sand techniques are good, especially since we are in the desert. I have been looking through alot of books especially sandstorm but can't really refine the character. Any help would be much aprecciated.

Neceros

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2008, 08:27:41 PM »
You mentioned Sandstorm. Have you taken a look at the Sandshaper PrC?

Shadowhunter

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2008, 08:35:34 PM »
http://boards1.wizards.com/showpost.php?p=8505687&postcount=30

Other than that, I'd advice taking Sand Shaper and Argent Savant, using the Bigby's line of spells to simulate his grappling and crushing sand, shield and mage armor for his defensive powers etc.

Argent Savant will give you a neat boost to your force spells... which I can imagine many of Gaaras attacks would be in DnD, at least with a lenient DM (as in the spell looking like a wawe of sand instead of a giant hand of force).
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SorO_Lost

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2008, 08:40:31 PM »
Sorcerer 5 / Sand Shaper 5 / Walker of the Waste 10 using Southern Magician(FR:RoF) to claim rights to become a Dry Lich.

Because divine only liches is sourcism and favored by the Nazis.
You don't want to be a Nazi now do you?
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[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
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Ubernoob

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2008, 08:42:44 PM »
Oh dear god... the psionic naruto thread had a fucking awesome Gaara... Where the fuck did that thread go?
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VennDygrem

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #5 on: October 20, 2008, 08:44:47 PM »
Oh dear god... the psionic naruto thread had a fucking awesome Gaara... Where the fuck did that thread go?

See Shadowhunter's post above. :D

Unless there's another thread. Oh my. :o

SorO_Lost

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #6 on: October 20, 2008, 08:56:54 PM »
The thread fails.

Arcane Version
Sabaku no Gaara - Empty Vessel Sorcerer 9/Sand Shaper 10

8th level spells, umm handy I guess.
Tiers explained in 8 sentences. With examples!
[spoiler]Tiers break down into who has spellcasting more than anything else due to spells being better than anything else in the game.
6: Skill based. Commoner, Expert, Samurai.
5: Mundane warrior. Barbarian, Fighter, Monk.
4: Partial casters. Adapt, Hexblade, Paladin, Ranger, Spelltheif.
3: Focused casters. Bard, Beguiler, Dread Necromancer, Martial Adapts, Warmage.
2: Full casters. Favored Soul, Psion, Sorcerer, Wu Jen.
1: Elitists. Artificer, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.
0: Gods. StP Erudite, Illthid Savant, Pun-Pun, Rocks fall & you die.
[/spoiler]

StPeteGamer

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #7 on: October 20, 2008, 09:27:33 PM »
http://forums.gleemax.com/wotc_archive/index.php/t-693624

This is a good build that I am using in my current campaign very handy, don't watch anime so do not know if it meets that pre-req but it is built out of sandstorm and is a very well rounded build IMO

woodenbandman

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #8 on: October 21, 2008, 11:35:25 AM »
How about Druid 5/Blighter10/Master of Many Forms5 or Warshaper4/Nature's Warrior 1? 9th level spells, wildshape as a 20th level druid, you get a cool template with no CON score I believe that you can reflavor, and you get all kinds of cool stuff to do like spreading deserts wherever you go.

ZeroSum

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #9 on: October 21, 2008, 12:07:58 PM »
The Spell Thematics feat will let you make your Bigby's (and everything else) look like sand if you want to spend a feat on it.

pfooti

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #10 on: October 21, 2008, 01:45:12 PM »
Blighter is the worst PrC ever made.

woodenbandman

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #11 on: October 21, 2008, 02:10:06 PM »
Now that's not true. It's just worse than a druid. It's perfectly acceptable since it get some spells and (I believe) full wildshape.

Ubernoob

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #12 on: October 21, 2008, 02:17:45 PM »
Now that's not true. It's just worse than a druid. It's perfectly acceptable since it get some spells and (I believe) full wildshape.
It requires 5 levels of druid, gets rid of your primary three class features, and gives them back slowly over time.  A druid 5 is actually stronger than a Druid 5/ blighter 3

It's that bad.
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Surreal

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #13 on: October 21, 2008, 04:07:57 PM »
Shining Blade of Heironous bad?
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pfooti

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2008, 04:20:28 PM »
As the noob said - blighter takes 5 levels of Druid and turns them into medium BAB, skill points, and saving throws. You lose your spellcasting, wildshaping, and animal companion. In exchange, you get spellcasting that doesn't even catch up to druid casting levels until level 10 (druid5/blighter10 has 5th level spells) and NEVER catches up in spells/day. It also draws from a VERY limited list of spells known. Similarly, you gain a limited form of wildshape that's pretty much worse than druid wildshaping at all levels (your blighter levels don't stack, so you never really can shape into high-hitdie monsters). The undead template is kind of cute and replaces some of the things you're missing from plant wildshape, but in the end, blighter wildshape isn't all that hot. You also never get your animal companion back, and we know how good that is.

And then, if you last to level 15, you're hosed. Where do you go next? You can't go back to druid, you can't advance your casting or anything. You're just stuck. It's like the opposite of Ur Priest, which you can get into using a non-cleric entry, and can be advanced nicely with other dual-progression classes. Blighters just stink.

Shining Blades stink, but they stink because even for a paladin, they don't add a whole lot of power to your build. But Blighter is the only PrC that I know of where levels in it actually make you weaker. If you had to break your Paladin vows to become a shining blade, that would stink on this level.

woodenbandman

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #15 on: October 21, 2008, 09:51:51 PM »
Oh hell, I didn't know it took your wildshape away. Why yes, yes that is awful. If it were just spells then it would be acceptable since you'd be able to take those cool druid prestige classes and keep some spells, but as it stands it's just suck.

If it stacked for wildshape would it be less awful?

jameswilliamogle

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #16 on: October 21, 2008, 10:35:43 PM »
Do you have access to Dragon Magazine Compendium?  The Shi-Ar base class is very well suited for cool Desert stuff.

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Re: Desert campaign charcter build help needed
« Reply #17 on: October 21, 2008, 11:33:16 PM »
Oh hell, I didn't know it took your wildshape away. Why yes, yes that is awful. If it were just spells then it would be acceptable since you'd be able to take those cool druid prestige classes and keep some spells, but as it stands it's just suck.

If it stacked for wildshape would it be less awful?
Still would because you only have undead forms to shift into.  You'd be okay at soaking up damage, but that's about it.