Author Topic: Extreme survival test. Need help.  (Read 7311 times)

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Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #20 on: January 12, 2010, 07:10:05 AM »
So far, TEAM has been incredibly successful. His acid-spitting familiar has won most of his encounters with a readied spit before intiative was rolled.

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #21 on: January 12, 2010, 10:27:13 AM »
Cleared the first floor:

Total of 1650xp, and nearly 2k loot(after selling), and 2 potions of CLW, and 1 potion of Cure moderate wounds.
« Last Edit: January 12, 2010, 12:25:05 PM by Aldgar »

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #22 on: January 12, 2010, 12:27:14 PM »
Why did you go with a stalwart battle sorcerer, if you're gestalting with crusader? You already have full BAB and a good hit die, so it seems it is giving you nothing, except the ability to cast in light armor...

Stalwart gives me +2 HP(this is completely unrelated to Hitdice, these are bonus HP and thus very valuable in gestalt).

It also gives me two free feats which can be retrained(martial weapon proficiency and weapon focus).

Battle sorcerer gives me the ability to cast in light armor.

Perhaps a stalwart sorcerer might have been more optimized, but the only spells I cast were floating disk(as magical lootbag) anyway.

PhaedrusXY

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #23 on: January 12, 2010, 12:29:36 PM »
True Strike has no somatic components, and you could cast Tenser's out of combat. I don't agree that the +2 hit points is independent of your hit die, but if the moderator does, more power to you I guess. ;)
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Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #24 on: January 13, 2010, 02:49:47 AM »
True strike requires an action to cast and only offers a short-term benefit. A stalwart sorcerer(battle or not) knows only 1 first-level spell. Therefore, I chose disk over true strike.

Anyhow, it seems like the 2nd floor is somewhat aquatic-themed:

I was forced to sell my healing belt to buy an armor crystal of aquatic action, lesser(negates ACP to swim and grants a swim speed equal to 1/2 land speed).

I'm still worried about swarms.

I bought some torches to be able to damage them, but my familiar is very vulnerable to swarms.
And I intend to continue leveling up as Incarnate/Crusader, so a dip into Dragonfire Adept(while providing an easy solution) is out.

A swarmstrike weapon costs at least 8.300gp, WAAAY outside my budget right now.

Any suggestions?
Any suggestions regarding incarnate soulmelds I should shape?

Right now, I have dissolving spittle(with expanded soulmeld capacity), soulspark familiar, mantle of flame and bluesteel bracers shaped(and 2 essentia available, by default in spittle).

« Last Edit: January 13, 2010, 02:53:22 AM by Aldgar »

Havok4

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #25 on: January 13, 2010, 12:46:46 PM »
You could get an area attack with the martial study feat to get the hatchling's flame maneuver. Also maybe you could ask your DM if the mantle of flame would work against swarms. Otherwise buy lots of acid flasks.

Brainpiercing

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2010, 01:08:23 PM »
Why is dissolving spittle not effective against swarms? It should be at least as effective as a torch, the area effect of a torch isn't any greater. Sure the swarm won't take extra damage from it, but well... it should work.

bearsarebrown

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #27 on: January 13, 2010, 01:21:21 PM »
Yeah, why doesn't dissolving spittle work?

Havok4

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #28 on: January 13, 2010, 06:59:55 PM »
Are you planning to get yourself a necrocarnum zombie if you ever get to level 3?

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #29 on: January 14, 2010, 08:36:58 AM »
Nope, I'll bind soulspark familiar to the crown chakra and get two lesser soulsparks instead of one necrocarnum zombie.

Brainpiercing

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #30 on: January 14, 2010, 10:52:49 AM »
Nope, I'll bind soulspark familiar to the crown chakra and get two lesser soulsparks instead of one necrocarnum zombie.
Lesser Soulsparks are a pretty good powerup at that level. Are you considering getting IMproved Soulmeld Cap for one of your soulmelds? It seems like boosting the Soulsparks will produce a better damage output than stuff like Incarnate Avatar, while boosting Spittle will be a huge double boost against anything susceptible to acid.

I'm also not sure I see the continuing synergy with Crusader. Do you have to take Multiclass penalties for each Gestalt side? If not, you might consider boosting your multiple attack power with stuff like Inspire Courage with Song of the White Raven, i.e. dip Bard, then go on with Crusader or Warblade. Of course you should dip Bard on a level where Incarnate improves BAB, so even level three is an option.

Once you have enough soulmelds on your Incarnate line I would definitely also get rid of the Shape Soulmeld feats, OR retrain them for some Totemist Soulmelds to share. Wormtail Belt seems quite appealing for a passive boost to yourself and the toad, RAge Claws to dramatically increase survivability, etc, or the obvious Blink Shirt, although that doesn't synergise too well with Share Soulmeld, and its benefits can be rather situational.

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #31 on: January 14, 2010, 11:03:08 AM »
I'll retrain the feats from Stalwart sorcerer(martial weapon proficiency and weapon focus) first.

You're thinking of expanded soulmeld capacity - improved is for incarnum feats, expanded is for soulmelds.

I already got expanded soulmeld capacity once and applied it to spittle - 3d6 acid damage is amazing and very necessary.

I'll consider retraining the weapon focus into another expanded soulmeld capacity.


Btw, I just hit 3rd level and took the 3rd level of Crusader. Multiclassing penalties are ignored.

1/day reroll a failed save is gold for a Solo dungeon crawl, even though my saves are excellent already(Fort +7(+9 with evil's blessing), Reflex +4(+6 with evil's blessing) and Will +6(+8 with evil's blessing, +10 with Bolstering voice stance))

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #32 on: January 14, 2010, 11:30:16 AM »
I'm also not sure I see the continuing synergy with Crusader. Do you have to take Multiclass penalties for each Gestalt side? If not, you might consider boosting your multiple attack power with stuff like Inspire Courage with Song of the White Raven, i.e. dip Bard, then go on with Crusader or Warblade. Of course you should dip Bard on a level where Incarnate improves BAB, so even level three is an option.

Once you have enough soulmelds on your Incarnate line I would definitely also get rid of the Shape Soulmeld feats, OR retrain them for some Totemist Soulmelds to share. Wormtail Belt seems quite appealing for a passive boost to yourself and the toad, RAge Claws to dramatically increase survivability, etc, or the obvious Blink Shirt, although that doesn't synergise too well with Share Soulmeld, and its benefits can be rather situational.

I'm continueing Crusader for it's amazing synergy with Stone Power. At the very least, I want Crusader 4 for Steely Resolve 10, which translates into pseudo-fast healing 10 as soon as I have BAB+5.

Also, Cha to Will saves(crusader2), reroll a failed save 1/day(crusader 3) are excellent defensive abilities as well.

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #33 on: January 14, 2010, 11:34:04 AM »
Fuck, I just noticed something bad:

I only have 14 Con, which is a +2 modifier, which means I can only shape 2 incarnate soulmelds at a time.

Dangit, now the 3rd Incarnate soulmeld from incarnate level 2 is wasted.

I need to increase Con ASAP, but a +2 con boosting item is 4k, way outside my budget right now(I have 186.9gp at the moment).

Havok4

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #34 on: January 14, 2010, 01:29:05 PM »
Fuck, I just noticed something bad:

I only have 14 Con, which is a +2 modifier, which means I can only shape 2 incarnate soulmelds at a time.

Dangit, now the 3rd Incarnate soulmeld from incarnate level 2 is wasted.

I need to increase Con ASAP, but a +2 con boosting item is 4k, way outside my budget right now(I have 186.9gp at the moment).
No incarnate soulmelds work with your con score -10, which is very unusual for the game but that is what it says in MoI. I really recommend incarnum zombies, they are awesome and would give you an additional battle buddy allowing you to hold your nice place in the action economy.

Garryl

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #35 on: January 14, 2010, 07:25:14 PM »
Fuck, I just noticed something bad:

I only have 14 Con, which is a +2 modifier, which means I can only shape 2 incarnate soulmelds at a time.

Dangit, now the 3rd Incarnate soulmeld from incarnate level 2 is wasted.

I need to increase Con ASAP, but a +2 con boosting item is 4k, way outside my budget right now(I have 186.9gp at the moment).
No incarnate soulmelds work with your con score -10, which is very unusual for the game but that is what it says in MoI. I really recommend incarnum zombies, they are awesome and would give you an additional battle buddy allowing you to hold your nice place in the action economy.

It's not that unusual. Spell level access works with primary casting score -10. I guess the designers thought that soulmeld quantities were similar enough conceptually to spell level that they decided to use the same idea.
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Havok4

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #36 on: January 14, 2010, 07:40:10 PM »
Fuck, I just noticed something bad:

I only have 14 Con, which is a +2 modifier, which means I can only shape 2 incarnate soulmelds at a time.

Dangit, now the 3rd Incarnate soulmeld from incarnate level 2 is wasted.

I need to increase Con ASAP, but a +2 con boosting item is 4k, way outside my budget right now(I have 186.9gp at the moment).
No incarnate soulmelds work with your con score -10, which is very unusual for the game but that is what it says in MoI. I really recommend incarnum zombies, they are awesome and would give you an additional battle buddy allowing you to hold your nice place in the action economy.

It's not that unusual. Spell level access works with primary casting score -10. I guess the designers thought that soulmeld quantities were similar enough conceptually to spell level that they decided to use the same idea.
Good point, I was not even thinking about spell access, but the similarity is quite clear now that you pointed it out. Also a good pick for your third soulmeld if you do not want to have two zombie minions would be something that grants DR to help your survivability.

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #37 on: January 15, 2010, 03:08:14 AM »
No incarnate soulmelds work with your con score -10, which is very unusual for the game but that is what it says in MoI. I really recommend incarnum zombies, they are awesome and would give you an additional battle buddy allowing you to hold your nice place in the action economy.

Awesome, I was relying on my fuzzy memory on that part. This means Astral Vambraces or Adamant Pauldrons is possible.

Okay... sadly, I cannot have both good soulsparks and incarnum zombies at the same time.

Necrocarnum circlet(the one creating zombies) requires the crown chakra bind to create zombies(and you can only control 1 at a time, so the share soulmeld trick doesn't give you a second zombie...i think).

But I want to bind the soulspark familiar soulmeld to the crown chakra, since that vastly improves the power of my soulsparks(least-> lesser doubles HP, increases DR from 1-> 3, increases accuracy and damage and saves...and fast healing, if essentia invested...)

Aldgar

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #38 on: January 15, 2010, 07:03:18 AM »
My character just barely survived a fleshraker.

After the familiar got blinded by a horde of 3 swindlespitter dinosaurs, a fleshraker noticed the light from my torch, and charged me, starting from outside my vision range...

Proceeding to forcibly remove 21 from my remaining 29 Hitpoints. Luckily, the Mantle of Flame soulmeld was shaped and had 1 essentia in it, so the counter-fire damage killed the fleshraker after his second full-attack.

I've already wasted 300gp on healing this floor...3 potions of lesser vigor, 3 potions of lesser restoration...

Brainpiercing

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Re: Extreme survival test. Need help.
« Reply #39 on: January 15, 2010, 07:39:10 AM »
Hmm, I don't know if I would have taken that Practiced Spellcaster. However, I guess since you DO rely on the disk....

Couldn't you have rested/reshaped in the Vending machine room? Or are those not safe?

I've also been wondering how you could improve HP or AC on your Familiar... Can't you put him inside something to give him half cover or something? For example, fashion a little band of metal that is half his height on your shoulder (which counts as a low wall), so he can spit over it, ignoring the cover because he is closer than the target. Since the cover is actually IN your square, an attacker can't ignore it unless he enters your square, too.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2010, 09:33:15 AM by Brainpiercing »