Author Topic: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher  (Read 2747 times)

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Caelic

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Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« on: September 02, 2010, 10:15:17 PM »
It's been a while since I put together an oddball build, and I'm feeling the urge.  This'll be a work in progress.

The build is going to be centered around the fact that I've always been amused by the fact that one of the categories of Perform is "comedy."  I want to combine that with Disguise Spell.  The result, of course, will be a character who can cast spells simply by telling terrible jokes.

So: to work.

BASE CLASS: Bard.  Possibly divine Bard.
PRESTIGE CLASSES: Divine Prankster is obvious and thematic, but not very synergistic UNLESS I go with divine Bard.
RACE: Gnome.  Obvious and stereotypical, but I want to take advantage of the hefty bonuses Gnome bards can rack up to Illusion and Enchantment DCs.
FEATS: Disguise Spell (essential,) Enchanting Song, Misleading Song, Captivating Melody, Melodic Casting

snakeman830

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #1 on: September 02, 2010, 10:44:47 PM »
Ah, a bullshit artist.

Undersong (Races of Stone, Bard 2) is your friend.  You can substitute a Perform check for any Concentration check.
I am constantly amazed by how many DM's ban Tomb of Battle.  The book doesn't even exist!

Quotes:[spoiler]
By yes, she means no.
That explains so much about my life.
hiicantcomeupwithacharacterthatisntaghostwhyisthatamijustretardedorsomething
Why would you even do this? It hurts my eyes and looks like you ate your keyboard before suffering an attack of explosive diarrhea.
[/spoiler]

If using Genesis to hide your phylactry, set it at -300 degrees farenheit.  See how do-gooders fare with a liquid atmosphere.

Caelic

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2010, 10:59:18 PM »
Undersong is good, yeah, but with Melodic Casting, will I need it?  Granted, Melodic Casting only works for Concentration checks related to spellcasting, but that tends to be most of them.

Garryl

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2010, 11:00:59 PM »
Undersong is Bard 1. It's from Spell Compendium, Champions of Ruin, and Dragon 328 according to iMarvinTPA.

Harmonize (Races of Stone, Bard 2) and the greater version (Races of Stone, Bard 4) can let you use bardic music and keep it up with reduced actions. A Harmonizing weapon does similar. See if your DM will let you re-flavor the Bardic Music being maintained by these as a laugh track.
A Guide to Free D&D - A resource of free, official D&D resources on the web.
General listing of my homebrew.
Links to things I've worked on
[spoiler]
Idiot Crusader, refreshing maneuvers for free every round.
The Opposed Checks Handbook - Under construction.
Adaptations Handbook - Under construction.
[/spoiler]

AngellusMortus

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #4 on: September 02, 2010, 11:01:11 PM »
I would have a very difficult time not taking Divine Prankster...Killing Joke is just hysterical. You may have seen a build I tinkered with once before involving a Grig Divine Prankster - play the fiddle, watch them dance, tell bad jokes, watch them die. It wasn't the most optimized build ever, but possibly my favorite for sheer humor.

snakeman830

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #5 on: September 02, 2010, 11:09:54 PM »
Undersong is good, yeah, but with Melodic Casting, will I need it?  Granted, Melodic Casting only works for Concentration checks related to spellcasting, but that tends to be most of them.
Diamond Mind rings, my friend.  That's where it's at.

Or the circlet in MIC that lets you use a Concentration check in place of a Fort save 1/day.  Beat a Figner of Death by telling a bad joke.

Yup, I got Harmonize and Undersong mixed up.  Again.
« Last Edit: September 02, 2010, 11:11:25 PM by snakeman830 »
I am constantly amazed by how many DM's ban Tomb of Battle.  The book doesn't even exist!

Quotes:[spoiler]
By yes, she means no.
That explains so much about my life.
hiicantcomeupwithacharacterthatisntaghostwhyisthatamijustretardedorsomething
Why would you even do this? It hurts my eyes and looks like you ate your keyboard before suffering an attack of explosive diarrhea.
[/spoiler]

If using Genesis to hide your phylactry, set it at -300 degrees farenheit.  See how do-gooders fare with a liquid atmosphere.

archangel.arcanis

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #6 on: September 02, 2010, 11:19:22 PM »
someone has recently watch a history of the world Pt1. He needs leadership to get a cohort named Joecifous (sp?)
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Retire the character before the DM smacks you with the Table as the book will feel totally inadequate now.-Hazren

Caelic

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #7 on: September 02, 2010, 11:29:31 PM »
I would have a very difficult time not taking Divine Prankster...Killing Joke is just hysterical. You may have seen a build I tinkered with once before involving a Grig Divine Prankster - play the fiddle, watch them dance, tell bad jokes, watch them die. It wasn't the most optimized build ever, but possibly my favorite for sheer humor.



Ah, but that's the joy of it: if I do this right, I won't need Killing Joke.  I'm thinking more along the lines of: tell bad joke, cast Phantasmal Killer as PART of bad joke, jack Phantasmal Killer save DC into the stratosphere, watch them die. ;)

"Boy!  When you die at the Palace, you really DIE at the Palace!"

AngellusMortus

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #8 on: September 02, 2010, 11:44:20 PM »
Good point! Of course, some of the other abilities are certainly not worthless...the one that forces people to try to attack you, essentially by taunting them IIRC, has all kinds of room for humorous abuse. Again, in the build I was mentioning before, I was planning on taunting them so they ran into range of my fiddle.

Honestly, I'm very much looking forward to where you end up with this. Good luck, have fun!

Widow

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #9 on: September 03, 2010, 02:44:33 AM »
Probably not as many options as the bard, but the Jester base class from the Dragon Compendium is more fitting.  Unfortunately the divine spell casting option is not available without some houseruling.

Benly

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #10 on: September 03, 2010, 02:58:20 AM »
My personal tendency would be to take Perform: Comedy in the Dragonfire Inspiration direction for some truly sick burns.

AngellusMortus

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #11 on: September 03, 2010, 04:57:28 AM »
My personal tendency would be to take Perform: Comedy in the Dragonfire Inspiration direction for some truly sick burns.


:drums

carnivore

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #12 on: September 03, 2010, 11:14:07 AM »
although Bard seems right.... and Divine Prankster also looks right... i always thought of a "Stand-up Philosopher"(Comic) as just using his voice, without spells ..... Marshal/ Jordain Vizer/ Evangelist/ War Chanter .... type without spells, but still very effective

 :D

McPoyo

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #13 on: September 03, 2010, 01:40:54 PM »
Marshal is a must, just for the double charisma stacking.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

awaken DM golem

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #14 on: September 03, 2010, 05:43:53 PM »
D&D is not funny.
Don't you dare ...


The BoVD drugs include some "happy" pill type effects.
Minor Creation might take care of some of it.
Alter Self and Disguise Self for the outfits ?!


Possible name: The Fool-osopher
from Iceman Cometh, a Eugene O'Neal play.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Iceman_Cometh

McPoyo

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #15 on: September 04, 2010, 02:14:32 PM »
I would have a very difficult time not taking Divine Prankster...Killing Joke is just hysterical. You may have seen a build I tinkered with once before involving a Grig Divine Prankster - play the fiddle, watch them dance, tell bad jokes, watch them die. It wasn't the most optimized build ever, but possibly my favorite for sheer humor.



Ah, but that's the joy of it: if I do this right, I won't need Killing Joke.  I'm thinking more along the lines of: tell bad joke, cast Phantasmal Killer as PART of bad joke, jack Phantasmal Killer save DC into the stratosphere, watch them die. ;)

"Boy!  When you die at the Palace, you really DIE at the Palace!"
Going into SChord to get Phantasmal Killer on your spell list? Bards don't get it innately.
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

fuinjutsu

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #16 on: September 04, 2010, 05:58:15 PM »
I would have a very difficult time not taking Divine Prankster...Killing Joke is just hysterical. You may have seen a build I tinkered with once before involving a Grig Divine Prankster - play the fiddle, watch them dance, tell bad jokes, watch them die. It wasn't the most optimized build ever, but possibly my favorite for sheer humor.



Ah, but that's the joy of it: if I do this right, I won't need Killing Joke.  I'm thinking more along the lines of: tell bad joke, cast Phantasmal Killer as PART of bad joke, jack Phantasmal Killer save DC into the stratosphere, watch them die. ;)

"Boy!  When you die at the Palace, you really DIE at the Palace!"
Going into SChord to get Phantasmal Killer on your spell list? Bards don't get it innately.

Gnome bards do, at level 10
Eh, the wizard have more money than them combined, he could in theory just use all his money on a fleet of trained attack mules, but then we aren't playing 3.5 but zergling rushing in Starcraft instead.

McPoyo

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #17 on: September 04, 2010, 06:35:26 PM »
I R Blind. :(
[Spoiler]
A gygaxian dungeon is like the world's most messed up game show.

Behind door number one: INSTANT DEATH!
Behind door number 2: A magic crown!
Behind door number 3: 4d6 giant bees, and THREE HUNDRED POUNDS OF HONEY!
They don't/haven't, was the point. 3.5 is as dead as people not liking nice tits.

Sometimes, their tits (3.5) get enhancements (houserules), but that doesn't mean people don't like nice tits.

Though sometimes, the surgeon (DM) botches them pretty bad...
Best metaphor I have seen in a long time.  I give you much fu.
Three Errata for the Mage-kings under the sky,
Seven for the Barbarian-lords in their halls of stone,
Nine for Mortal Monks doomed to die,
One for the Wizard on his dark throne
In the Land of Charop where the Shadows lie.
[/spoiler]

Caelic

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Re: Goofy Theme Build: The Stand-Up Philosopher
« Reply #18 on: September 05, 2010, 02:10:46 PM »
Going into SChord to get Phantasmal Killer on your spell list? Bards don't get it innately.


Gnome bard or not, absolutely.  The whole point of the character's that he creates magical effects by telling bad jokes.  What could be funnier than telling a bad joke and triggering a ninth-level spell? :)